From Bakersfield.com: An essay against high-speed rail

Link: RIC LLEWELLYN: Put the brakes on high-speed rail - Bakersfield.com

RIC LLEWELLYN: Put the brakes on high-speed rail
By RIC LLEWELLYN, Contributing columnist | Friday, Jun 26 2009 10:58 AM

Last Updated Friday, Jun 26 2009 11:03 AM

Alex Horvath / The Californian Columnist Ric Llewellyn

Ouch! I think we shot ourselves in the foot with a bullet train!

The California High-Speed Rail Authority and the State of California have finally wriggled their way into the bullet train business. Now the people of Kern County are saddled with the economic fallout of a $10 billion loan for high-speed rail service to a few metropolitan areas. And that's just a fraction of the total projected cost of California's High-Speed Train System.

High-speed rail sounds like a good idea if you just skimmed the voter's pamphlet or visited the official Web site. But it's not and hasn't been for 20 years, especially in Kern County. Nobody in the private sector has wanted to step up and finance the development of high-speed rail service because it is not a money-making proposition.

Even sub-orbital space flight has a greater profit potential. If the financial return were there, no matter what it cost, we would be riding the bullet train today. Instead the state is going to deliver high-speed rail and make us pay for it.

And it's really going to cost us. Money that could be budgeted for local road improvement and expansion will be spent on EIRs for the bullet train corridors. Instead of improving waste water treatment facilities here in Kern, we'll be buying rights-of-way like a patchwork quilt for the next decade. Instead of downtown redevelopment, we'll be pitching in for studies and preliminary engineering for the bullet train boondoggle. And if a train actually ever runs, we will pay to subsidize a service that benefits a relative few rather than building long-term economic growth here at home. Every dollar we ship to Sacramento for the loan payment or maintenance is a dollar in economic growth lost in Kern County.

In response, proponents point to Japanese and French success as the benchmarks in high-speed passenger train service. But the Asian and European impetus was a real capacity versus demand problem. California has no such critical shortage of commuter train capacity. We just have the dream. We just want a bullet train.

Perhaps Amtrak can show us how this is really going to work out. California has one of Amtrak's busiest passenger rail routes. The Capitol Corridor runs from Auburn across the Valley to San Jose. Last year was a record year for ticket revenue. Yet the revenue-to-cost ratio was only about 55 percent. Amtrak executives extol this lackluster performance as "the best full year recovery ratio in the history of the Capitol Corridor." And nationally, Amtrak reported a net loss for 2008 of $1.1 billion.

Hasn't anyone ever heard of the doctrine of separation of business and state? The bullet train fiasco is the result of government barging into business and business exploiting the political enthusiasm of the government. Yes, some local businesses would legitimately benefit over the long term from developing high-speed rail. But business wants you and me to bear all the risk. So they "partner" with government to get all of us to shield them from the financial exposure.

The flip side is that government fancies itself as entrepreneurial. So the state will build and operate the high-speed rail system. But as we know, the state is mediocre at best when it comes to taking care of business. The rail authority cheerfully declares once it's built, the system will make a $1 billion annual profit. But the non-partisan California Legislative Analyst's Office could only promise voters Amtrak-like performance, saying the ongoing costs of California's bullet train would be "at least partially, and potentially fully, offset by passenger fare revenues ..." It MIGHT pay for itself? What kind of plan is that? I guess it's no big deal for government because you and I can just make up the difference.

With the passage of Proposition 1A last November, we took one giant step forward. That doesn't mean we have to throw ourselves off the cliff. There are significant land use issues associated with high-speed rail in Kern County. Do we replace prolific, productive and profitable ag land with train track? Up and down the Central Valley environmental issues will stymie planners for years to come. Even the rail authority will have to respect species and habitat. Proponents optimistically are counting down to a construction start in 2011, but we will no doubt find the project bogged down in a bureaucratic morass.

High-speed rail isn't what it's cracked up to be. Enormous upfront costs, ongoing financing cost, operation and maintenance costs, irreversible land use and environmental impacts make the bullet train the perfect project to put on hold. Now is not the time. Let's put the brakes on California's High-Speed Rail System.

Ric Llewellyn is one of four conservative community columnists whose work appears here every Saturday. These are the opinions of Llewellyn, not necessarily The Californian's. You can write to him at rllewellyn@bakersfield.com. Next week: Ralph Bailey.

From the Las Vegas Sun: An editorial supporting a mag-lev train from CA to Vegas.

