Updates on Brightline West Leasing Agreement approved at SBCTA Board Meeting
July 12, 2024
The SBCTA Board of Directors discussed recent developments in their agreement with Brightline West on Wednesday, July 3—examining the conditions, restrictions and goals of the Local Rail Service Agreement (LRSA) between San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) and the privately operated rail service, Brightline West. During the meeting, board members of SBCTA received a status update of the project. The current Brightline route includes stations in Rancho Cucamonga, Hesperia and Apple Valley—with the final stop in Las Vegas.
The SBCTA board members deliberated on approving the LRSA which states that Brightline will provide 150 passenger seats in the morning and evening for local rail commuters. The SBCTA board members discussed special rates for regional commuters and patrons with disabilities. As a privately operated rail service, Brightline will receive the full revenue from ticket sales. The updates passed unanimously across the board.
SBCTA started its relationship with Brightline four years ago in July of 2020. Since then, a lease agreement for the San Gabriel sub-division was approved, along with the disposition of a five-acre portion of the Rancho Cucamonga station. SBCTA is focused on supporting the completion of the construction of the Brightline West connection. SBCTA received $25 million through the RAISE grant program to fund station improvements associated with the Brightline West project. Additionally, Brightline West received $3 billion from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program in December of last year. The RAISE grant will advance once the federal grant is in place.
The shared foothold Brightline has with SBCTA includes the coordination with Metrolink at the Rancho Cucamonga Station. Brightline is engineering a method that will create seamless transfers and schedule alignment with Metrolink service. The SBCTA board members will continue to oversee new adjustments for this project that includes ownership of property interests being sold to Brightline and what is retained and reserved to the City of Rancho Cucamonga and SBCTA.
The 218-mile commuter system will be carried out through fully electric trains with the ability of traveling up to 200 miles per hour—making it the first fully-functioning high-speed rail service in the US. The $12 billion project is set to operate along or near the Interstate 15 alignment, with no road intersections: increasing travel safety and noise reduction. The Brightline West two-hour connection between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas is looking to be available for public service by 2028.
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