Las Vegas-to-California high-speed electric rail project gets OK for $2.5B more in bonds

A proposed high-speed passenger train between Las Vegas and Southern California has gotten another boost. The Biden administration granted approval Tuesday for another $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds to be issued for the $12 billion project. The announcement benefiting the Brightline West project follows a $3 billion federal grant in December and authorization in 2020 to sell $1 billion in similar bonds. Florida-based Brightline Holdings currently operates a private passenger rail line linking Miami and Orlando. Its Brightline West project aims to whisk passengers along Interstate 15 — cutting in half a four-hour freeway drive between Las Vegas and suburban Los Angeles. No date has been announced for work to start.