Link: Go maglev - Las Vegas Sun

Go maglev
High-speed train plan merits support

Fri, Jun 26, 2009 (3 a.m.)

If Las Vegas wishes to remain competitive with other U.S. cities in transporting people, it will have to do more than rely on cars, buses and airplanes. Our roads and skies already are clogged with traffic.

There is another form of public transportation that deserves the public’s support — high-speed rail.

Two proposals are on the table that would employ fast trains between Southern Nevada and Southern California. One proposal, the DesertXpress, would involve a steel-wheel train on steel tracks that would initially run from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif.

But we think a competing plan that would use magnetic levitation technology is far superior. Its supporters say that maglev represents the technology of the future, with trains that float on air and with no moving parts or friction, thereby reducing maintenance costs. In contrast, those supporters argue convincingly that steel tracks represent technology of the 19th century.

The maglev train would run all the way to Anaheim, Calif. That’s where it would potentially link up with another proposed high-speed rail system that would carry people to Northern California, according to stories that ran June 16 in the Las Vegas Sun, a sister publication of In Business Las Vegas.

The maglev line, a nonprofit venture that would be overseen by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, also has the potential to be part of a futuristic high-speed rail network of trains moving at 300 mph that could connect major cities throughout the country.

Think of what that would mean in terms of increased commerce for Las Vegas.

DesertXpress proponents say they intend to build a spur to Palmdale, Calif., to connect with the north-south California line. But that proposal doesn’t have a timetable or financing plan.

By initially extending only to Victorville, which is nearly 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, Southern Californians would still have to drive several hours in congested traffic just to reach the train. That would include a journey over the Cajon Pass on Interstate 15.

When it comes to selecting a proposal worthy of competing for federal economic stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail development, we are convinced that most commuters would choose the maglev plan.

From LA Observed: Last car on historic LA railroad tracks that will be taken out to make way for the Orange Line extension

Link: Los Angeles history bits - LA Observed

Kevin Roderick • June 25 2009 10:57 PM

The Orange Line busway extension from Woodland Hills to Chatsworth will follow the route of old Southern Pacific railroad tracks that crossed the Valley starting in 1888. The trains carried out crops, brought in settlers and lumber to build the suburbs, and transported paraplegic GIs to Birmingham Army Hospital (now high school) during World War II. It was the route north up the coast from Los Angeles, via tunnels dug under the Santa Susana Mountains that are still used.

About 900 feet of the historical tracks still remain alongside Canoga Avenue. The last car to occupy those tracks will be loaded up this weekend and taken to Omaha, according to local railroad salvage contractor Dan Huffman. The tracks will then be torn out. I went out and grabbed a one-minute video of the scene, including an Amtrak Surfliner passing by on the active line that intersects with the old route at Plummer Street.

Behind the times.....

   Sorry for getting behind. The blog is complety current.

From Stantec: This is a longer version of a previous posting, a Stantec Press Release. It appears courtesy of Stantec, which sent it earlier to this blog this week.

News Release

For Immediate Release

 

Stantec Awarded LA Metro Construction Management Contract

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 20, 2009) TSX, NYSE: STN

 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has selected Stantec Consulting Inc. (Stantec) to provide construction management support services for its major capital projects.  This seven-year, Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract—inclusive of two, one-year options—will support key projects including the $215.6 million extension of the Canoga Transportation Corridor (CTC) Bus Rapid Transit system; the landmark, $1 billion I-405 Freeway Design-Build Sepulveda Pass Widening; and a new Metro Union Division Bus Maintenance and Operations Facility in Los Angeles.

 

“Stantec’s team will help Metro achieve its vision—leading the nation in safety, mobility, and customer satisfaction—and by accomplishing their specific strategic goals and projects to improve the quality of life here in Southern California,” said Art Hadnett, Stantec’s California Transportation Practice Leader and Project Manager for the assignment. “We will use the talent from across the Stantec organization and our team—which includes 10 specialty subconsultant firms, more than half disadvantaged businesses—to provide Metro with excellent professionals to form integrated construction management teams for these exciting projects.”

 

The contract involves full construction management services including project controls, resident engineering, safety, QA/QC, configuration management, contracts, environmental, claims avoidance, inspection, survey, and rail activation. In addition, an innovative Performance Assessment Review Team will act as an independent advisor to the I-405 Integrated Project Office and management team. As-needed services include partnering, contract compliance, value engineering, cultural resources, materials testing, and risk management.

