Local high-speed train project among seven national finalists

Tuesday, May 25, 1999 | 12:13 p.m.

A Southern Nevada project is among seven national finalists in a bid to build a magnetic levitation (maglev) train capable of traveling more than 300 mph.

The California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission was told Monday that it would receive a portion of $12.2 million allocated for preliminary engineering, marketing studies, environmental assessments and financial planning for the nation's first maglev project.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater announced grants to seven states for pre-construction planning through the Federal Railroad Administration.

Only one of the projects from among the finalists will get construction funding. The announcement of the winning bid is expected in fall 2000.

The CNSSTC's proposal is just one small piece of a proposed $6.8 billion, 272-mile route between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif. A 42-mile project linking Las Vegas to Primm is the proposal selected for funding.

Las Vegas Councilman and mayoral candidate Arnie Adamsen, who serves as a commissioner and chief financial officer for the CNSSTC, said the strength of the Nevada proposal is in its high ridership potential, public sector support from communities along the route and the environmentally friendly nature of the project.

The track would be located along the Interstate 15 corridor between Las Vegas and Southern California. Adamsen said environmentalists support the project because it would reduce traffic and smog generated by vehicles using I-15.

Adamsen said the commission would use the federal funding to develop an investment-grade ridership study. Showing that the high-speed train would attract enough riders to pay for it should give the CNSSTC proposal an edge, Adamsen said. Since Las Vegas and Anaheim are major tourist destinations, the commission expects ridership potential to be high and the study is expected to prove that.

Neil Cummings, project leader for American Magline Group, a private enterprise that is partnering with the commission on the maglev project, said the Las Vegas-Primm link would be an ideal demonstration site because millions of tourists in Las Vegas would have the opportunity to see the technology in action.

Maglev trains hover a half inch above a guideway and are propelled along the track with magnetic fields. Japan and Germany have pioneered the technology and a demonstration project has been built between Hamburg and Berlin.

How will the CNSSTC project stack up against its six competitors? Adamsen and Cummings are optimistic that the high ridership potential and high visibility of the route will figure favorably in the Department of Transportation's final decision.

Cummings said political support from several California congressmen whose districts straddle the route will be helpful. He also said the CNSSTC's eight years of experience working on the project is favorable compared with projects that are just getting started.

The six other competitors for construction funding:

* Port Authority of Allegheny County: a 45-mile project between Pittsburgh Airport to Pittsburgh and its eastern suburbs. Adamsen said the proposal is strong because of the political influence of legislators in the area.

* Maryland Department of Transportation: a 40-mile project linking Camden Yards in Baltimore with the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Union Station in Washington D.C. It's heavily traveled and the route would take the train to within a few blocks of the Capitol, giving the proposal political clout. Cummings noted that some of the route is along a congested area and property condemnation could be an issue.

* Florida Department of Transportation: a 20-mile project linking Port Canaveral to the Space Center and the Titusville Regional Airport. It's another site frequented by millions of tourists.

* Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission: a 40-mile project linking New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to the airport and across Lake Ponchartrain to the fast-growing northern suburbs.

* Georgia-Atlanta Regional Commission: The first 40 miles of a 110-mile project linking Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn.

* State of California: A 70- to 75-mile system connecting Los Angeles International Airport to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles east to Ontario Airport and Riverside County. This is a heavily populated area that Cummings said could eventually link to the CNSSTC proposal.