All,
Over the past week the FRA along with Senator Reid announced that the Desert Express has reached its final stop before ground breaking. (Final statements are due May 2) There are a lot of articles out there for this announcement that are "googleable"so we wont list them here. We thought it would be interesting to see the different online comment (from the public) remarks FOR and AGAINST the project.
FOX 5(Las Vegas) poll... Which train project do you support (March 24)?
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/27312896/detail.html
Out of 264 votes.... 20 or 8% (Neither)...27 or 10% Desert Express or... Maglev 217 or 82%
FOX 5 (Las Vegas) DX wont derail Maglev project (March 25).
http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/27329094/detail.html
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"M. Neil Cummings, president of American Magline Group told FOX5 that the consortium of companies he leads, "will stay the course," despite Sen. Harry Reid's announcement that the environmental impact statement for competing project DesertXpress had been completed."
"New technologies and ideas always meet with resistance," Cummings said. "Too much is at stake for the future of Las Vegas and the region to be deterred by a train to Victorville."
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How does anyone add up and think that only one stop is ok. And that stop is to nowhere. Maglev has (5) stops and directly supports (3) airports. And can complete the entire 220 miles before DX gets to V'Ville.
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Developers initially said they wouldn’t use any public dollars to fund the project. However, they are now asking for a loan from the federal government of about $4.9 billion.
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“Maglev will bring utility to everyone down below and will truly relieve traffic congestion,” said Rector, Barstow’s Economic Development Chair.
“The DX pretty much doesn’t do anything for people in San Bernardino County or Orange County,” said Ontario City Councilman Wapner. “When I talk to folks, I don’t find it likely that people will take the (DX) train.”
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why can't there be both Desert Xpress and Maglev, Desert Xpress can go to L.A. and the Maglev train can go to another city where it would be just as easy maybe Anehiem
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"Did you know that Maglev is the ONLY proposed project that can directly reach major SoCal cities because it is the only one that can handle the 7% grades? Also today, plans were announced to consider Transrapid Maglev for the Spanish Island of Tenerife. The President is convinced that, due to its climbing capabilities of up to 10% and its relatively small foot print, it is the right choice for the mountainous island."
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LA CURBED.com
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I understand that laying high speed rail tracks in urban centers is ungodly expensive, but at the very least they need Metrolink to Victorville first so that people can easily transfer to the high speed line.
Yeah, but if your willing to force transfers at Victorville from Metrolink to DesertXpress (and vice versa), why not take it a step further and build the Maglev, which would have transfer stations with the CHSR project at ONT and ARTIC in Anaheim?
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Why's that? Because it's more expensive? I'll tell you this much: The planned extension to Palmdale isn't concrete, and will only happen AFTER the Las Vegas-Victorville portion is built. They don't even share the same EIR. The Maglev is being built in segments as well, but it's all being done in one single study process.
So, in the worst case scenario, we could have a line from Vegas to nowhere..... do you want that?
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Because the HSR technology DesertXpress is proposing is unable to traverse the Cajon Pass into the Inland Empire and connect with the CHSR there.
But the Maglev CAN.
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Ca/Nv Maglev News
