Florida company Brightline Holdings has received $3 billion in federal funding for its Brightline West electric high-speed rail project. Brightline West will connect Southern California to Las Vegas.
The project, estimated to cost $12 billion, includes major stations in Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, and Las Vegas. There will also be a passenger station in Hesperia.
According to USA Today, President Joe Biden is expected to announce the grant award on Friday in Las Vegas.
The $3 billion in funding came from the Federal-State Partnership Program, part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The remaining cost of the project will be covered by tax-exempt bond allocations and private capital.
The rail system will primarily run alongside Interstate 15, with trains capable of reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour. The Rancho Cucamonga station will connect to Greater Los Angeles’s regional rail network, known as Metrolink.
No start date for the project has been announced. However, it’s anticipated that electric-powered trains will be operational by the time the Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles in 2028. The project has now passed all necessary environmental impact assessments, enabling construction to begin.
The Brightline West project will enable individuals to travel between Las Vegas and suburban Los Angeles in just two hours. Currently, a freeway trip between the two cities takes about four hours.
The electric high-speed rail line will alleviate traffic congestion in Southern California and Southern Nevada, especially during weekends. It’ll also reduce CO2 emissions by over 400,000 tons every year.
Brightline West is not the only example of clean energy powering high-speed rail in California. In July, the California High-Speed Rail Authority announced that its upcoming San Diego-to-Sacramento rail line would be powered by solar energy.
Brightline Holdings currently operates the only privately owned intercity passenger railroad in the US. This route connects Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of up to 125 mph. However, it relies on diesel-powered locomotives.
Image Source: Market Monitor
