Friday, October 28, 2011

DX clears STB approval

All,
This month has been the month for DX!  Again this week DX has received approval from the Federal Surface Transportation Board to build and operate its high speed train.


(The STB gives approval for all new train projects.)
However, the DX project is still waiting on approval on the $4.9B FRA loan before proceeding.


Here is the link to the article.


http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/train-11836-vegas-victorville.html


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Ca/Nv Maglev News

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Vegas Neighborhood asks questions about DX

All,
An additional story from the Las Vegas Sun and Richard N. Velotta about the Dean Martin Rural Neighborhood Preserve Association has sent a letter to the FRA announcing questions and concerns about the DX HSR project, including how it will effect McCarran Airport, land use and safety.
Image
The Las Vegas Sun has posted some of the highlights of its questions:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/13/neighborhood-association-slams-desertxpress-rail-p/
[...]

Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 | 4:41 p.m.
The association says worldwide, no private commercial high-speed railroad is profitable. It said several states’ governors have stopped projects or rejected loans because of the possibility of high operating costs.
• Although Sen. Harry Reid, who supports DesertXpress, has said 80,000 jobs would be directly or indirectly created by the proposal, a federal environmental impact statement says it would generate just over 700 permanent jobs, 70 of which would be in Nevada.
• The DesertXpress ridership study was conducted more than five years ago with optimistic projections. The association cited Amtrak, Megabus and the Las Vegas Monorail as having similar optimistic projections that never materialized.
• The association questions whether Las Vegans would take the train to Victorville only to rent a car there to continue the journey to Southern California.
• The association also rehashed Reid’s withdrawal of support for a maglev project to get behind the DesertXpress, which was backed by Republicans for Reid organizer Sig Rogich, a supporter of the train.
• The environmental impact statement said an elevated track would affect one of McCarran International Airport’s east-west runways.
• The proposed rail line does not conform to a land-use plan along the Dean Martin corridor. The west side of that corridor is designated for rural neighborhood preservation.
• The document questions whether trains on tracks elevated 50 to 85 feet above ground would be affected by high winds and whether the pillars elevating the track would be a safety hazard on the highway below.
• The association said a 4-foot barrier would not contain the sound of the moving train, especially if the tracks are elevated.

[...]
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Ca/Nv Maglev News

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Anaheim (ARTIC) Station gets Federal $$$!

All,
The Voice of OC website is reporting that ARTIC has been awarded $7.5Million to help build Anaheim's Transportation Hub to Amtrak, Metrolink, ARC, and the proposed, CAHSR and CA/NV Maglev line.


You can read the article here:
http://voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_21f2745e-fa5f-11e0-8bde-001cc4c002e0.html


One of the issues that have come up will need to be evaluated by ARTIC is how they will be able to serve just AMTRAK and METROLINK while they wait for a few years (as the station will be completed before HSR arrives) for the CAHSR to decide on when HSR will be connected to Anaheim.  


If you remember the FRA was willing to give the project monies however, the monies had to be spent first on showcasing true High Speed, thus the route between Bakersfield and Fresno were selected first to be build.  The Anaheim station was originally selected to have HSR first.


OTHER ARTIC NEWS:
October 24 is the last day that Environmental Assessment will be available for public viewing.  Please see the ARTICINFO page for exact location details.


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Ca/Nv Maglev News

DX looking for loan and 2012

All,
DX is still moving forward with its plans for its HSR.  They are still looking for a loan (About $6 B) from the Federal Government when previously DX said in 2007 that didnt need one.
[...]
The Hill reporter Manu Raju (09/18/07)
“We have to do this without public dollars because the public dollars are not there to build it,” said Tom Stone, president of DesertXpress. “Our view is we don’t need [federal funding], and we don’t want it."
http://img.thehill.com/homenews/news/13038-debate-intensifies-over-nevada-rail-projects
[...]


The Las Vegas Sun has interviewed Andrew Mack (COO...Chief Operating Officer for DX)and posted the following article from Monday, October 10.  


http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/10/desertxpress-hopes-federal-loan-aims-2012-start-wo/


[...]

Monday, Oct. 10, 2011 | 1:55 p.m.
CARSON CITY – Officials with the proposed high-speed train linking Las Vegas and Southern California expect to get an answer in six to nine months on plans to borrow about $6 billion from the federal government.
If all goes according to plan, construction would start in the final quarter of 2012, said Andrew Mack, chief operating officer of DesertXpress. Mack briefed the state transportation board Monday on the private-public project that he says has been in development for 10 years.
(continues)
He (Andrew Mack) said 45,000 questionnaires were distributed at the California agriculture border station and there was a 5 percent response rate, with an estimated 85-90 percent saying they would try the train.
[...]
So, only 2,550 responded back. with 2,168 saying they would "try the train."  

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Ca/Nv Maglev News

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tenerife President T.V. interview for Transrapid project

All,
If you can translate GERMAN theres is a (12:00) video interview with the Dr. Ricardo Melchior who is the President of the Tenerife Islands.


He was interviewed this week in the following news article.  
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&tl=en&u=http://www.european-circle.de/capital-beat/capital-beat/datum/2011/10/05/dr-ricardo-melchior.html&usg=ALkJrhh4ITntFkBm6kTiIcZpQSmGJPkPnw


We have reached out to our German site followers for a brief overview of what was discussed.  We will post as soon as possible.


Keep Flying On The Ground! 
Ca/Nv Maglev News

Transrapid connecting Dallas to Fort Worth?

All,
The stories are all over the German Newspapers today that there is heavy interest in having a Transrapid train running from Fort Worth to Dallas Texas.


Here is the English version of the story here (translated via Google).
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nwzonline.de%2F
[...]
LATHEN - The end of the Transrapid test track in Lathen (Ems) is sealed despite U.S. interest in the magnetic levitation technology. 

It was true that Lower Saxony's economics minister Joerg Bode (FDP) for a trip to the USA in Houston, recruited for the Transrapid, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Thereupon, the Mayor of the city but only their general interest in the art for a connection from Houston to Dallas reaffirmed. 

The proposal itself is already one for the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama has developed idea. Do not give a call or have concrete plans, it said the spokesman in Hanover. 

The operating license for the test track in Emsland, expires at the end of October and will probably be extended until the end of the year, it said the ministry. In addition, there are the Confederation, but no financial commitments to support the continued operation of more. 

[...]


Unfortunately we can not find ANY English or Texas newspaper or T.V. station, or TxDOT website to confirm the story.  We will keep you informed if we find any additional confirming stories.


Keep Flying On The Ground! 
Ca/Nv Maglev News