Major high-speed rail bill gains support from Congressional lawmakers

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·3 min read

Some U.S. House members are endorsing a $205 billion rail act bill intended to jump start the construction of a nationwide high-speed rail network.

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) first introduced the American High-Speed Rail Act of 2024 bill in 2021 along with three co-sponsors. He and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) have reintroduced the bill along with 25 co-sponsors.

Members of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Coalition, who announced the action, have applauded the increasing momentum behind the bill.

“The growing support for the American High-Speed Rail Act is great news,” said Andy Kunz, CEO of U.S. High-Speed Rail, in a news release on Tuesday. “The U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition will work to ensure this bill is front and center when Congress considers the next surface transportation package.”

Brightline West

The U.S High-Speed Rail Coalition brings together labor unions and companies from the rail industry, which have been able to secure state and federal funding for the Brightline West and California High Speed Rail bullet train projects.

The Brightline West’s high-speed rail project would move between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, with stops in Apple Valley and Hesperia.

The 218-mile high-speed rail line will primarily run along the Interstate 15 median. Trains capable of reaching 186 mph or more will cut the trip between Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga to two hours – half the time to travel by car, the company said.

Brightline West’s $12 billion high-speed rail project will be a fully electric, zero-emission system to become one of the greenest forms of transportation in the U.S.

The project is expected to bolster tourism, create 35,000 paying jobs, ease traffic on I-15, and cut more than 400,000 tons of carbon pollution each year.

What the bill will do for high-speed rail projects

The bill, according to the news release, would:

  • Provide up to $41 billion each year for five years for the planning and construction of the high-speed and higher-speed rail projects.

  • Address reforms to promote private investment, ensure labor standards in the workforce and align the federal government's definition of high-speed rail with global standards.

  • Expand incentives that ensure affordable housing and commercial development spurred by connections to high-speed rail.

Federal grant money

In December, President Joe Biden awarded $6.1 billion in federal grants for high-speed rail projects, the largest investment ever.

These include $3 billion for the Brightline West project, which is expected to be in operation in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The Biden Administration also invested $3.07 billion to help complete the first 171-mile segment of California’s high-speed rail project linking Los Angeles to San Francisco, which will be the world’s first solar-powered bullet train.

Biden also provided planning funding for high-speed rail corridors across the country, including:

  • Atlanta, Georgia to Charlotte, North Carolina

  • In Texas, Fort Worth/Dallas, to Houston.

  • Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington to Vancouver, BC.

  • In the High Desert, Palmdale to the Victor Valley

A connection between Brightline’s Victor Valley station and California High-Speed Rail Alliance's Palmdale station is being designed by the High Desert Corridor JPA.

Brightline West and California High-Speed Rail will feed traffic back and forth, making each more valuable, and, making the critical Tehachapi Pass crossing easier to finance, according to High-Speed Rail Alliance.

Additional information on the bill can be found online at moulton.house.gov.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Major high-speed rail bill gains support from lawmakers