Cajon Pass
Mountain pass between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel ranges, southern California. See California (Literary).
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| The $140BN Race to Build America’s First High-Speed Railway | The B1M | turning point | The steep crux of the Las Vegas–Rancho Cucamonga high-speed line. |
The $140BN Race to Build America’s First High-Speed Railway — The B1M (2024)
Source: Readwise highlight
there’s one part of the route that’s likely to be especially challenging — the Cajon Pass.
- Role: turning point
- In the video: Brightline West’s 218-mile line would run from the Las Vegas Strip to Rancho Cucamonga, 96% of it in or beside the I-15 corridor. The Cajon Pass, between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, has grades steep even for freight trains, so the high-speed trains will have to slow there. The video still expects Brightline West to finish before California High-Speed Rail.
- Why it matters: The pass is the one named obstacle on the route the video calls America’s best chance at true high-speed rail.