Las Vegas, NV – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) released the following statement after breaking ground on the Brightline West High-Speed Rail project in Las Vegas alongside Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

"High-speed rail in the Southwest has been a dream as far back as the nineties when Governor Bob Miller appointed me to the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission. As a senior Member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I am honored to have helped write the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and secure $3 billion to turn that dream into a reality which will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, reduce carbon emissions by easing traffic on Interstate 15, and create thousands of good-paying union jobs. I am proud to stand with advocates and transportation leaders as we break ground on the Brightline West project and look forward to welcoming high-speed passenger rail to Southern Nevada."


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.

Last 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 last summer of all 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.