President Biden visits Las Vegas to discuss Brightline West high-speed rail project

President Joe Biden joined elected officials from Nevada and California to announce $3 billion in funding for Brightline West’s Southern California to Las Vegas high-speed rail project.

On Friday, Biden said the Nevada Department of Transportation has received the funds from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program.

The funds will help pay for the $12 billion project, which includes main stations in Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, and Las Vegas, as well as a passenger stop in Hesperia, the Daily Press reported.

Biden visited the Carpenter International Training Center to showcase a total of $8.2 billion in funding for 10 major passenger rail projects across the country, including the Brightline West project.

Brightline officials are hoping to get the California and Nevada high-speed rail project up and running in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

First high-speed rail project

With speeds reaching up to 200 mph, the Las Vegas to Southern California project will be the nation’s first true high-speed rail system, company officials said.

The project will also be the first to be built with American union labor. The fully-electric, zero-emission system will become one of the greenest forms of transportation in the U.S.

Brightline West’s modern, eco-friendly system will redefine train travel in America and connect two of the most iconic destinations: Las Vegas and Southern California.

The 218-mile passenger rail service will have no grade crossings and the alignment is within the median of the Interstate-15.

"It is going to reduce the number of cars on the I-15 and anyone who has driven on the I-15 on the weekends knows what that means," said Sen. Rosen.

Biden, whose nickname is “Amtrak Joe” after commuting by train for decades between Delaware and Washington, D.C., particularly praised the Brightline West project, the New York Times reported.

Las Vegas, Rancho Cucamonga stations

The Las Vegas station will include mobility connections and easy access to the Las Vegas Strip, the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The flagship Las Vegas station will be on 110 acres at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard.

Brightline West’s station in Rancho Cucamonga will have direct connectivity via California Metrolink to key points in Los Angeles, such as Union Station.

Economic impact

Brightline West’s project will bring widespread benefits including more than $10 billion in economic impact to Nevada and California.

Economic studies show the project will create more than 35,000 direct and indirect jobs including 10,000 direct union construction jobs and nearly 1,000 permanent jobs for operations and maintenance.

Brightline West’s investment also includes more than $800 million in roadway improvements to the I-15 corridor. Brightline West has agreements in place with several unions for the use of highly skilled union labor in critical jobs required to build, operate and maintain the project.

Climate-friendly

The project’s environmental benefits are designed to support Nevada and California’s climate strategies by promoting a no-emission mobility option that lowers greenhouse gasses by more than 400,000 tons of CO2 each year.

The diversion of people from auto and air travel to Brightline West’s high-speed rail system reduces vehicle miles traveled by more than 700 million each year and 16,000 short-haul flights annually.

The $3 billion grant award marks the largest in NDOT’s history and is the culmination of more than two decades of planning and coordination to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California.

NDOT, as the grant administrator, will continue to play an important oversight role as Brightline West constructs the rail system.

Additionally, NDOT will be responsible for the design, construction, and oversight of any NDOT infrastructure that requires modification as a result of Brightline West’s work.

Brightline is currently operating its first passenger rail system in South Florida connecting Central and South Florida with stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

For more information, visit brightlinewest.com.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: President Biden visits Las Vegas to discuss Brightline West project