Biden administration pledges $6 billion for two West Coast high-speed electric train projects

The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will invest over $6 billion in two West Coast high-speed electric rail systems.

According to California and Nevada senators, the federal government will provide $3 billion for a privately owned route between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and $3.1 billion for the first phase of California's publicly funded effort to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The funds are a small portion of route construction costs. But it shows the Biden administration's support for high-speed rail, which is widespread in Europe and Asia but ignored in the U.S.'s car-obsessed culture.

“The federal government is back on building high speed rail in America,” said California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Brian Kelly. “This award is just a great leap forward.”

California voters approved a 500-mile (805-kilometer) proposal in 2008 to transport passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in under three hours on a fully-electric train at 220 mph. The project was expected to cost $30 billion and launch in 2020. It would be the nation's quickest train service today.

More than a decade later, the price has risen to almost $100 billion, with state officials identifying only $25 billion in funding. Officials are working on a 119-mile (190-kilometer) route that would connect Merced, Fresno, and Bakersfield by 2033. Three cities in California's Central Valley have some of the nation's worst air quality. The $3.1 billion would only fund that part.

No work start date was given. Rosen said electric trains might carry passengers by 2028, when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympics.