>>1310060Brightline already has an operating freight RR behind it, Florida East Coast. This is one of the safest bets Branson could make because most of the heavy lifting has already been done. He is getting in now because Brightline bought out Xpresswest, which is going to build HSR from Palmdale to Las Vegas. And, since California is interested in private financing for it's nascent HSR system entirely, Branson could easily buy up the design-build contracts for Palmdale-LA Union Station and get discounted trackage rights. Xpresswest's overall plan is extremely ambitious, as it'd effectively be building half a transcontinental railway. If they're even halfway successful, they've at the very least broken the existing duopoly and stand to make lots of money on freight alone (as 1-for-1, a 100 mph all electric freight train can move more stuff than a 35 mph one) before breaking into passenger service.
A more unhinged person would suggest that Brightline, XPW and FEC could go all the way and build a second Sunset Route, as their network would only be separated by Texas where another private HSR project exists.
