United States President Joe Biden is set to unveil a massive $8.2 billion funding during his trip to Las Vegas that is meant for 10 major passenger rail projects across the country.
The projects include efforts to spur work on high-speed, electric train routes that could, in the future, link Nevada and California as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Biden administration said that the 218-mile train route that links Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California could one day serve more than 11 million passengers per year.
Biden's $8.2 Billion Rail Project Funding
The president's government is hoping that the investment through federal and state partnership programs will help boost prospects for the long-discussed project. Supporters argue that it could revitalize travel in the American West but critics believe that it is too costly for the country.
Another electric rail line that is getting funding has been billed as the country's first high-speed route. It would eventually be able to traverse California's Central Valley and extend to San Francisco and then on to Los Angeles. The trains that would travel the route are expected to reach speeds of up to 220 miles per hour, as per Fortune.
The funding that Biden is expected to showcase will not nearly be enough to cover the full costs of either one of the projects. However, it signals the administration's commitment to spurring train travel in a country that has long celebrated the spirit of fast cars and open highways.
In a statement during a conference call with reporters, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that the bottom line is that under the Biden administration, they are delivering world-class passenger rail service that Americans should be able to expect.
There are other train projects that would get funding, including upgrades to heavily traveled corridors in Virginia and North Carolina. The eventual goal would be to link Richmond and Raleigh by rail.
The Democratic president's trip to Nevada was initially planned to showcase the $3 billion federal investment in the high-speed rail line from Las Vegas to the greater Los Angeles area. However, following the mass shooting on Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, his trip to the region would take a more somber note, according to CBS News.
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Trip to Las Vegas
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden will address the shooting incident during a speech to Las Vegas union members on Friday. However, it was not immediately clear whether or not the Democrat would visit the campus.
The $3 billion funding for the Las Vegas-Los Angeles is about a third of the total projected cost of the new Brightline West train line. That is expected to be completed before the 2028 Olympics which will be held in Los Angeles.
The Democratic leader also emphasized that his predecessor failed to deliver on promises to invest in U.S. infrastructure. Biden said that his rail funding would help in reducing travel times, helping the environment, and creating more jobs for people.
On top of his planned railway funding, Biden could also address the shooting in Nevada. He said that he would not rest until they do all they can to prevent more families and more communities from being victims of gun violence, said ABC News.
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