 

The Canoga Transportation Corridor project will extend 4 miles north from the existing terminus at the Canoga Station and provide transit service into the northern San Fernando Valley, as well as extend the existing bicycle pedestrian facility. Completing the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) network in central Los Angeles, the I-405 project will provide 10 miles of additional HOV lane on the northbound I-405 through the heavily-traveled Sepulveda Pass between I-10 and SR 101. The proposed Metro Union Division Bus Maintenance and Operations Facility will consist of a three-story parking structure and a two-story bus maintenance/office building. Other major capital projects requiring construction management, as identified by Metro, may be included in this contract.

 

Stantec has worked with Metro previously, providing services on the Metro Eastside Light Rail Transit Project and the Advanced Transportation Management System.

 

Stantec provides professional consulting services in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, program, construction/project management, and project economics for infrastructure and facilities projects. We support public and private sector clients in a diverse range of markets in the infrastructure and facilities sector at every stage, from initial concept and financial feasibility to project completion and beyond. Our services are offered through over 10,000 employees operating out of more than 130 locations in North America—including southern California offices in Los Angeles, Irvine, Moreno Valley, Thousand Oaks, Redlands, Palm Desert, and San Diego. Stantec trades on the TSX and on the NYSE under the symbol STN.

 

From LAist: 20th Century Prop: Latest Victim of Hollywood Bust

Link: 20th Century Prop: Latest Victim of Hollywood Bust - LAist

20th Century Prop: Latest Victim of Hollywood Bust


Burbank's 20th Century Prop Shop Out of Business, photo via ATIS547 on Flickr
I was driving back from the Costco in Burbank one afternoon when my boyfriend turned to me and asked "Why in God's name is there a custom hat store on Magnolia? Who wears hats anymore?" I thought a second, laughed, and said -- "Hollywood!" Movie-makers will always need milliners and other manufacturers of specialty props -- right??

Maybe not -- the New York Times is running a compelling story today about the failure of legendary Hollywood prop shop 20th Century Props (yes, another example of how the Gray Lady somehow manages to cover L.A. better than the LAT):

On Tuesday, Harvey Schwartz stood amid it all, in tears, wondering how his prop shop, which offers a vast inventory of items to be used in film and television productions, became the latest victim of a rapidly changing Hollywood.

Mr. Schwartz, the owner of 20th Century Props, plans to go out of business next month and auction the inventory. Battered by the surge in out-of-state movie production and the demise of scripted programming on network television, the once-thriving business — one of a handful of its type remaining — is failing.

“I ran out of money three months ago, and I don’t know what else to do,” he said softly. “It’s terrifying. I’ve devoted my entire life to something that is over.”

Set decorators are equally upset. “The closing of 20th Century is a disaster for us,” said Melinda Ritz, who won three Emmy Awards for her work on “Will & Grace.” “Harvey is a great person, and it’s one fewer place that offers one-stop shopping.” She added, “The fabric of Hollywood is fraying so fast that it’s scary.”

The closure of 20th Century Props will no doubt be a financial and cultural loss for Los Angeles. The shop is a literal museum of Hollywood history -- morgue artifacts from "The X-Files," chandeliers from "Miracle on 34th Street", and giant champagne glasses used in Beyonce performances will all be auctioned off next month.
user-pic
By Carrie Meathrell in News on June 18, 2009 10:30 AM

From LAist: Expo Line Track Construction to Affect Blue Line Service

Link:Expo Line Track Construction to Affect Blue Line Service - LAist

Expo Line Track Construction to Affect Blue Line Service



Starting next week and for four months after, Blue Line train service is going to be impacted as crews integrate the Expo Line, which will run between 7th/Metro station and Culver City, sharing two stations and track. Service will run every 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 on weekdays after 8 p.m. as crews work between the Washington and 7th/Metro stations. Weekend service will not be affected. The 8.5 mile line is expected to open in 2011 with the line extending to Santa Monica in the future.
By Zach Behrens in News on June 19, 2009 9:29 AM

From the blog "I Will Ride": Is There a Gold Line at the End of the 710 Tunnel?

Link: Is There a Gold Line at the End of the 710 Tunnel? « I Will Ride Blog

Is There a Gold Line at the End of the 710 Tunnel?
Posted by Albert

The Glendale News Press ran an article June 19 on the dilemma the proposed Long Beach 710 freeway tunnel has posed for two elected officials in Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge. A discussion of the merits of the 710 extension is quite out of our jurisdiction here at I Will Ride, so you might be wondering how is this related to the Gold Line Foothill Extension? We’ll get to that in a moment.

