Link: Build rail for the future - Las Vegas Sun
Sun editorial:
Build rail for the future
Proposed maglev link from Las Vegas to Southern California a winning idea
Tue, Jun 16, 2009 (2:05 a.m.)
This nation must do a far better job of cleaning up the environment and reversing its dependency on fossil fuel consumption, which contributes to global warming.
One solution is to develop a nationwide network of high-speed rail lines that not only could rival the connectivity of the U.S. interstate highway system, but also could do a far better job of relieving traffic congestion while getting passengers to their destinations faster. Having cleaner air to breathe would be a bonus.
As reporters Lisa Mascaro and Richard Velotta reminded Las Vegas Sun readers Sunday, the city now has two competing high-speed-rail proposals that aim to connect Southern Nevada with Southern California. But only one of them, a magnetic levitation train that can travel up to 300 miles an hour, truly represents the future and can help advance this nation’s transportation system far beyond where it is today.
The downside of the other proposal, for the DesertXpress system, which would employ the antiquated technology of steel wheels on steel tracks, is that it would travel at only half the speed and go only as far as Victorville, Calif.
Proponents of the maglev line, a nonprofit venture that would be overseen by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, intend to run their line to Anaheim, Calif. This represents a significant advantage over DesertXpress for many reasons.
One is that Southern Californians traveling to Las Vegas aboard a maglev train would avoid the horrendous traffic that turns the route from the Interstate 10/Interstate 15 interchange to the Cajon Pass into a parking lot. Driving to Victorville, which is nearly 100 congested miles northeast of Los Angeles, would add hours to their commute, increase air pollution and leave motorists frustrated.
Another advantage of maglev is that there are plans to connect the Las Vegas line with a high-speed route running from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento. If you live in Las Vegas and want to visit California, you could take the train to those destinations rather than having to rent a car in Victorville to continue your journey.
Finally, the Las Vegas and California links could serve as vital building blocks in the quest for a national high-speed-rail network.
It is for these reasons that we strongly urge the Obama administration and Congress to include the proposed Las Vegas maglev train in the funding mix for the $8 billion in federal money set aside for high-speed-rail development.
Discussion: 3 comments so far…
1.
By Brian C. Brooks
6/16/09 at 6:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
My approval of the maglev proposal appeared in a comment related to the first article. I also described a lower cost alternative that was much better than steel wheels on steel rails. Monorail can be developed to operate quietly at 150 mph and can easily descend through the Cajon pass and connect with all parts of southern California and with the proposed high speed rail systems and allow much shorter routes for them. Is anyone interested in this elegant solution?
2.
By El Lobo
6/16/09 at 7:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
I agree....the magnetic levitation train model is the way to go. It truly represents "real progress." Dumping passenger off at Victorville is hardly the answer. Traveling at 300 miles an hour is far better than traveling at 150 miles an hour.
I also agree that it's time to "do a far better job of cleaning up the environment and reversing its (our) dependency on fossil fuel consumption...."
Those in the know tell us that the world's supply of oil is going to peak some time after 2010. In other words, there's going to be less and less oil world wide as countries such as China and India demand a larger share of the oil avialable...
It's time the United States starts acting like a world leader.....it's time we become the leader when it comes to energy. It's time to build a new energy mouse trap......
Let's start with the magnetic levitation train and go from there....
3.
By scherf.com
6/16/09 at 9:47 a.m.
Suggest removal
This is an excellent Editorial by the Sun!
The MAGLEV proposal is the only viable option for a high-speed train system and it has a shot a great success, ... I know I will most definitely ride/use it, ... and I know lots of people from LA and Las Vegas who would love the MAGLEV system and are even excited about it.
The old-tech DesertXpress is an absolut lost cause, because virtually nobody would use the DesertXpress, ... because who in the world would want to travel to or from Victorville and it would be a tremendous hassle to connect from/to Victorville and therefore the DesertXpress is a losing proposition, ... it's not even worth considering it. It would be a grand financial disaster in the billions of dollars and it would be a "ghost" line nobody uses.
Well, I'm glad the Sun wrote this Editorial which is accurate and encouraging in all its aspects as the MAGLEV magnetic levitation train system is the best in the world, even if it costs a lot more, but that's the future. It would be great to have this system all across the U.S. and with a little "luck" we could get it over the next couple decades. The MAGLEV is also a very safe form of transportation and it's convenient in every regard. And the MAGLEV is the evironmentally best solution anyone can come up with and regarding the "green" (environmental) aspect the MAGLEV is decades ahead of the DesertXpress proposal.
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