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Fun-seekers exulted last year at the news that a new high-speed train could whisk you from L.A. to Las Vegas as 180 mph and a projected cost of $60. That means an easy ride to the blackjack tables and all the Elvis impersonations you could desire—and the chance to imbibe heavily, if that’s your jam, without needing to drive. Now to pump up the excitement, we now have renderings of the train station in Las Vegas, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These bright architectural drawings show a two-story bright modern facility that incorporates lots of natural light through a bank of windows over the front entrance.
On the first floor, the station will have a self-ticketing area, departure lobby, and baggage claim area, as well as retail offerings and office space. On the second floor will be more retail and office space, a waiting area for passengers, and security. Taking advantage of Vegas’s warm weather, outdoor dining spaces and bars are also being planned.
The station will be built on Las Vegas Boulevard between Blue Diamond and Warm Springs roads and will include a seven-story parking garage. One side of the lot is now the Las Vegas Freeway (Interstate 15), and the other side is now a premium outlets mall and a scattering of hotels. The site is currently about a 15-minute drive from The Strip.
For this rail line, Brightline foresees capturing 22 percent of people who would otherwise drive or fly between Vegas and L.A. Since the line will run down the center of the I-15 freeway, there’s no need to procure land—but that also means wildlife advocates are petitioning for three wildlife ramps like this one being built for mountain lions in Los Angeles, especially through stretches of the Mohave Desert where several species are protected, such as the endangered desert tortoise.
Next to the train station will be a planned resort and an NBA-ready sports arena (Brightline’s 110 acres won’t be filled by the station’s 33 acres—far from it). There’s also talk of a MLS stadium, as Oaklanders mourn.
Brightline’s on a roll. Coming on the heels of news about its new high-speed train connecting Orlando to Miami (and December’s addition of Aventura and Boca Raton as stations on that Florida line), there’s also the planned connector between Raleigh, NC and Richmond, VA.
The Vegas-LA rail line should become operational by 2027. That gives you plenty of time to master your card counting.