Mary Scrantin
Several United States public bullet train ventures have tried so hard to complete their high-speed rail line, but have been faced with one challenge or the other making it difficult to achieve. However, private companies like Brightline West are going all out to prove they can do this successfully.
The well-known high-speed train service in Florida Brightline West has decided to venture into even bigger projects as they’re set to invest $12 billion in a 218-mile high-speed rail route that will connect Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga. This has caused a lot of doubts, with people saying they can never get it done.
Brightline And Joe Biden Are Excited About This Project
Brightline and its executives have mentioned how excited they are about this project. They have promised that the train will speed up to 200mph, but to get this to work perfectly they will need a lot of investments.
This call for investment and the belief in the project’s future has prompted Joe Biden to invest a huge sum of $3 billion from the taxpayer’s dollars and also granted the company a $3.5 billion exempt bond.
There’s Enough Reason To Doubt The Success Of This Project.
A lot of projects like this have been started and contractors have had issues with completion because they got stuck and realized that they needed more funds than they imagined.
Republican State Senator Brian Jones spoke about the extension of the Bullet train from San Diego and Los Angeles and how they have still not covered the $100 billion that it needs to be completed. Brian believes that Brightlines train rail is never going to get built.
Brightline Is Seeking Additional Funding
Although State Senator Brian has urged the California government to cancel the project, Brightline executives are still staying positive, hoping to get additional investment from several private companies and also from the federal government.
West has been trying his best to make the entire public and the stakeholders understand the importance of a significant project like this. He believes that for the country to keep growing, a huge change must take place.
The Country’s Finances Should Be Used For Important Purposes
There have been several criticisms of this innovation, they are mostly based on how the government is busy diverting the state’s funds to building railroads when the state is facing extreme housing, mental health, and education issues.
This has made critics question the state’s ability to apply California’s funds in a way that would benefit Californians.
Private Investment Is Better Than Public Investment
Although Senator Brian Jones heavily criticized the project, he believes that there might be a future for high-speed rails in California. However, he has suggested that this project would only be successful if they continue to rely on private investments rather than taxpayer funds.
The project now requires $135 billion to get it running, mind you the initial estimate started from $40 billion, this huge shift has continued to cast doubts on people’s minds.
The Fear Of Not Being Able To Raise Enough Money
The huge difference between the initial budget and the present budget has now become a huge cause of concern. As the cost of completion continues to rise, the probability of actually achieving their goals continues to reduce.
Because of this, Brightline has now further extended its financial search towards both the federal government and also to various private companies. They believe that this project will not only benefit the citizens, it will also determine if bullet trains can ever survive financial difficulties.
Other Reasons Why This Project Might Fail
Although this project is quite different from the other publicly funded projects, some factors might make them impossible to implement. The country has scattered population centers and the fact that it is built in highway systems rather than transit.
Let’s also not forget that individuals now prefer personal means of transportation. Also, the fact that the U.S. rail laws are outdated makes the rail industry unrewarding.
The Rail System Can Also Work In The United States
Executives of Brightline have done their research and due diligence and with results from countries like France, Britain, And Japan, they are quite contested that they can make this work in the US.
They believe that if they make use of lands that have little to no legal battles, while also picking strategic locations this will be helpful towards the project’s success.
The Project Has Received New Funding Following A Previous Funding In December
Joe Biden and his administration are excited about this project and they’ve been doing everything to make sure it comes to life. The U.S. government in December 2023 issued Brightline a $3 million grant to help further the project.
Now it’s 2024 and they’ve issued an additional $2.5 billion tax-exempt bond to further assist and show commitment towards the project.
This Will Be A Great Opportunity
The founder of Brightline, Wes Eden is quite optimistic about this project, he believes that if this is successful then, this will become a stepping stone for other railway projects in America.
Eden believes that this project has a lot of potential benefits. Apart from connecting Las Vegas and Southern California, it will also provide jobs for thousands of US citizens and also reduce traffic congestion.
The New Rail Line’s Ticket Will Cost More Than $400
However, information reaching the public is that a round trip on these trains will cost about $400 and this just gives extra reasons why this project might not happen.
This might not be possible, and this is because an amount like this will only make it hard for the majority of those who need it to afford it.
Work Is Still Going On
Although the project has faced quite several challenges, the good news is that work is still going on. Contractors have started surveying and drilling.
Work started earlier in the year and they’re not slowing down. They have two different sets of contractors working on it to make the completion faster.
The New Rail Line Should Be Completed In 2028
It is expected that Projects like this will take a significant amount of time and manpower before they can be completed and even commissioned.
The officials do not have a final date in mind. All they can do at this stage is to pray that it gets done quickly, what they do hope is that it gets done before it is time for Los Angeles to host the 2028 Summer Olympics.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings