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Stumbleiblv editorial:
Go maglev
High-speed train plan merits support
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 (3 a.m.)
If Las Vegas wishes to remain competitive with other U.S. cities in transporting people, it will have to do more than rely on cars, buses and airplanes. Our roads and skies already are clogged with traffic.
There is another form of public transportation that deserves the public’s support — high-speed rail.
Two proposals are on the table that would employ fast trains between Southern Nevada and Southern California. One proposal, the DesertXpress, would involve a steel-wheel train on steel tracks that would initially run from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif.
But we think a competing plan that would use magnetic levitation technology is far superior. Its supporters say that maglev represents the technology of the future, with trains that float on air and with no moving parts or friction, thereby reducing maintenance costs. In contrast, those supporters argue convincingly that steel tracks represent technology of the 19th century.
The maglev train would run all the way to Anaheim, Calif. That’s where it would potentially link up with another proposed high-speed rail system that would carry people to Northern California, according to stories that ran June 16 in the Las Vegas Sun, a sister publication of In Business Las Vegas.
The maglev line, a nonprofit venture that would be overseen by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, also has the potential to be part of a futuristic high-speed rail network of trains moving at 300 mph that could connect major cities throughout the country.
Think of what that would mean in terms of increased commerce for Las Vegas.
DesertXpress proponents say they intend to build a spur to Palmdale, Calif., to connect with the north-south California line. But that proposal doesn’t have a timetable or financing plan.
By initially extending only to Victorville, which is nearly 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Southern Californians would still have to drive several hours in congested traffic just to reach the train. That would include a journey over the Cajon Pass on Interstate 15.
When it comes to selecting a proposal worthy of competing for federal economic stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail development, we are convinced that most commuters would choose the maglev plan.
Discussion: 3 comments so far…
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Don't you folks think the California Indian casinos will have something to say about this -- especially if state money is involved (which will be the case)?
High Speed Maglev is the superior technology where a 300 mph cruise speed makes sense. It certainly makes sense on the trip from Las Vegas to Anaheim and or Union Station. It can go all the way to the southern California population centers because it can handle grades railroads simply cannot negotiate. It could make the entire trip in less than one hour.
The center median of I-15 would be an excellent route and the freeway would serve as an excellent buffer for any high speed noise in populated areas. The car and truck traffic is probably louder. And two new lanes and a safer center divider could be added to the freeway as part of the same construction.
If Maglev is rejected, even though it is working in other countries, steel rail is still not the best alternative. Monorail systems can be developed to operate at speeds equal to the proposed rail and they operate silently. They also have no problems with the Cajon Pass grades. Monorails carry millions of passengers around the world and one that is well over 100 years old is still operating. Unbiased information is available at www.monorails.org.
At Your Service, Brian C. Brooks
Maglev technology is no longer leading edge, and has proven INCREDIBLY expensive. Ask why only ONE Maglev's been built in China --a place where it could be afforded and the government maintains control of such development.
Ask why Siemens just got shut down in Munich (their own home town) when an airport Maglev turned out to cost $1 billion more than originally estimated.
Even though this technology's now pretty long in the tooth, ask why one's never been built in the United States...ever. Why did the Californians choose ordinary rail to run from San Diego to Sacramento if Maglev is supposedly the answer?
Monorail? Surely you jest. When's the Las Vegas debacle going to pay for itself as was promised? Monorail's nothing but ordinary rail technology on a stick.