A private enterprise has proposed an interstate high-speed train connection between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles region.
On Monday, a bipartisan congressional delegation from Nevada and California asked the Biden administration to expedite federal funding for the project.
The letter was written to the US by four House representatives from California and all six of Nevada’s elected federal lawmakers.
Pete Buttigieg, secretary of transportation.
They supported Brightline West’s plan to spend over $10 billion building tracks along the Interstate 15 corridor.
As drivers go home after a weekend or a holiday trip to Las Vegas, the highway frequently experiences traffic bottlenecks that last 15 miles (24 kilometers) or more at the Nevada-California border.
With 500 passengers and a top speed of nearly 200 mph (322 kph), the electric-powered trains have the potential to reduce the four-hour journey in half.
According to the U.S., “This project is a major priority because it will increase access for millions of tourists each year to southern Nevada.” Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada, is leading the group.
It “will strengthen our economy and generate more high-paying jobs,” she claimed.
The Southern Nevada Building Trades Union and the corporation have recently announced that union labor will be used throughout construction.
Brightline West is asking for $3.75 billion in government assistance under the federal infrastructure package supported by the Biden administration.
According to the CEO of Florida-based Brightline Holdings LLC, the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States, Mike Reininger, the project might serve as “the blueprint for how we can connect major city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive.”
In their letter, the lawmakers cited the company’s predictions of 35,000 construction employment, 1,000 permanent jobs, and decreased vehicle-related greenhouse gas emissions.
The Nevada-California project’s draft environmental assessment was made available to the public in October 2022, and the Federal Railroad Administration anticipates approving permits in July.
The company stated that a combination of loans and equity would make up around 70% of the capital.
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