As a councilmember for the City of La Cañada Flintridge, Dave Spence opposes the prospect of the 710 extension bringing more traffic toward the neighborhoods in his city. The same can be said for Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian, who opposes the project on the same grounds. However, Spence is also a member of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, and the COG’s board supports the 710 extension. Meanwhile, Najarian – a name you might have seen quite frequently if you followed our live coverage of the Metro meetings @iwillride on Twitter – is a member of the Metro Board of Directors. On July 1, he will likely take over as chairman of the Metro Board, a body that controls funding over the 710 project, which is expected to cost several billion dollars.

That’s the dilemma. What’s their solution? Well, according to the News Press, it’s the Gold Line:

“Even so, Spence and other officials, including Najarian, say the money [proposed for the 710] could be better spent on rail transit, such as the continuation of the Gold Line [Foothill Extension] from Pasadena.

“‘If the money proposed for the tunnel were made available for the Gold Line [Foothill Extension] it would get people off the freeway by 2013, that’s a much better solution,’ [Spece] said, adding, ‘It just doesn’t make sense to spend that amount of money to get level-F results.’”

Sounds good.

From the blog "I Will Ride": Voice of the San Gabriel Valley: Week 5

Link: Voice of the San Gabriel Valley: Week 5 « I Will Ride Blog

Voice of the San Gabriel Valley: Week 5
Posted by Albert

This week’s Voice of the San Gabriel Valley series is dedicated to the National Dump the Pump day. With gas prices rising again for the summer (and that economic issue going on), everyone’s trying to find a way to go about their daily lives without making any further dents in their wallets. We already told you how much you could save by using public transportation, but that $8,416 in annual savings for Los Angeles residents was based on when gas prices were somewhat (a little? kind of? relatively?) low. The most recent figure by the American Public Transportation Association puts the annual savings for Los Angeles residents at… *drum roll*… $9,915.

Link to full report: More Than $9,000 Saved Annually by Individuals Who ‘Dump the Pump’

So what say you San Gabriel Valley? Ready to dump the pump? We’re getting there.


“I commute daily from Azusa- Pasadena. It’s a ‘nightmare’ getting worse daily with traffic congestion. Please get the Gold Line built sooner than later!”


“Great job!!
Looking forward to visit my son + family that lives in Claremont by using (the Gold Line).”


“This is nuts. Get the trains expanded. Stop playing politics. We need the alternative sources of transportation.”


“There’s an old saying:
‘Pennywise and poundfoolish’
There’s no more time and money to waste.”

From Whittier Daily News: High-speed rail proposal picking up steam

Link: High-speed rail proposal picking up steam - Whittier Daily News

High-speed rail proposal picking up steam
By Ben Baeder, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/23/2009 07:21:23 PM PDT

Rail advocates speculate California might be first in line for part of $8 billion in federal stimulus funds set aside for high-speed rail.

This week Karen Rae, deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, praised California voters' approval in November of $9 billion in bonds for a high-speed rail project.

"California, by having the bond, has a step up," Rae said.

Overall, the state's high-speed rail authority is flush with billions in bond money and is poised to get billions more from the federal stimulus package. Now experts say California's $45 billion bullet train project could be changing from a public-works pipe dream into a real possibility.

The state is working on its stimulus
Rendering courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
application, which has a preliminary due date of July 10 with final applications due by Aug. 24.

Statements like Rae's have encouraged members of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which was at one time so poorly regarded that former Gov. Gray Davis proposed dissolving it in 2003.

"We'll be taking a closer look at the details of the guidelines, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that such guidelines will enable the California High-Speed Rail Authority to secure a significant federal stimulus grant consistent with our project's progress," said California High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman Quentin Kopp in a statement.

The Rail Authority has plans for 800 miles of track that would carry trains traveling up to 220 mph. The trains would link San Francisco, Sacramento, the Central Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego.

High-speed rail officials said construction on parts of the project could start by 2011.

Some local officials are skeptical the endeavor is worth the price.

The government should concentrate on extending the Metro Gold Line light rail from Pasadena to the Inland Empire, said Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas.

Many area leaders were disappointed that the proposed $1billion extension of the commuter train did not receive stimulus funding.

"It makes more sense for our region to work on advancing a construction-ready project that we know will create jobs and has tremendous bipartisan support like the Foothill Extension," Dreier said in a statement.

Other experts agreed that building a bullet-train through urban areas might be tougher to pull off than state officials are letting on.

"They have a pretty ambitious time frame," said Thaddeus McCormack, who handles transportation issues for Santa Fe Springs.

