California plans to spend $218 billion on a new high-speed train that will take passengers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in two hours.

The 218-mile rail system, built by Brightline, will use high-speed trains that carry 1,200 passengers and reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.

Brightline is about to start construction this year, meaning services could be up and running by 2026, but some officials believe trains won’t run until between 2030 and 2033.

Dubbed Brightline West, the rail system was first rolled out in 2008 at a cost of $9 billion, but the budget increased to $33 billion in 2020 and then $35.3 billion last year.

And because of the high price tag and delays, some California officials are calling it a “Hot Mess.”

Brightline, the only private rail company in the US, claims that its high-speed train will reduce carbon emissions by 400,000 tons because the high-speed trains run on electricity.

Trains are expected to depart every 45 minutes from downtown Los Angeles to the station located on the Vegas Strip.

Brightline West includes stations near the iconic Las Vegas Strip and in Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley and Hesperia, California.

“Approximately 50 million one-way trips are made between these two destinations each year, 85 percent of which are by car or bus,” Brightline shared in a statement.

“At full capacity, we expect to attract around 12 million one-way journeys each year.”

The bullet trains will provide several amenities, including free Wi-Fi on board, a wide selection of food and beverages, checked baggage and hotel check-in services.

However, the project was supposed to be completed by 2020, and now engineers, product managers and Californians have given up hope.

In April 2021, Brightline West CEO Mike Reininger predicted construction would begin “within weeks”, but the project has been delayed.

Trains reach speeds of up to 200mph, cutting a four-hour car journey in half

Brightline West includes stations near the iconic Las Vegas Strip and in Rancho Cucamonga (pictured), Apple Valley and Hesperia, California.

According to the New York Times, “forecasts widely used by engineers and project managers” indicate that “the train cannot be completed this century.”

Some Republicans called the high-speed train the “Hot Express.” KCRA reports.

Californians have lost faith in the project, and so has the Legislature; it’s very disappointing,” said Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield.

“We need to complete this project, take the resources and put them into something better.”

However, Reininger has not given up yet and sees the system as an “investment in America,” as building and operating the railroad will create nearly 35,000 new jobs.

“Our nation’s first high-speed rail system will be union-run and supported, a testament to the strength of the American workforce,” he said last year.

“As the most ready-to-use high-speed rail project in the United States, we’re one step closer to leveling the playing field for transit and infrastructure projects around the world, and we’re proud to employ America’s most skilled workers to do so. .’