A bipartisan congressional group from Nevada and California have asked the Biden administration for federal funds to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
The system would be constructed by a private company.
All six of Nevada’s elected federal lawmakers and four House members from California sent the letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. They said they’re on board with a proposal from Brightline West to spend more than $10 billion to lay tracks along the Interstate 15 corridor.Traffic jams on the interstate often stretch for 15 miles (24 kilometers) near the Nevada-California line as motorists head home after weekend or holiday travel to Las Vegas.The Mojave Desert is largely open space, and the electric-powered trains could potentially cut the four-hour trip in half, carrying passengers at speeds of nearly 200 mph (322 kph).“This project is a major priority because it will make southern Nevada more accessible to millions of visitors each year,” said U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, the Nevada Democrat leading the group. She said it “will boost our economy and create more good-paying jobs.”
Brightline West hoping to get $3.75 billion in federal funding from the Biden administration-backed federal infrastructure law.
The company and the Southern Nevada Building Trades Union announced in recent weeks that union labor will be used during construction.“After more than a decade of working to find a pathway, Brightline West will be the first true high-speed rail system in America and will serve as the blueprint for how we can connect major city pairs that are too short to fly and too far to drive,” said Mike Reininger, CEO of Florida-based Brightline Holdings LLC.The lawmakers’ letter pointed to company projections of 35,000 construction jobs, 1,000 permanent jobs and the diversion of “millions of automobile users from I-15 onto a faster, more efficient, zero-emission transportation option.”
Interestingly, the firm intends to use “zero-emission electric trains.”
According to Brightline, the expected travel time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles is approximately 2.5 hours. The zero-emission electric trains could carry 500 passengers at speeds of nearly 200 mphApproximately 50 million one-way trips are made annually between these two destinations with 85% of them by car or bus, the company said. At full operations, Brightline expects to attract approximately 12 million one-way trips each year.Amenities for travelers include free onboard WiFi, ADA accessibility from station to train, a wide selection of food and drinks, checked luggage, and hotel check-in services.”This project is a major priority because it will make southern Nevada more accessible to millions of visitors each year,” said U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, the Nevada Democrat leading the group. She said it “will boost our economy and create more good-paying jobs.”
Let’s hope the state’s electrical grid can handle wattage requirements.
Meanwhile, there is an update to California’s current bullet train project between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
There are reported to be more cost overruns and delays.
High Speed Rail Authority officials on Thursday could not provide an estimated completion date for the original vision pitched to voters but said the price tag for the entire project is now up to $128 billion, a 13% increase from last year’s projections.Construction is currently focused on a segment in the Central Valley, a 170-mile stretch between Bakersfield and Merced. Project officials last year estimated that the route would be ready for riders in 2030. While that is still their goal, the latest update shows service could begin sometime between 2030 and 2033.The Central Valley segment also faces 41% in cost increases compared to last year’s estimates, now expected to cost up to $35.3 billion. Part of the scoping plan changed between this year and last, with this year’s estimate including light maintenance facilities and new elements for the station in Bakersfield. Project leaders also pointed to the impacts of COVID-19, inflation and supply chain issues that have raised the prices of labor, concrete and steel.The Los Angeles to San Francisco project was originally pitched to voters with a $33 billion price tag and an estimate that it would begin operating in 2020. Voters approved $9 billion for the project in 2008.
The Vegas destination may help incentivize the completion of the proposed project. Not only is Las Vegas fun, but Nevada is a favorite destination of Californians fleeing the state.
More people and more Californians keep moving to Nevada every year, according to UNLV researchers.The data shows a continued influx of people in 2021 and 2022, despite higher mortgage rates and the start of an economic slump.UNLV researchers tracked and recorded the data of people who surrendered their drivers licenses to the Nevada DMV. After a slump in 2020, the number of people choosing to move to Nevada surged.
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