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Monday, April 2, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.
Rick Velotta hit the nail on the head in his column. The planned DesertXpress to Victorville, Calif., will be a waste of money and a complete disaster. Sen. Harry Reid wants to spend $5 billion of taxpayer money on a train to nowhere? The maglev train, which would have gone straight to Anaheim, would be the stimulus plan that Las Vegas has needed. The DesertXpress, on the other hand, which will go only to Victorville, will be a total failure, just like the monorail, although on a grander scale.
"Sen. Harry Reid wants to spend $5 billion of taxpayer money on a train to nowhere?"
What is new - crony capitalism - taxpayers pay for Reid rewarding his friends
Last week at a PORTLAND, Maine campaign fund raiser President Barack Obama accused Republicans of clinging to economic policies that preceded the Great Depression and accusing his rivals of showing signs of "madness."
The train is madness
This sure-to-be-a-fiasco should be looked into by the FBI. I have a sneaking suspicion something hanky is going on here. Just who is behind this "White Elephant" to be and how much will they profit from it even though it is doomed to failure? If it really is financially viable then let private investors put up the dough to make it a reality. No tax dollars ahould be involved in this stupid venture!
We should take a moment and look at the las Vegas Monorail failure.If the planners would have considered going to the airport to begin with, we would not have had a bankruptcy of the system.The desert Express will cost 5 billion dollars and take 84 minutes to arrive in Victorville Ca.which Is 150 miles from Vegas. The Meglevi system will cost 12 billion dollars and take 81 minutes to arrive In Aneheim Ca.which Is 310 from Vegas.Sometimes cost Is not the only consideration.
"We should take a moment and look at the las Vegas Monorail failure.If the planners would have considered going to the airport to begin with, we would not have had a bankruptcy of the system."
I hear you Sam but it would have cost taxi/shuttle jobs. But I hear you.
The statement "It would have cost taxi/shuttle jobs" is correct. However, anytime you can replace an inefficient means with a more efficient means, it makes logical sense.
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In this particular example, some people would still prefer the cabs, those with a boatload of luggage perhaps, but the folks with the overnighter would more likely have jumped on the monorail.
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And while the revenue for the cabs would decrease, the monetary savings in the riders pocket would more then likely end up as part of a payment for a show, food, gambling etc.
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I couldn't care less about the environment, and won't, until people stop having 6 kids, but the monorail also makes far more sense in terms of it's carbon impact, energy use, etc.
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The monorail should have gone to the airport, and the money used to build that asinine train to Victorville should be earmarked to extend the monorail instead.
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don't complain about the cost of this project because it has a far greater potential to improve both economies of our states. once this project starts it will give a significant boost of confidence to the other california high speed rail project which would ultimately connect desertxpress to the rest of california.
if your concern is the cost, there are far better things to complain about such as lockheed martin's f35 project. maybe if lasvegassun.com can do an article with a nellis afb spin, you can comment and complain about this there.
don't be so apprehensive to this change.
I'm curious as to why it stops in Victorville?
A very good question. Why Victorville? I opine, me and me alone, Reid believes visitors to Vegas as well as residents here and in California, would like to shop there for bargains. Especially the ladies and maybe some men. The location and the train could be a draw for retailers to set up shops and malls there in the middle of the desert.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Carmine
As a person (okay, woman) who likes to shop, I'll be damn if I'd be schlepping multiple bags on a train - bargains or no bargains!!! People use their CARS to shop!! Sorry.
Also, and it has been discussed here multiple times for several years, no one knows why Victorville was chosen.
Can you rent a car in Victorville?
"People use their CARS to shop!! Sorry."
Not with gas prices at $5 per gallon and going up. Sorry back at you.
Carmine A. DiFazio.
"Also, and it has been discussed here multiple times for several years, no one knows why Victorville was chosen."
it's the information age, and people here are still afraid to google?
desertxpress.com says victorville "serves as a natural collection point of estimated 11 million people"
it will also coincide with the california high speed rail (whose plan is to connect san diego to sacramento), in which a stop would be located in palmdale: which is directly west of victorville
to think of going south all the way to anaheim or san diego, or whatever would be an engineering feat and would make the project even more expensive: they would have to figure out how a 150 mph train can traverse the cajon pass/san gabriel mountains and san andreas fault line