4 Light Rail Projects in 4 Different Places: What You Need to Know

Still catching up from the long weekend? We’re right there with ya. While we’re moving slow, let’s talk about something that doesn’t—high-speed light rails. Here are updates on four rail projects currently in process: 

1. Vegas, baby—Construction of a high-speed rail connecting Las Vegas, Nevada, to Victorville, California, is now expected to start in 2020. Virgin Trains USA said last week that 30% of the project is designed and the company will use its train routes in Florida as a model to plan and construct the rail line out west. At its estimated completion in 3 years, the line will connect passengers to the two locations in 75 minutes.
2. Cali No. 2—Speaking of California, let’s talk about the rail line that has been nothing short of a struggle lately. In early August, funding was approved for an extension of the Los Angeles Gold Line to Pomona. The funding now in question concerns the final 3.2 miles of the rail line extension, which would connect the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county line to Montclair. The overall project has been spent the better part of 2019 beleaguered with increasing costs, instability over sources of funding, and a whole host of other complications. This leg of the extension will cost $550 million—drawing criticism over the cost and whether the extension is actually necessary.
3. A little south, a little east—Voters in Phoenix, Arizona, came out in surprising numbers for a special election last week to stand against a plan that would stop future construction on the city’s light rail. The vote was over a proposition to stop the city’s Valley Metro rail system further south. Sixty-two percent of votes were in favor of continued financing for the expansion project.
4. And in the north—Last but not least, we’re taking it beyond the border for a sizable project in Canada. Two years after the shortlist of finalists for the Hurontario light-rail transit project was announced, Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have announced a consortium made up of John Laing, Salini and Astaldi as the winners. The Mobilinx consortium will design, build, finance and operate the CA$1.4 billion, 11.2-mile project. The contract is expected to be finalized in late 2019.