Superspeed train gains support from fed agency

Tuesday, April 29, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

A federal agency has agreed to sponsor an environmental impact study of the long-proposed superspeed train from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, a move that supporters hope will move the project a bit faster on its planning tracks.

The Federal Railroad Administration has agreed to be the lead agency and sponsor for the project's Environmental Impact Statement, a federally required study applicable to the entire 269-mile "magnetic levitation" train corridor between the two cities. Officials with the California-Nevada Superspeed Train Commission, a public-private partnership supporting the effort, made the announcement Monday.

The federal agency's sponsorship "is a clear endorsement of our efforts and lends credibility to the project," commission Chairman Bruce Aguilera said. "This shows we are on our way."

The 15-year-old commission has received $1.5 million in federal funding to begin work on the environmental study and to do some pre-construction design, engineering and "public outreach" on the project. The commission also has received more than $650,000 in funding from cities along the route and three regional government agencies in California: the Orange County Transportation Authority, the San Bernardino Association of Governments and the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District.

When completed, the California-Nevada Interstate Mag-Lev Project would tie together Las Vegas and Anaheim via the California cities of Ontario, Victorville and Barstow. The train, which would operate at speeds of up to 300 mph, would also connect five major airports, three major tourist destinations including Las Vegas, and the fastest-growing cities and regions in the United States, supporters say.

The commission and American Magline Group, the effort's private-sector partner, are seeking $1 billion in federal construction funding in the Transportation Equity Act now being negotiated in Congress.

Supporters say the goal is to get funding for construction for both ends of the project, working toward the middle. The first planned segment -- a 40-mile track between Las Vegas and Primm -- would cost $1.3 billion. The entire project could cost $9 billion or more.

Aguilera said the railroad administration's sponsorship will contribute to the effort. He noted that the project has received bipartisan support in the Senate and House.

"This substantiates the support we have been able to get," Aguilera said.