Sen. Reid, Ray LaHood: One stop left for DesertXpress

The environmental impact of a proposed Nevada-to-California high-speed rail has been approved, clearing the way for the railway to built, Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Friday afternoon.

The environmental impact study was one of the final hurdles to be passed before the Department of Transportation could approve the project, which Reid says will create 34,000 jobs in Nevada, which has one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation.

“Our nation’s first high-speed rail project means one thing for Nevada: jobs,” Reid said in statement. 

“This announcement brings us one small step away from tens of thousands of new jobs not only through the project’s construction, but by boosting our tourism.  This line will connect tourists from southern California to our state’s great attractions like the Las Vegas Strip and the Hoover Dam. This announcement is excellent news for our state’s economic recovery."

LaHood agreed.

“This is an important day for high-speed rail in Nevada,” LaHood said in a statement. “High-speed rail will create jobs, reinvigorate our manufacturing sector and spur economic development for years to come in Nevada and around the country.”

The 200-mile railway is planned to run through a national park and other federally owned lands. It would run between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.

The route is intended to relieve traffic on Interstate 15, which connects the two sprawling cities. As planned, the railway would come within 40 miles of a proposed California high-speed rail connecting L.A. and the San Francisco Bay area.