Biden Administration approves $3 billion for Brightline West high-speed rail project
The Biden Administration has approved $3 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Brightline West high-speed rail project, which will connect Las Vegas to Southern California and is scheduled for completion in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. It will be the nation’s first operating true high-speed rail system.
The U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition says the federal investment is a sign that “the tide has turned” for high-speed rail in America. In just a few short years, European-style bullet trains will whisk passengers between Las Vegas and Southern California.
“The dream of American high-speed rail is about to become reality,” said Ray LaHood, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Co-Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition, which includes leading labor unions, companies and public servants. “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.”
“The tide has turned for high-speed rail in America,” said Andy Kunz, President and CEO of U.S. High Speed Rail. “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.”
Brightline West and the California High-Speed Rail project form the building blocks of a planned West Coast Corridor connecting Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. California is scheduled to complete its first 171-mile operating segment in the Central Valley between 2030 and 2033, which also will be the world’s first solar-powered bullet train.
Once the West Coast Corridor is up and running, it will carry over 40 million riders every year, on trains traveling at sustained speeds of 186 miles per hour, connecting America’s biggest regional economy with true high-speed rail on a par with those seen across Asia and Europe. They will decongest highways and airports across the West Coast, protect the climate, and provide travelers with a level of rail service never experienced before in this country.
Adding to 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.
About USHSR
USHSR mobilizes leading labor unions, companies, and public servants to advocate for investments and policies that will finally make high speed rail a reality in America.
For more information, visit: USHSR | USHSR Coalition
