By Mick Akers, Las Vegas Review-Journal; May 24, 2019
A $7 billion high-speed rail line slated to connect Las Vegas and Southern California would have a sizable positive environmental impact on the region, according to Virgin Trains USA, the company behind the project.
Based on recent studies by its engineering team, Virgin Trains expects the planned rail project to remove at least 4.5 million cars off the widely used Interstate 15 corridor and reduce carbon emissions by 645 million pounds per year. Brightline, a Florida train company, received an investment from Richard Branson and his Virgin Group last year and is transitioning to the Virgin Trains USA brand.