The long-anticipated bullet train connecting Southern California to Las Vegas is now fully funded after nabbing a $3 billion federal grant. The Biden administration's big-dollar nod promises to shoot travelers through the desert at speeds topping 200 mph, linking the City of Angels with Sin City in a flash. The hefty chunk of change is part of a record-breaking financial commitment to high-speed rail, Brightline West officials announced Tuesday.
According to KTLA, the project price is pegged at around $12 billion, and with this latest cash infusion, it is on track to begin construction in 2024. The route will connect Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, where travelers can hop on the Metrolink to continue their journey. The proposed high-speed rail system is expected to reduce traffic, boost tourism, and slash carbon emissions, senators from Nevada eagerly shared. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto took to social media, likening the project to tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs and a way to "finally help us cut down on I-15 traffic."
A neighbor chimed in on the frustration of flying to Vegas in an interview with CBS News, bemoaning, "Seems like every time I fly in or out of Vegas I have some kind of trouble." Brightline is looking to alleviate such travel woes by operating trains every hour that will whisk passengers between the two hubs in just over two hours.
The advancement of the SoCal-Vegas high-speed rail is part of a larger movement to modernize American infrastructure. Alongside Brightline's windfall, states such as North Carolina and Ohio have also caught the gravy train of federal funds for their rail improvements. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced a $1 billion grant for a passenger rail from Raleigh to Richmond, while Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio shared the prioritization of four Amtrak routes for expansion in his state.
President Joe Biden is slated to formally roll out the details of the grants later this week during a swing through Nevada, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These investments cap off what has been an energetic push by the administration to bolster the country's infrastructure. "This is a historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry," said Brightline Chairman Wes Edens in a statement confirming the grant.
