Federal, transportation, and union leaders gathered in Las Vegas on Monday to mark the start of construction for a $12 billion high-speed rail line linking Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hailed the project as a long-awaited step forward for high-speed rail in America. Brightline West, the only private passenger rail company operating high-speed service in the country, plans to build a 218-mile intercity passenger rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California, where it will connect with Los Angeles’s existing regional rail system.
The project has received support from the Biden administration, which has allocated $3 billion in funding. Construction is expected to generate thousands of union jobs and boost local economies along the route.
The trip between Las Vegas and Los Angeles is estimated to take just over two hours on the new rail line, with trains traveling at speeds up to 180 mph. Advocates hope the rail line will reduce transportation costs, ease traffic congestion, and cut down on emissions.
Brightline Holdings founder Wes Edens expressed optimism about the project, saying, “I believe we’ll look back at today and say, ‘This was the birth of an industry of high-speed rail.'”
Brightline, which is headquartered in Florida, launched a high-speed rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach last year, a first-of-its-kind in the United States. These trains can reach speeds of up to 125 mph and offer 16 round-trips per day.
Construction of the Las Vegas-Los Angeles high-speed rail line is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
