BRIGHTLINE West CEO, Mr Mike Reininger, says he is certain construction of a Las Vegas - Los Angeles route will begin in a matter of weeks, although he has not given an exact date for breaking ground.
Election uncertainty, the absence of a Covid-19 vaccine, and the lack of liquidity in the stock market interfered with Brightline’s attempt to sell private activity bonds allocated for the project by the US Department of Transport and the state of Nevada and California to pay for construction, causing the project to be put on hold in late 2020.
However, Reininger said the market situation today is dramatically different, as the stock market is doing incredibly well, people are optimistic about a massive rebound in the economy, and jobs are headed in the right direction.
Those factors are making the construction start a reality in late second quarter, but there already may be some competition.
Amtrak has suggested it might create a Las Vegas - Los Angeles line if US president, Mr Joe Biden, is successful with his $US 2 trillion infrastructure plan.
Amtrak would use $US 80bn in funding to make a long list of repairs, including modernising existing lines, and establishing new city connections, including to Las Vegas, Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, and Phoenix.
Reininger said he would welcome a second line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
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