China and the US signed an agreement to collaborate on a high-speed railway linking Los Angeles and Las Vegas as early as September 2016.
As if we needed an easier and faster way to get to the city that leads to notoriously bad decisions, the US and China have officially agreed to collaborate on a bullet train between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The expected cost of the entire project hasn’t yet been specified, but it will receive a whopping $100 million in initial capital.
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The joint venture will be taken on by China Railway Group and Xpress West Enterprises LLC, and it will be the first-ever Chinese bullet-train project to hit US soil. It’s also set to create new technology, manufacturing, and construction jobs in the region.
The fully electric bullet trains would travel at speeds in excess of 150 MPH, and trains would depart every 20 minutes during peak times. Construction on the 230-mile train track could begin as early as September 2016, but the projected completion date hasn’t been specified.
As reported by Bloomberg Business, Yang Zhongmin, a deputy chief engineer with China Railway Group, said, “This is the first high-speed railway project where China and the U.S. will have systematic cooperation. It shows the advancement of China-made high-speed railways.”
In a statement on XpressWest’s website, the company claims that high-speed rail transportation represents the future of sustainable, green, high capacity and efficient transport in the United States. The timeworn subways of New York City provide ample evidence that the country could use a boost in its public transport and train systems. In fact, China’s first rail-related deal in the United States was a $567 million agreement to supply trains for Boston’s subway system.
With all of the current buzz surrounding the Hyperloop system, it looks like the future of transportation involves revamping our train systems and cranking up their speeds to rapid acceleration rates. Not to mention, planes are also set to zoom through the air at faster paces with commercial supersonic Concorde jet planes potentially gliding through the skies within the next decade.
We can thank the pioneers of these rapid, futuristic travel systems for creating the possibility of speeding up those dreaded travel days in the years to come.
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