Biden Administration to Give More Than $6 Billion to Two High-Speed Electric Rail Projects in the US West

The Biden administration has reportedly pledged to give over $6 billion to a pair of high-speed electric rail routes on the West Coast, with one project for a route between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area and the other to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Associated Press reported that the money is a small portion of the total cost to build the routes. However, it reportedly signifies the Biden administration's support for high-speed rail, an alternative mode of transportation popular in Europe and Asia.

"The federal government is back on building high speed rail in America... This award is just a great leap forward," said Brian Kelly, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which oversees the public project.

The federal government will reportedly give private equity billionaire Wes Edens $3 billion for its high-speed train project to connect Las Vegas to suburban Los Angeles.

California's $100 billion high-speed rail project, which eventually intended to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, also won a $3.1 billion grant from the Biden administration. The first phase of the rail project, which is a 171-mile route connecting the cities of Merced and Bakersfield, is already under construction, Forbes reported.

Brightline West' Project Won $3 Billion Grant From the Biden Administration

Wes Edens' high-speed train project, called Brightline West, will reportedly be the country's first real high-speed rail line. Brightline founder and chairman Edens thanked the Biden administration for the grant.

"We're honored and humbled in the confidence President (Joe) Biden, (Transportation) Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg, Senator (Jacky) Rosen and so many others have placed in Brightline's vision to bring true high-speed rail to America," he told the Forbes.

"This is a historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry, and a remarkable project that will serve as the blueprint for how we can repeat this model throughout the country," he added.

The construction of the 218-mile Brightline West bullet train, which will mostly run along US Interstate 15, is expected to begin this year. The goal is to have trains running between downtown Las Vegas and the suburban city of Rancho Cucamonga, in the east of Los Angeles, in time for the 2028 Olympic games.

California's High-Speed Rail Project

The $100 billion California high-speed rail project will reportedly come later than the "Brightline West" project, as it is not scheduled to start operating through the state's Central Valley region until the 2030s.

According to Brian Kelly, the additional government funds will help fill a roughly $10 billion funding gap for the Central Valley route. He noted that more money is needed in the future, and authorities are looking for funds from both the federal and state governments.

Calling it "a vote of confidence," California Governor Gavin Newsom said the administration's funding comes "at a critical turning point" for the project.

President Joe Biden will reportedly travel to Las Vegas later this week to announce the federal award, a person familiar with the matter told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.