Today’s Solutions: June 09, 2023

Understandably, there’s a particularly high commuter rate going from Southern California to Las Vegas. While people come from all over the world to party in Las Vegas, those coming from So-Cal have regular flights and even create notable traffic jams on their way, creating an unnecessary amount of carbon emissions. 

A company called Brightline Holdings wants to alleviate this problem by making a direct So-Cal-to-Las-Vegas, high-speed train. 

Saving time, money, and carbon emissions 

Brightline currently has one intercity high-speed train running between Miami and West Palm Beach. They believe they are perfectly suited to build another one running from Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California to Las Vegas. They hope to do this with federal support and financial backing from the infrastructure law passed in November. It is estimated that because of the 12 times less energy per passenger-kilometer for train travel than cars, the new line could prevent the emission of over 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide. 

Brightline’s proposed route would be ideally placed to take drivers off of the I-15 to Las Vegas. It’s short enough to make the train trip more convenient than driving or flying from LA, and it wouldn’t need to buy any land because it would run parallel to I-15 on public land. 

The trip would take about three hours, a much better deal than the hours and hours of traffic some commuters get stuck in. Passengers would also pay competitive fares — possibly as low as $60 one way — in a means of transport much preferable to flying or driving, with drink and food service and Wi-Fi. 

“Potentially, the market is absolutely there, because I think that people would much prefer to train over flying and over driving,” Eric Maryanov, chief executive of travel consultancy All-Travel says. “It just boils down to how simple they make the process and how reasonably priced compared to the other options.” 

Brightline projects that if it does things right it could take up 22 percent of the drivers and flyers going to Las Vegas. 

Certain environmental groups urge Brightline and governmental agencies to build animal crossings at key points on the rail, as it would cut through the Mojave Desert and many animals’ habitats.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Microparticle therapy shows promise in reversing multiple sclerosis

A pioneering study demonstrated a novel microparticle therapy's ability to reverse nerve cell damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice. This ground-breaking medication not only opens ...

Read More

Construction project completes the world’s first 3D printed two-story home

Considered one of the largest sources of environmental pollution in the world, it’s no secret that the construction industry is in need of a ...

Read More

Rotterdam becomes home to the world’s largest floating office

While Rotterdam is typically known for hosting Europe’s biggest port, the second largest Dutch city is also famous as a forerunning innovator in climate ...

Read More

For the first time ever, Greece meets energy demands with 100% renewables

The other week, Greece celebrated an exciting milestone! All of the country’s electricity needs were met by renewable energy for the first time, as ...

Read More