Las Vegas, NV – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) released the following statement after announcing $3 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Brightline West high-speed passenger rail which will connect Las Vegas to Southern California. The announcement took place with President Joe Biden and infrastructure czar, Mitch Landrieu.
 
“High-speed rail in Southern Nevada has been a dream for decades and I am thankful that under the leadership of President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg, this dream has become a reality,” said Rep. Titus, senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “I have been advocating for high-speed passenger rail in Southern Nevada since the early nineties when Governor Bob Miller appointed me to the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, and I am excited that this has finally come to pass. The Brightline West project will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and reduce emissions by 400,000 tons of CO2 per year by easing traffic on Interstate 15 while creating thousands of good-paying, union jobs.
 
“This historic announcement is an incredible celebration of the decades-long process to create public and private partnerships across all levels of government in order to develop clean energy transportation and strengthen infrastructure while prioritizing environmental justice initiatives to ensure that no community is left behind.”
 
 
Background
 
The Brightline West project will construct a high-speed rail system along the congested Interstate 15 corridor, connecting Southern California to Nevada. Estimates show it will generate over $10 billion in economic activity, the creation of more than 35,000 construction jobs, and the reduction of over 400,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
 
Rep. Titus played an integral role in making today’s funding possible. During House negotiations in 2021 on an infrastructure package, she was able to secure the inclusion of language allowing private companies, like Brightline, to partner with public entities when applying for funding through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. The language was retained when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed by President Biden.
 
Earlier this year, Rep. Titus led the Nevada delegation calling on Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to fund the project, and celebrated Brightline’s agreement with the Southern Nevada Building Trades to ensure that the project would create good-paying union jobs.
 
Following the completion this summer of all of the necessary environmental reviews for the project, Rep. Titus called on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to expedite consideration of Brightline’s petitions to begin construction.
 
This project is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.