Brightline West, a future electric high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, broke ground today in Nevada.
On December 6, 2023, Electrek reported that the Biden administration awarded Brightline West $3 billion in funding.
The money was part of $6 billion previously earmarked for high-speed rail, and came from the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of its Federal-State Partnership Program.
(The other $3 billion will go to the public high-speed Los Angeles to San Francisco rail project, which has more than 100 miles of a high-speed line under construction.)
Brightline West will be a privately owned, 218-mile, all-electric high-speed rail service that will include a flagship station in Las Vegas (pictured above), with additional stations in Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga.
Florida-based Brightline Holdings is expected to model the Las Vegas-LA rail line on its high-speed route between Miami and Orlando – the US’s only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad.
Brightline West estimates it will remove 3 million cars from I-15 annually, reducing over 400,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
Getting a high-speed line in operation this decade will show Americans this terrific way to travel.
Today, construction began in Nevada on Brightline West, a planned electric high-speed rail route that will connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Electrek revealed on December 6, 2023, that Brightline West received a $3 billion funding award from the Biden administration. The funding, which came from the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as part of its Federal-State Partnership Program, was a portion of the $6 billion that had previously been set aside for high-speed rail. (The remaining $3 billion will fund the public high-speed rail project, which aims to build more than 100 miles of high-speed track between Los Angeles and San Francisco. ).
The 218-mile, privately owned Brightline West high-speed rail line will have stops in Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Rancho Cucamonga in addition to the flagship station in Las Vegas (shown above). Travelers can reach Rancho Cucamonga, located 37 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, in just 2 hours and 10 minutes by train, which travels at a speed of over 186 miles per hour. This is twice as fast as a typical drive.
The high-speed route between Miami and Orlando, which is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States, is anticipated to be modeled after the Las Vegas-LA rail line by Florida-based Brightline Holdings.
According to Brightline West, it will take 3 million cars off of I-15 every year, saving more than 400,000 tons of carbon emissions. Furthermore, it plans to create an incredible 35,000 union jobs. The project, which hopes to open by 2028, will be able to start construction thanks to the federal funding.
The executive director of the nationwide nonprofit High Speed Rail Alliance, Rick Harnish, stated the following today:.
This investment has the potential to completely change American trains.
Putting a high-speed line in place this decade will demonstrate this fantastic mode of transportation to Americans. If you’ve ever been annoyed by long lines in the traffic or problems at the airport, a better day is almost here.
See also: Why this is so significant: The busiest rail corridor in the US just received a $16.4 billion boost.
Image courtesy of Brightline West.
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