Officials from cities along the routes question whether the Rail Authority would be able to start work so quickly.

"They're moving very quickly and we're just not ready to move that quickly," McCormack said.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, said the train would create jobs and reduce the need for airport expansions.

"I support the high-speed rail for California," he said. "In the places where it's been utilized, it's been an effective way to move people. Unless we want to build airports out further, which comes with a lot of traffic and noise problems, high-speed rail can be part of a good alternative.

"If there are federal resources to put Californians to work, we should use them," he said.

Proposed routes through the area include one from Los Angeles out to the L.A./Ontario International Airport with a stop somewhere in the eastern part of the San Gabriel Valley. Another option has a spur heading south to Anaheim with a stop in Santa Fe Springs or Fullerton.

But an exact route through the San Gabriel Valley has not been established.

The Rail Authority had been floating a plan to run the train along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near the 60 Freeway, but that route is unlikely at this point, said Industry Mayor Dave Perez.

"Cal Poly (Pomona) really wanted the train to be near their campus," Perez said. "But they needed the station (built) out by the school and that would cost the city $15 million. So I think they're going to do something else along the 10 Freeway."

How the train would run along the 10 is still being decided, authorities said. Public-input meetings
Proposed high-speed train route.
regarding routes through the San Gabriel Valley are expected to begin in the fall.

One public transportation advocate said the state's proposal is a good one.

Similar rail systems in Asia and Europe have been around for 40 years, said Dana Gabbard of the Los Angeles County-based Southern California Transit Advocates, which has opposed high-speed rail proposals in the past.

"It isn't anything outrageous as far as practicality," he said. "If we want it, we can get it this time. It's really of matter of if we really do want it."

But skepticism remains.

"I think the conventional wisdom on the high-speed rail is, `Let's just wait and see,"' McCormack said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

ben.baeder@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2230

From the Daily News (formerly the Green Sheet and the Valley News): Orange Line extension is vital for Valley transit

Link: Orange Line extension is vital for Valley transit - LA Daily News

Orange Line extension is vital for Valley transit
Updated: 06/23/2009 04:53:10 PM PDT

CONNECTIVITY is key. The ability to make seamless connections from bus to train to subway makes public transit faster, more convenient and more appealing to potential riders.

That's why the Orange Line extension to Chatsworth is so exciting. The $225 million, four-mile extension will link the busway with the Chatsworth Metrolink station. It will be a great option for workers traveling from the North and West Valley to jobs in Warner Center and Canoga Park, and a further expansion of reliable public transit network in the Valley.

Today's groundbreaking almost takes the sting out of the half-percent sales tax increase for public transit that takes effect July 1. Voters in November approved Measure R, which raises the Los Angeles County sales tax to 8.75 percent for 30 years.

Nobody likes to pay more taxes, especially now when people are already pinching their pennies. But the passage of Measure R provides a reliable stream of funding that allows the MTA to speed up the Orange Line extension construction by three years. So Valley residents will be able to ride the busway extension by 2013, instead of 2016.

The construction along the MTA right-of-way means the eviction of some 60 businesses, including used-car lots, landscaping companies and metal supply stores, which is an unfortunate loss for those owners. This is a tough time to move a business.

But the Orange Line extension works for the greater good of the Valley. Ridership on the existing Orange Line busway, between the North Hollywood Red Line station and Warner Center, has already surpassed MTA's original projections of 22,000 daily boardings by 2020.

Last year, after gas prices hit $4.50 a gallon, commuters flocked to the line for a reasonably priced transit option. Daily boardings hit a record 27,987 in September.

There is clearly pent-up demand for a safe, reliable mode of public transportation, and extending the Orange Line is one more piece to complete the transit puzzle.

From Eastern Group Publications: Metro Starts Safety Enforcement Along Gold Line

Link: Metro Starts Safety Enforcement Along Gold Line : Eastern Group Publications

Metro Starts Safety Enforcement Along Gold Line

By Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, EGP Staff Writer

Pedestrians or motorists who break traffic safety laws near the Gold Line Eastside Extension intersections are getting slapped with expensive tickets in the months leading up to the opening of the rail.

The new intersections may confuse some pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists at first, but public safety officials and Metro hope that with heavy enforcement, people will learn proper traffic safety habits quickly.
Metro CEO Art Leahy and Art Herrera, member of the Review Advisory Committee at the Indiana Station of the Metro Gold Line to East Los Angeles. (Photo Courtesy of Metro)

Sheriff’s Department officials have issued an average of 13 citations a day for traffic safety violations in the last month. Citations range from a couple hundred dollars to $400.

