Brightline West is a privately run high-speed rail route, currently under construction, to link the Las Vegas Valley and Rancho Cucamonga in Greater Los Angeles through the California high desert.

The project is intended to provide an alternative to air and automobile travel between Southern California and Las Vegas, a popular leisure destination.

In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West a $3 billion grant as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In September 2018, the project known as XpressWest, was acquired by Fortress Investment Group, which owns Brightline in Florida, the only privately run inter-city rail route in the United States.

"[24][25] A high speed line following the Palmdale–Apple Valley–Las Vegas route was included in the 2018 California State Rail Plan as part of the 2040 timeline of projects.

[39][40][41] The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering re-programming around $2 billion in Measure M funding slated for the High Desert Corridor, a proposed freeway between Victorville and Palmdale, canceled in October 2019, to instead create a development plan for an extension of the XpressWest route between the two cities.

[46] In December 2023, the United States Department of Transportation awarded Brightline West $3 billion of the grant request and in September 2024 signed it.

[53] The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021 has billions of dollars for rail projects which provides expanded opportunities for companies such as Brightline.

[57] The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority was awarded a $25-million grant in July 2023 from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to fund design and construction costs of the stations in Hesperia and Apple Valley.

[60][61] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 22, 2024, at the planned Las Vegas station site, marking the official start of construction.

[66] In the original plan, the route did not extend into Los Angeles due to the high cost of building rail in urban areas.

[67] The 50-mile (80 km) extension from Victor Valley to the city of Palmdale, where it would connect to the California High-Speed Rail system currently in development, in order to provide service to Los Angeles, was not included in the initial phase.

[69] In June 2020, the company initiated planning on a rail line south of Apple Valley over the Cajon Pass to Rancho Cucamonga to provide more direct Los Angeles service, while not ruling out the Palmdale expansion.

The vehicle maintenance facility was moved from the Victor Valley site to a 246-acre parcel (100 ha) west of I-15 in Sloan, Nevada, and will connect to the Union Pacific mainline at this location.

[86] Service to a planned transit center incorporating the station will operate under the jurisdiction of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA).

[87] SBCTA and the city of Rancho Cucamonga approved the sale of a 5-acre parcel (2.0 ha) to Brightline for the high speed rail station in 2022.

At Palmdale, passengers can connect to the existing Metrolink service or continue into Los Angeles using California High-Speed Rail's tracks.

[13] In June 2020, the company entered into an agreement to lease the state-owned Interstate 15 right-of-way between Las Vegas and Victor Valley from California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

[94] Brightline entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority in 2020 for the spur between Apple Valley to Rancho Cucamonga, as it provided connectivity within the Inland Empire.

[98] Vehicles will require a high power-to-weight ratio to climb steep grades on the planned route – up to 4.5% between Victorville and Las Vegas,[99] and up to 6% through Cajon Pass.

Brightline was in active discussion until mid-2024 with Alstom and Siemens Mobility to procure rolling stock for the service and for potential future routes.

[104][105] Brightline would be the first customer of the Siemens Velaro Novo platform, which has been tested in Germany using the ICE-S train,[106][40][34] and has a designed top speed of 225 mph (360 km/h).

[112] According to Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, this is a prime location for future growth in Las Vegas' gaming and entertainment corridor.

The city of Victorville was selected as the location for the westernmost terminal, as extending the train line farther into the Los Angeles Basin through the Cajon Pass was considered to be prohibitively expensive.

[119] In March 2010, project planners said they could obtain the full funding amount through exclusively private investors,[65][120] but had also applied for a $4.9 billion loan through the federal Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program.

[121] A preferred design was identified with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in April 2011, which began a public comment period that ended in May 2011.

[121][126] In June 2012, the developer announced a new plan to build a network of high-speed rail for the region by expanding to Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

[74] DesertXpress Enterprises signed a document with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials in June 2012 to explore the plan to build a 50-mile (80 km) high-speed rail link between Victor Valley and Palmdale.

[141] A CAHSRA spokesperson said that there have been ongoing discussions concerning allowing the trains to use California High-Speed Rail lines to go further into the Los Angeles area, although no commitments had been made.

The biggest reason cited for the termination of the joint venture was a federal regulation requiring the manufacture of the high speed trains inside the United States.