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The Federal Railroad Administration recently signed off on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the DesertXpress, a proposed high-speed rail line linking southern California and Las Vegas.

Developed by DesertXpress Enterprises L.L.C. — a group of private California and Nevada companies — the 180-mile line would run on exclusive tracks along Interstate 15 between Victorville, Calif., and Las Vegas. Trains would operate at speeds up to 150 mph and make the trip in one hour, 20 minutes.

The project is expected to cost between $3.5 billion and $4 billion to build. So far, DesertXpress Enterprises has invested more than $25 million in private funding to complete environmental work.

The project could break ground by early next year. DesertXpress Enterprises plans to design the project to connect to the proposed California high-speed rail system.