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Which project will actually be a reality? The MagLev or DesertXpress (pictured above).
Ever since last week's hyped announcement of federal funding for the MagLev project, an extremely fast train between Anaheim and Las Vegas, there's been a lot of talk and some updates.
First, "the Federal Railroad Administration has made neither an award nor an announcement with regard to funding for maglev development in Nevada," according to spokesman Mark Paustenbach on Thursday, the day after Governor Gibbons made his announcement about receiving funding.
Despite that, a Gibbons spokesperson said the "package isn't going to arrive until [this] week, but this deal is done."
However, earlier this year, the all-so-powerful Senator Harry Reid dropped his support of the MagLev project for the DesertXpress. "Maglev has been talking about it for 30 years, but they have not made any progress on it," a Reid spokesman said. "It's the reason he changed his support to DesertXpress. They've made more progress the last couple years than maglev has in the last 30."
Then yesterday, Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith dived into the debate calling the MagLev a ghost train. "While the amazing, colossal desert ghost train remains an illusion, its troubles are very real," Smith wrote. "Now that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has publicly endorsed the rival DesertXpress project despite its substantial shortcomings -- most obviously its unintentionally comical Victorville-to-Vegas route -- maglev has lost its political purchase."
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At least you guys've got high-speed rail in the works; in Ontario all we've got is crap. Good luck with whatever high-speed system that's chosen.
So the feds are doling out $45 million for the proposed maglev Anaheim to Las Vegas high speed train, putting the bill on the taxpayers' credit card (it simply adds to the national debt we will pay forever). Great.
And how much is the train projected to cost? $12 BILLION! Let's see -- that $45 million is 0.0375% of the total cost. No, not 3.75%. $45 million is less than four one-hundredth of one percent of the projected cost.
Furthermore, anyone who believes the train will cost ONLY $12 billion hasn't been following this passenger rail con game for the last 100 years -- the proponents ALWAYS grossly understate the true cost (to get the project started). Our most recent example is San Diego County's Sprinter light rail train that came in MANY TIMES higher than its original projected cost.
Lastly, the train's ticket revenue will not cover even its annual OPERATING costs -- let alone the initial capital costs, or the cost of replacing worn out rolling stock and track 30 years down the (rail)road. No passenger train in the country – perhaps in the world – covers its operating costs with fare box revenue.
The good news is that I doubt this pipe dream will ever be built. The money simply will not appear. But regardless, we taxpayers will pay interest forever on the $45 million federal seed money – spent by proponents largely to raise more money!
Oh, BTW, the Vegas maglev train will be useless for San Diegans. It takes one hour, five minutes to fly from our Lindberg airport to Vegas. Add airport hassles at both ends and you might have another 1.5 hours total.
But for us San Diego locals to use the Vegas train, we have to first motor to Anaheim, a drive which itself can take 1.5-2.5 hours. It's a lot quicker for most of us to go to the airport for the quick flight. And with Southwest, it's dirt cheap (doubtless less than the train ticket will cost).
The final irony? If this boondoggle actually is built, we Californians will end up subsidizing (via federal and perhaps state subsidies) a train to take people to Vegas to spend and/or lose their California paychecks – and to shop in a lower sales tax city. Works for the Vegas economy!
This proposed line is only for people visiting the casinos and the Las Vegas attractions. If this new High Speed Line is so wonderful let the people who will benefit from its existence pay for it. Should the people of our entire great nation pay for an amusement park ride from one amusement park ride to another amusement park? This is only for people in the Los Angeles area wanting to visit the Las Vegas attractions. Let them pay their own way.
Who is going to use and who is going benefit from this, and what genius came up this boondoggle? When it is all over who will be the winners and who will be the losers? Hopefully it will never be built but the consulates and developers will have their design money and be gone while we have a stack of useless paper.
Good luck with their plans and good luck with any kind of ridership and good luck with only privet no tax funding paying for it.
The California High Speed Rail between Northern and southern California cities is something that is wanted and needed so let’s put our energy and funding there where the HSR can provide a real service.
Maglev has been proven to be a failure. The only operating Maglev carrying passengers is the Shanghai’s airport line. It was built and paid for by the German developers to be an example to the advantages of Maglev and to be the base for the China HSR network. It came in two years late and double what the estimates were, The ride is bumpy and noise and it takes more than twice the power to run and it can not go any faster than conventional HSR lines. For this reason the Chinese government chose convention HSR technology over Maglev in spite of intensive lobbying by the Maglev consortium. What do we know that they do not know for us to want to still build a new Maglev line?