Rancho Cucamonga-to-Las Vegas rail line will do more than carry passengers

The planned multi-billion project will run out of a station to be built next to the city’s Metrolink station. Local officials believe the area nearby is ripe for commercial development and a potential economic boon for the Inland region.

 

 

Rancho Cucamonga has taken a major step toward landing the Inland Empire’s first high-speed rail station, a project that will eventually make the city a gateway to Las Vegas.

Last month, Rancho Cucamonga and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority approved the sale of five acres at Cucamonga Station at 11208 Azusa Court.

“We are pleased to take this next important step forward in bringing enhanced transit to one of the fastest-growing population and economic centers in the country,” said Art Bishop, president of the transportation authority’s board of director’s and a long-time Apple Valley council member, in a statement.

The property at the northwest corner of Azusa Court and Milliken Avenue is owned by Rancho Cucamonga and the transportation authority. Brightline West, a subsidiary of Florida-based Brightline, bought the land for an undisclosed sum and will develop and operate the station.

Construction is expected to take three to four years and be completed by 2027, in time for the Los Angeles summer Olympics in 2028, said Michael Burris, Rancho Cucamonga’s deputy city manager.

Brightline develops and operates high-speed systems. It serves Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and describes itself as the only private company in the United States that builds eco-friendly rail systems that connects cities.

Cucamonga Station is within the HART District, a housing, retail and commercial area bordered by Haven Avenue, Arrow Route, Rochester Avenue and the transit station. It’s designed to be a gathering place and economic generator for the west end of the Inland Empire, a goal that will be enhanced by the Brightline West project.

The Brightline West station, which is expect to create about 700 jobs, will be built next to Metrolink station. The rail line will run parallel to Interstate 15 and Cajon Pass.

“Geographically, Rancho Cucamonga is the perfect site for this project,” Mayor L. Dennis Michael said. “If we were five miles away in any direction we probably wouldn’t have gotten it. But we’re right where [Brightline] wants the station to be.”

Besides making it easier to get from greater Los Angeles to Las Vegas, the Brightline West project will open up possibilities for commercial development, not only in Rancho Cucamonga but on the Inland Empire’s west end, according to Michael.

“This is a rare opportunity because high-speed rail projects don’t get built that often,” Michael said. “It’s going to very big, with a lot of commercial possibilities. There’s a lot we can do with it.”

Cucamonga station will also serve the planned underground rail line between Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario International Airport. Elon Musk’s Boring Co. was going to develop that project but backed out, but the transportation authority is determined to get that project built and is looking for another developer, Michael said.

The Brightline West electric rail line will cover the 260 miles between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas, about twice as fast as it takes to make that trip by car, according to a study conducted by Beacon Economics in Los Angeles.

The zero-emission trains will reach speeds of 180 miles per hour and remove an estimated three million vehicles from the highway. Approximately 50 million one-way trips vehicular are made every year between greater Los Angeles and Las Vegas, about 85 percent of which are by car or bus, Beacon Economics found.

Retrofitting Cucamonga Station to accommodate high-speed rail will cost about $300 million. Getting the rail line to the California-Nevada border will cost $5 billion, with both projects  to be paid for with state and federal transportation bonds, Michael said.

Once it’s in place  the Brightline project is expected to carry 11 million passengers a year.

Brightline West chose Cucamonga Station because it wanted to partner with Metrolink and because, of all the Metrolink stations in the Los Angeles area, that facility’ is the closest to Las Vegas, according to Burris.

“We think this project will be a game-changer, not just in Rancho Cucamonga but all of San Bernardino County,” Burris said. “It will have a lot of stopping points in the High Desert, and that will good for the economy.  It will  also make Rancho Cucamonga a destination location and give it some cutting-edge technology, which is a good thing.”

An open 80-acre parcel near the station that is zoned for transit-supported development should make it easier to attract hotels, restaurants and retail. That planning designation calls for high-density, mixed-use business and neighborhood centers to be built near transit stations and within transportation corridors.

“We’re hopeful it will attract office, retail and hotels and go from there,” Burris said. “Those are all considered hospitality. It might not support anything but hospitality for awhile.”

Running a high-speed rail line from Southern California to Las Vegas is an idea that’s been around for years.

Originally, the line was going to run betweenPalmdale and Las Vegas, but Brightline settled on Rancho Cucamonga and the San Bernardino Metrolink line because it can be completed quicker, Burris said.