Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), chair of the Senate subcommittee overseeing tourism, announced that $3 billion in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used to begin construction of the Brightline West high-speed rail project in Las Vegas.
This 218-mile high-speed rail project will connect Las Vegas and Southern California through planned stations in Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, with connectivity into Los Angeles County through Metrolink.
The project will increase economic activity for both states, with an estimated $10 billion in economic impact and $1 billion in tax revenue. According to Brightline West, the project is expected to create over 35,000 construction jobs and approximately 1,000 permanent jobs, creating pathways for workforce development, training, and access to quality jobs.
Brightline West estimates it will remove 3 million cars from I-15 annually, reducing more than 400,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.
Brightline West renderings (Courtesy of Brightline)
Earlier this year, Senator Rosen sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to stand ready to receive the Nevada Department of Transportation’s application for funding to build Brightline West.
In April, Senator Rosen led a bipartisan group of colleagues to support this project. The bipartisan group includes Representatives Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34).
In August, Senator Rosen hosted a press conference in Las Vegas with Brightline CEO Michael Reininger, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, Nevada Department of Transportation Director Tracy Larkin Thomason, President and CEO of the Vegas Chamber Mary Beth Sewald, and President of the Transportation Trades Department for the AFL-CIO Greg Regan to call on DOT to approve the application to build Brightline West and provide the funding.
The Southern Nevada Building Trades reached an agreement with Brightline West to ensure this high-speed rail project would be constructed with union labor.
