The private-sector California to Nevada high-speed rail project promoter XpressWest (www.xpresswest.com) and a consortium of Chinese rail industry companies have agreed to create a joint venture to develop, finance, build and operate a 370km line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

XpressWest said the project is intended to “drive new economic development and grow the tourism industry, which is vital to the economy of the region”, and to “firmly establish a US-based high-speed rail industry that will result
in significant job creation”.

China Railway International USA Co is a newly formed limited-liability company owned by a consortium of China Railway International Co, China Railway Group, CRRC Qingdao Sifang, China Construction America, CREEC USA and CRSC International.

XpressWest, which has been developing plans for a Las Vegas-Los Angeles line since 2005, said the decision to form the joint venture was ‘the culmination of years of work’. Construction is planned to commence ‘as early as September 2016’.