Congresswoman Lee Joins Transportation Secretary Buttigieg for Brightline West Groundbreaking
LAS VEGAS – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and local and state leaders to break ground in her district on Brightline West, the first high-speed rail system in the nation that will connect Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Stretching 218 miles, Brightline West will make travel between Las Vegas and Los Angeles twice as fast as by car. The rail system is projected to remove 3 million cars from the I-15 annually, create thousands of good-paying union jobs, boost the local economy, and reduce more than 400,000 tons of carbon emissions. That means less traffic, cleaner air, and more travelers to support southern Nevada’s 24/7 economy and small businesses.
“For decades, high-speed rail was just a dream in southern Nevada – but now, I’m beyond proud that we finally made it a reality,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I worked across the aisle to help negotiate, craft, and ultimately pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law because I knew it would kickstart transformative projects like Brightline West that will stand the test of time. Together, we’re cutting down on traffic, boosting our tourism economy, and creating thousands of good-paying union jobs.”
Congresswoman Lee was joined by Governor Joe Lombardo, the Nevada congressional delegation, Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), representatives from the Biden Administration, Vince Saavedra of the Southern Nevada Building Trades, and Brightline Chairman Wes Edens.
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