LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Funding for the high-speed train between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area is secure, according to a Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) spokesperson.
The Brightline West project has a variety of funding sources including private bonds and a grant issued under the Biden administration. An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Monday had federal agencies analyzing funding that came from two sources — the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, often referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But Brightline funds weren’t part of those Biden administration programs.
“The $3 billion grant for the Brightline West project is secure, allowing this critical project to move forward,” NDOT spokesperson Kelsey McFarland said in an email to 8 News Now.
“NDOT continues to closely monitor the Trump Administration’s executive orders to determine what, if any, impact there may be on our projects and program. We are awaiting clarity on the order affecting the IIJA and IRA to begin to assess any potential impact in the State of Nevada,” McFarland said.
Brightline West officials confirmed Wednesday the project is moving forward.
Trump put the brakes on a wide range of projects that fall under renewable energy when he issued his “Unleashing American Energy” executive order. A section of that order halted all spending under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law until a review was complete.
But Brightline West’s $3 billion grant came through the Federal Railroad Administration, which signed off on the funding in late September 2024.
Funding totaling more than $6 billion — half of the now-estimated $12.6 billion cost — come from these sources:
- $2.5 billion in private activity bonds announced Jan. 23, 2024
- $3 billion grant for the Nevada Department of Transportation, allocated to the project and announced in December
- $1 billion private activity bond approved in 2020
- $25 million grant to the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority announced in June
On Jan. 14, a new bond offering for Brightline West was released, looking to raise an additional $2.5 billion. The bond offering was split into two parts — a $1.85 billion offering from California and a $625 million offering from Nevada. The documents are available for review at Munios.com, a website that requires creating a free account. Morgan Stanley is the lead underwriter for the bonds, which mature in 40 years.
Information contained in the bond sale document indicates the high-speed train won’t start passenger service until December 2028, well after the target of the 2028 Summer Olympics, which begin in July. Brightline has said they want to be up and running for that event.
The document also says it expects to charge $119 for a one-way ticket and premium cabin service for $133. Brightline expects to carry 8.6 million passengers (one-way) in its first year of operation.
Federal agencies and state agencies including NDOT continue to sort out questions over funding that came from the programs targeted by Trump’s executive order, which singled out renewable energy. It reversed 12 Biden executive orders and declared its intention, “Terminating the Green New Deal.”
8 News Now’s requests for comment on Tuesday from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Bureau of Recreation have been acknowledged, but the agencies have not commented on whether the executive order is holding up funding for projects.
BLM handles leases for solar and other renewable energy projects on federal land in Nevada, and Reclamation manages the Colorado River. Funds for many of the water conservation projects funded by the Biden administration went through Reclamation and the Department of the Interior.
