Timely rail alliance

Fri, Sep 25, 2009 (3 a.m.)

It takes visionaries to build the fastest and most efficient transportation systems in the world. It takes individuals who look not only at short-term issues, including upfront costs and the number of construction jobs created, but also at long-term benefits for commerce and population growth.

The nation’s interstate highway network is an example of a visionary system that has played a major role in advancing the U.S. economy over the past half-century.

In Business Las Vegas reporter Richard N. Velotta informed readers this month that a coalition of transportation planners in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Utah have formed the Western High-Speed Rail Alliance. We like this idea because of its possibilities.

The coalition is looking for ways to better link cities such as Las Vegas, Reno, Phoenix, Denver and Salt Lake City. If New Mexico joins the coalition — something it is contemplating — Albuquerque and Santa Fe could be added to that list.

For naysayers who argue that we already have flights between these cities, it is worth noting that many people refuse to travel by airplane, and many more are frustrated with the hassles of delayed flights.

Although the coalition has not committed to a particular rail technology, we strongly urge its members to support magnetic levitation trains because they can safely travel at speeds of 300 mph, require little maintenance and have the ability to climb steep grades — something that is crucial in the mountainous West. No other train technology can match that performance.

Formation of the coalition could not have come at a better time. The Obama administration has signaled its desire to invest in high-speed rail and the Brookings Institution, a prominent public policy think tank in Washington, has encouraged the West to tackle transportation as a regional issue.

Think of what a maglev system could do for commerce in Southern Nevada.