President Biden is set to announce $8.2 billion in funding for 10 passenger rail projects on Friday during his visit to Las Vegas, Nevada. This funding is part of the bipartisan infrastructure law’s $66 billion investment in rail, with Biden having allocated $30 billion for rail projects so far.
The Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail System Project will receive up to $3 billion. This project aims to construct a 218-mile rail system between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, reducing travel time to just over two hours, significantly faster than driving.
An additional $3 billion will be used to develop high-speed rail service in California’s Central Valley, extending the line between Bakersfield and Merced and connecting other northern and southern California communities. This project is targeted for completion by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Furthermore, $1.1 billion is allocated for expanding the Southeast Corridor from Raleigh to Wake Forrest, North Carolina, and $729 million for a new rail bridge over the Potomac River, enhancing passenger rail between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg highlighted the ambition for high-speed rail in the U.S., comparing it to systems in Europe and East Asia, and expressed hope for American high-speed rail realization by the decade’s end.
This announcement follows last month’s $16.4 billion allocation for 25 passenger rail projects in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, including the upgrade of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Maryland.
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