LAist: Midnight Movie: High-Speed Rail in California

brainylagirl

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:20:31 -0800

omg - i want, i want, i want!!

hsr_supporter

Tue, 27 May 2008 16:19:46 -0800

@ peekist - 220mph = 350kph, as fast as any bullet train in the world today. The 1980s vintage TGVs max out at 187mph = 300kph. There's a limit to how fast you can go on steel wheels. Besides, what you need to compare is door-to-door trip times. Train stations are downtown and you don't need to subject yourself to security screening before you plop down in your roomy chair and fire up your laptop. @ johnny - yes, that would make sense. Of course, thanks in part to the delay in getting the California system onto the ballot, there are already two competing high-speed rail projects for Las Vegas in the EIR/EIS mill: - the privately funded $3.5 billion DesertXPress to Victorville, based on diesel trains at 125mph and, - Sen. Harry Reid's (D-Nev) $12 billion maglev gadgetbahn to Disneyland in Anaheim and the planned $4 billion Ivanpah Valley airport between Jean and Primm. Some 30% of all flights into and out of McCurran airport are from and to California cities that would be served by the steel wheels HSR network. If Nevadans pay for a nice straight spur off that and cancel the other projects, people could get to Vegas from Burbank in ~1:45 hours, LA in ~2:00, Anaheim in ~2:20, San Jose and Sacramento in ~3:00 and SF/San Diego in ~3:20. Palmdale airport would be 1:20 from Las Vegas, but that might be good enough for some passengers - especially if they could take care of check-in and security on the train! Based on the DesertXPress estimate, the cost of electrification and high-speed rolling stock plus the slightly longer route, I'm guessing such a spur would cost $7-$10 billion, depending on the exact alignment and how nice a station people want in Las Vegas. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=107511680599374219842.00044e26854cb91cf518e&z=7

Manny

Fri, 23 May 2008 01:24:42 -0800

@ Johnny: NOW YOURE THINKING!!!

Johnny

Thu, 22 May 2008 17:04:34 -0800

Enough talk let's just do it! Just don't forget to connect it to Vegas. :-)

airickoo

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:05:18 -0800

It would be so awesome to see this actually happen, especially right now that jet fuel is so pricey!

novas

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:42:27 -0800

*sigh* i'd love it.

Hypersquared

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:13:21 -0800

Wouldn't it be amazing if it were finished before I'm 100?

Zach Behrens

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:05:24 -0800

That's the spirit jrb

jrb

Thu, 22 May 2008 07:13:26 -0800

Dayum!! You mean I could get from L.A. To Gilroy for the annual garlic festival no car required?!?! MMMMmmmm!!! I can taste that garlic ice cream already!

Manny

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:14:49 -0800

I think a tear came to mine eye...

peekist

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:17:00 -0800

though its a nice first step, too bad it's slower than the european bullet trains of the 80's. not to mention the limited routes.