WASHINGTON — Rail industry leaders are in the nation’s capital this week for the U.S. High Speed Rail Conference. 

What You Need To Know

  • The annual USHSR (U.S. High Speed Rail Association) Conference is taking place in Washington, D.C. this week

  •  A big focus of discussion is on the Brightline West project planned to run between Las Vegas and Southern California

  •  Industry leaders say the Brightline project in Florida will serve as a model for the West Coast project

All eyes are on the Brightline West project that will run service from Las Vegas to Southern California, and experts say the Brightline service in Florida will serve as a model for the new undertaking on the West Coast.

"They've had to add more trains in order to accommodate the people. And, so the connection between Miami and Orlando is wildly popular in Florida, which proves that if you build it, they will come," said former Transportation Secretary and U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition Co-Chair Ray Lahood. 

Brightline is planning to add more stations in Florida, including one in Stuart on the Treasure Coast and another in downtown Tampa. 

Brightline Holdings CEO Mike Reininger, who took part in a discussion at the conference Tuesday, said the company is "now generating profits off the operation in Florida."

"We're in our eighth month now, and we are now carrying north of 250,000 passengers a month every month on that line," Reininger said. "So, it's been a remarkable transformation."

Experts say one of the most prohibitive factors in the development of high speed rail in the U.S. has been large cost estimates for the immense undertakings. An attorney who worked with Brightline on the Florida project said some of the biggest lessons they learned were on environmental permitting. 

"The Council on Environmental Quality has recently issued some new regulations that we hope are going to speed that process up," said Sidley Senior Counsel Terry Hynes. "Because the longer it takes to get a permit, the more cost because of inflation. And it, quite frankly, will discourage other private investors from getting into the high speed rail sector."

Brightline West trains are expected to travel up to 220 miles per hour. Ground broke on the project last month, and is slated to be completed in four years.