The cost to build the long-touted Brightline West Las Vegas to Southern California high-speed rail line has ballooned to $21.05 billion, according to a U.S. Transportation Department document.
Brightline West, backed by Fortress Investment Group, applied for a $6 billion loan from the federal government on Sept. 26, according to a list of applicants who have filed for financial assistance with the agency’s Build America Bureau Credit Assistance Pipeline. The project is listed as Brightline West, with an estimated project cost of $21.05 billion, which is a substantial increase from the previously touted $12 billion project.
A Brightline West spokesperson confirmed the new price tag to the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday but didn’t have information on what was behind the large project budget increase.
