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High-speed train plan gets notice in D.C.
Projects like DesertXpress should be part of federal strategy, Nevadan tells panel
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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Sun Archives
- Public or private, rail line will need major subsidies from government (6-14-2009)
- Maglev or DesertXPress, this could be your new ride (6-14-2009)
- Trade-offs between technologies include speed, cost (6-14-2009)
- Maglev train to press on without Reid (6-10-2009)
- Reid sides with Desert Xpress fast train option (6-9-2009)
- State sends no representative to talk on high-speed trains (6-5-2009)
- Obama outlines vision for high-speed rail network (4-16-2009)
- 8 states seek stimulus money for high-speed rail (4-15-2009)
- No waste in rail dream (3-5-2009)
- Economic crisis an opportunity to be greener (3-1-2009)
- Vegas, Midwest seek the $8 billion for fast trains (2-23-2009)
- Calif. bond would launch bullet train project (9-26-2008)
Sun Coverage
Washington — The proposed DesertXpress train between Las Vegas and Southern California got a shout-out on Tuesday at a Senate hearing on the future of high-speed rail.
It came as the Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Authority prepares to release an unprecedented $8 billion for train development as part of the economic recovery act.
The privately backed DesertXpress and a publicly financed magnetic levitation train are vying for the route between Las Vegas and Southern California.
Tom Skancke, a transportation consultant from Nevada, testified that Washington’s newfound interest in rail development should include emphasis on newly proposed corridors, such as the route proposed by DesertXpress between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif.
“The nation’s new vision should not just focus on existing passenger rail lines but should expand beyond the current corridors,” said Skancke, who also serves as a commissioner on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. In a study several years ago the commission recommended a vast western system, including the Las Vegas link.
“The first phase of a western connection is currently under way with the DesertXpress high-speed rail project,” Skancke continued before a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
He explained that the project is planned to connect Victorville and Palmdale, Calif., where it would tie into the proposed California high-speed rail system between Los Angeles and San Francisco. With those connections, he pointed out, the train would connect three major metropolitan areas.
Skancke was appointed to the commission by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Reid had been a longtime supporter of the maglev proposal, funneling federal aid to the California Nevada Super Speed Train Commission for its development.
But he recently announced his support for DesertXpress, saying he was tired after 30 years of waiting for the maglev proposal to come to fruition.
The senator’s support brings clout to the DesertXpress proposal, which is promoted by Republican political guru Sig Rogich. Rogich is a Reid political ally who is backing the senator’s 2010 reelection and serving as co-chairman of Republicans for Reid.
Maglev’s supporters have vowed to press on, and are hoping to capture a portion of economic recovery money to develop the $12 billion train to Anaheim.
An official with the Federal Railroad Authority testified at Tuesday’s hearing that projects will be judged on their merits, including their financial viability.
DesertXpress promoters are not seeking government grants, but have indicated recently that they may seek government loans. Project backers have poured $25 million in private funding to develop necessary planning documents for the $4 billion line.
Transportation experts say private passenger rail companies rarely survive in this country, or worldwide, because they are not profitable. The costs to develop and operate train lines typically require public assistance.
DesertXpress has said it could break ground on the project next year — although past start dates have been postponed.
Skeptics continue to question the Victorville terminus, but the company believes Southern California travelers will be willing to drive to the high-desert outpost 85 miles north of the Los Angeles basin and ride the train with food, drinks and entertainment to Vegas.
Skancke said he highlighted DesertXpress because “I was trying to show the committee something that could be done right away.”
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Is that the way out for California off the bankruptcy? I have serious doubts that such a high-speed train would be a success. There's not even a regular train connecting California with Las Vegas. Why would a super train now be something? Americans like cars, big cars, and it's much more convenient to them sitting in their leased vehicle and drive to Vegas, than having someone take them to the nearest train station , just to get in a train that brings them to Vegas, just to find out that they will be without vehicle again....
In Europe, the cities are connected with train systems that function. It's all electric powered and works. And still, a lot of people prefer their car. I reckon it will take 50 years for such a high speed train project to become reality. It will work out when gas costs 15 dollars/gallon and traffic on the roads becomes no longer sustainable.
From Switzerland
Yeah....a high speed train to nowhere.
My how the movers and shakers forget about the Monorail.
"Skeptics continue to question the Victorville terminus, but the company believes Southern California travelers will be willing to drive to the high-desert outpost 85 miles north of the Los Angeles basin and ride the train with food, drinks and entertainment to Vegas."
How much is an airfare from LA to Vegas??? And my guess is most people can make the trip on a tank of gas one way, maybe a bit more than a tank of gas one way. This is such a terrible idea. And the taxpayers in BOTH States will end up paying for it.
"Southern California travelers will be willing to drive to the high-desert outpost 85 miles north of the Los Angeles basin and ride the train with food, drinks and entertainment to Vegas."
People just do not understand Californians. Your going to have to bring that train right to their houses if you want to get them out of their cars. And when they drive to Vegas from So Cal, the hard part is GETTING to Victorville, so why take a train from their?
Lets also not forget demographics here. The Baby Boomers are trying to get their financial house in order and by the time they do this, they will no longer see Vegas as a vacation destination like they used to. Also, hard core gamblers have plenty of options already in So Cal.
That train idea is a money sinkhole. They should spend it on alternative energy or finding another water source.
What's the point in having a high speed transportation system that destroys the classic Las Vegas reputation as a tourist destination? Why build so many hotel rooms when it will only take an hour and a half for our largest customer base to get back home? Geez, sometimes I wonder if our elected officials really have their game on!
Wow.
