LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Brightline West has confirmed to FOX5 that it is still waiting on a $6 billion federal loan needed to fund construction of its planned high-speed rail line connecting Las Vegas to Southern California.
The company told investors it is simultaneously pursuing a $4 billion loan from a banking consortium. Brightline says surveying work has been completed along the entire route. Brightline did not provide additional updates on construction progress or a timeline when contacted by FOX5.
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Parking garage nears completion at future station site
Wednesday, the FOX5 drone flew over the site of the future train station off Interstate 15, just south of the 215, where a parking garage is nearly complete.
Vince Saavedra, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades, met with FOX5 at the station site last fall.
“Hopefully this year they’ll start construction on the station now that the parking garage is near completion,” Saavedra said. “Everyone just wants to make sure that all the money is right before they break ground on the station part.”
Union warns of construction job shortage in Las Vegas
Saavedra said the Brightline project is critical for local workers, citing a lack of construction work on the horizon.
“You know we need work here. Obviously, with the film bill not passing… there’s not a lot of work on the horizon,” Saavedra said. “And so, we worked really hard to try to secure the funding for this project. And, it’s to my understanding right now, we’re still waiting for more funding to come through so that we could have this so that people of Nevada can go to work.”
While Saavedra noted that large projects such as the A’s Stadium, Hard Rock’s Guitar Hotel, and Four Seasons Residences in Henderson are underway, he expressed concern about a shortage of work in the coming years.
“We’ve lost more construction jobs than any other city,” Saavedra said. “We have more workers than work right now, you know, and that’s really been the stressful part of it all. They’re either traveling for work out of state right now looking for something or they’re just sitting at home waiting. The future is not looking too bright for construction in Las Vegas.”
Project overview
Brightline says surveying work has been done along the entire route. The Brightline West line would run through the median of Interstate 15 at speeds up to 200 mph, connecting Las Vegas to Southern California in approximately two hours. Service is expected to begin in late 2029. The estimated cost of the line is more than $21 billion.
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