U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the first high-speed rail line in the United States will open in 2028 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The line, which will be called the Brightline West, will reduce the travel time between the two cities from four hours to just over two hours. It is expected to carry 11 million passengers per year.
The project will be funded by $3 billion from Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, which was passed by Congress in 2021.
The line is expected to have a positive environmental impact, as it will remove three million vehicles from the highway, Biden said. It is also expected to create good-paying jobs, a promise that comes less than a year before the 2024 presidential election.
“We’ve been talking about this project for decades,” Biden said. “Now we’re going to really make it happen.” The president also announced funding for 10 other infrastructure projects, totaling $8.2 billion.
“Rail has made America a force for trade and innovation in the world,” Biden said. “It has united our country and built the strongest economy in history. Over time, we’ve fallen behind. Our infrastructure was the best in the world.”
He emphasized that “we are in an economic competition in the 21st century.” “China has had high-speed trains going 220 miles per hour for some time,” Biden said. “How can we be the best economy without having the best infrastructure in the world?” “That’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