There was just an article in the Sun yesterday about how the taxpayers of Clark County will likely be responsible for picking up the tab on the Monorail - to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.
Please public officials - learn from your mistakes!!!!
Another land scam brought to you by "Too Big Too Fail" Harry Reid'em and weep.
Thus is the life of Zombie Senator Harry Reid.
Politics as usual. Harry reid sells out Nevada's future in exchange for some political support from a wealthy republican. What's a few billion here or there when your talking about saving your seat in the Senate?
Victorville has bowling...
The Train to Nowhere.
At least the Maglev has a *chance* of making money since it actually has a desirable destination.
Wow, a lot of hate and ignorance on here. There is a railway between LA and Vegas... It's called the Union Pacific Railroad... Might remember that Vegas was started as an outpost for the railroad.
Tax payers wouldn't pay for the DesertXpress since it's "Privatley Funded."
The monorail would turn valuable with connections to the Vegas terminal, which in turn, would elimate the need for a car once passengers arrived here. (This would get all those bad californian drivers off our crowded streets!)
The major problem that the DesertXpress has chosen to ignore thus far is how valuable it would be to Las Vegans to travel to SoCal. (We do like to go on vacations too.)
From what I've read this is the first part of a proposal which later would lead to connections to LA. Maybe if the government gives some money for the connections to the Victorville Terminal they could combine these two projects.
I hope Reid's support of the Victorville line is only to put pressure on the Anaheim line to get a solid plan together. The Victorville line will fail. Extending it to Palmdale won't help the problem.
If the line doesn't descend out of the mountain and end in a central area near a major freeway and other train lines, it won't be convenient. If it is not convenient, people will not ride it. This is common sense.
I think the only reason the Victorville line is even being considered is because it is easy and cheap, and the powers that be think it is better than doing nothing at all.
Anaheim is right off the 5, has a LA MTA train stop, and is accessible to SoCal's population centers. My Grandfather, who was a successful businessman once told me the three keys to a successful business. Location, location and location!
I was raised to believe that it is better to take a bit more time and spend a little more money to do things right. Hopefully the people making funding decisions for stimulus projects share the same philosophy.
Locatio, Location, Location.......convenient terminals and access could equal success
We live in San Diego and barring having the high speed train come directly here put it in Orange County. If we have to drive all the way to Victorville we will drive all the way to Las Vegas.
Let's have something to be done. I can't wait for another 30yrs. like Maglev. Nothing but open-ended study, Im tired of press releases. I want Action! I want to hear something accomplished before I die.
"Transportation experts say private passenger rail companies rarely survive in this country, or worldwide, because they are not profitable. The costs to develop and operate train lines typically require public assistance."
If it requires public assistance to stay afloat it means the public doesn't value the product or service. If the public valued the product or service enough they would be willing to pay to keep a private company afloat.
Finally, public assistance means we privatize profits (for the rich) and socialize the losses (meaning less wealthy people pay). That isn't a sound or fair situation.
"Wow, a lot of hate and ignorance on here. There is a railway between LA and Vegas... It's called the Union Pacific Railroad... Might remember that Vegas was started as an outpost for the railroad."
Roy, you didn't really mean this did you? You cannot go from Vegas to So-Cal on a current passenger train unless you hitch.
Come on.
We do not need another Monorail on steroids.
Meglev is a fiction. It might happen in 20 years or more. The high speed train is within reality and while it is limited it can be made to work.
"If it requires public assistance to stay afloat it means the public doesn't value the product or service. If the public valued the product or service enough they would be willing to pay to keep a private company afloat."
Obviously there is a pretty strong bias here. Why do you support assistance to airlines in the form of free right of way (traffic controllers and expensive radar), free terminals in the form of publicly funded airports, and government bailouts when airlines are about to go bankrupt...even with all that money GIVEN to them? Without all of this, the airlines would not be able to stay afloat, and yet you support it. Doesn't this attitude run contrary to the way you feel about new rail service? This is not even close to a level playing field...it's really stacked against trains. Why is this? What are you afraid of?
And I won't even touch the $40 billion per year spent on Federal highways, plus all the state and local funding given away so you can drive your "cheap" cars. You choose to ignore the costs that you do not like, and pounce on the ones that support your view, as an acedemic, that is not a good trait to have...it's just foaming at the mouth.
As for using the Union Pacific...that was an almost reality a couple of decades ago. Amtrak had a contract with UP to double track Cima Hill so they could start 5.5 hour LV-LA service with tilt trains developed in Spain. This would be time-competitive with driving and could compete with flying when airport check-in is considered.
The Taldos were purchaced and arrived in the US at about the time the track was to be laid when Congress FORBID Amtrak to continue the project. The trains now run in Cascade service in the Northwest, and are very sucessful. It's really too bad all those people made such poor decisions. Now you'll have to pay...and pay...and pay.
Oh well, it's like the monorail from nowhere to nowhere that Vegas residents have zero use for. Then there's the maglev to Cashman Field, another boondoggle....it almost ran from somewhere to nowhere. What a deal that was.
Maybe they should give every politician a printing press to print all the money they need.Then provide forms,via printing press,for citizens to request money to pay off their debt and enough left over to retire early.Then you could eliminate the IRS,Medicare,Medicaid,and Social Security because we'll have all the money we need.No more National Debt,no more world hunger,no more disease,just print,print,print more money.Why not ? Hyperinflation will never be a problem in this country, right ?
Las Vegas-California passenger rail would be a huge plus for Nevada. Just build the line to the high speed rail standard. Once HSR is up and running in California it's simple to connect the lines and upgrade to high speed trains. In the meantime run whatever over the tracks--steam engines and Pulman cars if you want.