French industrial group Alstom lost out to its German rival Siemens in a tender to build trains for the first-ever high-speed line in the United States, planned for 2028 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“Siemens Mobility has been identified as the preferred bidder” to build a “fleet of ten trains” to run on this future section, the operator responsible for the Brightline West project announced in a press release on Thursday.
Connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas
The amount of the transaction has not yet been closed, Siemens said. According to the American press, however, it could reach up to 12 billion dollars (11.22 billion euros).
This very first American “TGV” promises to connect Los Angeles (California) with Las Vegas (Nevada) in just over two hours over 440 kilometers compared to twice the road traffic and is expected to carry 11 million passengers annually.
announced with great fanfare in December by US President Joe Biden, who is counting on extending the railway to reduce the impact of transport on the climate, in a country where the individual car remains hegemonic.
“We are disappointed,” Alstom commented in a press release sent to AFP, but said it was “prepared to take advantage of future opportunities to develop high-speed trains in America.”
The Biden administration is investing a total of $30 billion (28 billion euros) in expanding the country’s rail network with the goal of doubling the number of passengers on American trains by 2040.
The future connection between Los Angeles and Las Vegas alone, according to Joe Biden, will “remove 3 million vehicles from the freeway” that connects the two cities.
New factory for Siemens in the United States
Dubbed the “American Pioneer 220,” the Siemens trains will be designed “specifically for the American market” and will be based on an “American supply chain,” according to Siemens, which plans to open a new factory in the country.