Possible Las Vegas-California train closer to reality

Monday, Feb. 21, 2000 | 2:52 a.m.

Talk of a superspeed train between Las Vegas and Southern California has been just that - talk.

Now, after 17 years of discussions and off-again, on-again negotiations, the project may be moving one step closer to reality. The project is one of seven being considered as a national prototype, with the government dangling a $950 million carrot for the project.

The Nevada project has survived the first federal cut in the competition and officials are now gearing up for round two.

On Feb. 29, the first of two studies on the train route is due to the Federal Highway Administration. The study is just one part of the competition between the Las Vegas proposal and six other projects nationwide vying for the federal funds to jump-start a superspeed train system.

"For a long time, it was just a pipe dream, but it's a reality now," said Neil Cummings, general counsel for the American Magline Group, part of a joint venture with the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission to get the project off the ground. The California-Nevada Commission is made up of 16 members, eight appointed by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and eight by the California Legislature.The commission was formed in 1988 to begin studying the possibility of a high-speed train route from Las Vegas to the Anaheim, Calif. area.

The idea had been kicking around for years but the interest peaked when the Federal Highway Administration offered to pay $950 million to one demonstration superspeed train project in the country.

The maglev, or magnetic levitation system, is the type of train the $950 million will help build. The train, which has no wheels to create friction, is propelled by magnetic force and hovers above its tracks. The maglev can cruise at speeds up to 300 mph and is now certified for commercial service in Germany.

Federal officials say the system would be the first new mode of transportation since the introduction of the airplane early this century.

The goal of the maglev competition in the United States is to develop a pilot program to illustrate to Americans what a highspeed transportation system can do for the country.

Guinn, who supports the superspeed train program, said he is confident the California-Nevada commission will be able to overcome the political clout of some of the other projects.

The other six areas vying for the federal funding are:

Following the Feb. 29 reports, a second federal deadline is June 30, when studies describing the financial feasibility and economics of the projects are due.

By Sept. 30, four more projects will be cut from the competition, and by March 31, 2000, one project will be selected for federal funding.