COURTESY PHOTO
A rendering shows a DesertXpress train, which is expected to reach a top speed of about 150 miles per hour and travel between Victorville, Calif., and Las Vegas.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 4:23 p.m.
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Sun Archives
- Train plans sound similar? One side says too similar (5-10-2010)
- It’s not as fast, but this train could hit the rails sooner (4-14-2010)
- High-speed rail: Will it be worth the wait for Nevadans? (3-31-2010)
- Work on high-speed rail set to begin this year (3-25-2010)
- DesertXpress prepared to build; maglev, monorail extension on hold (1-15-2010)
- A boost for DesertXpress (7-3-2009)
Clark County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement Tuesday that will allow county staff to work with DesertXpress on part of the high-speed rail line.
The DesertXpress plan calls for a traditional steel-wheel train to be built in the Interstate 15 right-of-way between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif.
But the freeway right-of-way isn’t large enough to accommodate the train between Russell Road and Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas, so the company needs permission to build the line in county right-of-way along Dean Martin Drive, just west of I-15.
The agreement does not give permission for the train to be built, but will help the train company as it seeks a license from the Federal Railroad Administration and allows county staff to help determine the use of county property.
Commissioners stressed that this is not an endorsement of the DesertXpress plan over competing high-speed rail proposals.
“I’ve said publicly and privately that we value high-speed train projects, that they would be a great addition to our economy and our community, but that we want a competitive environment where the project that can receive the entitlements and the financing can go forward and be constructed,” Commission Chairman Rory Reid said.
“Just as we’d cooperate with these developers, we’d cooperate with any other,” he said.
DesertXpress has been gaining momentum over competitors, especially since gaining the support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who last week sent out a news release praising the re-allocation of funds once promised to supporters of a maglev train.
Train plans submitted to the county by DesertXpress show railroad tracks elevated over traffic lanes of Dean Martin Drive, with supports on either side of the road or down the median.
Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Steve Sisolak asked for clarification from county staff to make certain they were not doing anything that would block a competing train.
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