$3B Grant Approved for Brightline West High-Speed Rail Project

Courtesy of Brightline West

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden Administration has approved $3 billion for Brightline West high-speed rail project to connect Las Vegas and Southern California.

The Biden Administration has approved $3 billion for Brightline West high-speed rail project. The project will connect Las Vegas to Southern California and is slated to be completed in 2028 in time for the Los Angeles Olympics. According to the press release, it will be “the nation’s first operating true high-speed rail system.” When the project is completed, “European-style bullet trains” will run from Las Vegas to Southern California.

“The dream of American high-speed rail is about to become reality. We greatly appreciate the commitment of the Biden Administration, our Coalition members and many others who have worked hard to spark America’s high-speed rail revolution,” said Ray LaHood, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Co-Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition. The U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition includes labor unions, companies, and public servants. 

CEO of U.S. High Speed Rail, Andy Kunz said: “The tide has turned for high-speed rail in America. . . Electrified bullet trains will transform the nation’s transportation system – reducing congestion, helping end our dependency on fossil fuels and advancing the fight against climate change. This investment by the Biden Administration represents a milestone in advancing our progress and making us competitive with the 26 nations that currently have fast, clean, and safe high-speed trains.”

A planned West Coast Corridor would connect Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco from Brightline West and the California High-Speed Rail project. California will complete its “first 171-mile operating segment in the Central Valley between 2030 and 2033, which will also be the world’s first solar-powered bullet train.” 

Trains will be able to carry over 40 million riders every year at sustained speeds of 186 miles per hour once the West Coast Corridor is completed. This connects “America’s biggest regional economy with true high-speed rail on a part with those seen across Asia and Europe.” And along with the West Coast Corridor, the “High Desert Corridor project, which will connect Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail between Palmdale and Victorville, has over $1 billion in committed funds from L.A. County and is moving through the environmental permitting process.”

“High-speed rail lines are already under study or being planned for Texas Central, which in partnership with Amtrak is planning a 240-mile route from Dallas to Houston; a project by the North Central Texas Council of Governments to connect Fort Worth to Dallas; and Cascadia High-Speed Rail to run for 290 miles from Vancouver, BC through Seattle, WA to Portland, OR.”