“The purpose is to save lives. That’s why these citations are so heavily fined,” says Luis Mendoza, spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.

Three law enforcement agencies will be patrolling the six-mile light rail extension. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be present at Alameda, First, Indiana, and Third streets and Pomona Boulevard, since there have been changes in traffic signage, traffic configuration and street parking.

Describing the public safety effort as “edu-forcement,” Sheriff’s Department Commander Dan Finkelstein says those who see another pedestrian or motorist getting a citation will also get the message.

Officials hope the increased enforcement will prevent pedestrians and motorists from trying to beat the train by crossing the Gold Line rails when the red lights are flashing.

“People see the arms coming down and they try to beat it because they’re in a rush,” says Mendoza.

“It’s very important to remind people that this train is only going to take a couple of seconds…” he says. “Tops, you’re going to wait maybe three minutes.”

Officials have also cited motorists for stopping their car on the rail, rolling past the limit line and making illegal right turns on red lights. Motorists might still be adjusting to how the stoplights at the intersections work, Mendoza says.

“Now there are so many traffic signals, so as they’re looking down and they’re seeing three four or five traffic signals, we just want to make sure they are looking at the right traffic signals. The metro has its own traffic signals,” he says.

Metro has also held drills, safety fairs, and school-site presentations. They have also blanketed the area with flyers, billboards and bus benches containing public service announcements.

Metro CEO Art Leahy says the transportation agency continues to fine-tune the Gold Line’s safety features. “I’ve asked that we install additional barriers to prohibit people from jaywalking… I’ve asked that we conduct one last safety peer review to make sure that we’re in compliance. [The Gold Line] is safe, but we’re going to make it safer,” he says.

Metro has begun testing trains on the rails, so people should already be paying attention to their new surroundings. The last time the Eastside had a train come through its streets was 50 years ago.

From Las Vegas Sun: High-speed train plan gets notice in D.C.

Link: High-speed train plan gets notice in D.C. - Las Vegas Sun

High-speed train plan gets notice in D.C.
Projects like DesertXpress should be part of federal strategy, Nevadan tells panel

By Lisa Mascaro (contact)

Wed, Jun 24, 2009 (2 a.m.)

Would you consider using a high-speed train to get from Las Vegas to Southern California?

Washington — The proposed DesertXpress train between Las Vegas and Southern California got a shout-out on Tuesday at a Senate hearing on the future of high-speed rail.

It came as the Transportation Department’s Federal Railroad Authority prepares to release an unprecedented $8 billion for train development as part of the economic recovery act.

The privately backed DesertXpress and a publicly financed magnetic levitation train are vying for the route between Las Vegas and Southern California.

Tom Skancke, a transportation consultant from Nevada, testified that Washington’s new found interest in rail development should include emphasis on newly proposed corridors, such as the route proposed by DesertXpress between Las Vegas and Victorville, Calif.

“The nation’s new vision should not just focus on existing passenger rail lines but should expand beyond the current corridors,” said Skancke, who also serves as a commissioner on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. In a study several years ago the commission recommended a vast western system, including the Las Vegas link.

“The first phase of a western connection is currently under way with the DesertXpress high-speed rail project,” Skancke continued before a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

He explained that the project is planned to connect Victorville and Palmdale, Calif., where it would tie into the proposed California high-speed rail system between Los Angeles and San Francisco. With those connections, he pointed out, the train would connect three major metropolitan areas.

Skancke was appointed to the commission by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reid had been a longtime supporter of the maglev proposal, funneling federal aid to the California Nevada Super Speed Train Commission for its development.

But he recently announced his support for DesertXpress, saying he was tired after 30 years of waiting for the maglev proposal to come to fruition.

The senator’s support brings clout to the DesertXpress proposal, which is promoted by Republican political guru Sig Rogich. Rogich is a Reid political ally who is backing the senator’s 2010 reelection and serving as co-chairman of Republicans for Reid.

Maglev’s supporters have vowed to press on, and are hoping to capture a portion of economic recovery money to develop the $12 billion train to Anaheim.

An official with the Federal Railroad Authority testified at Tuesday’s hearing that projects will be judged on their merits, including their financial viability.

DesertXpress promoters are not seeking government grants, but have indicated recently that they may seek government loans. Project backers have poured $25 million in private funding to develop necessary planning documents for the $4 billion line.

Transportation experts say private passenger rail companies rarely survive in this country, or worldwide, because they are not profitable. The costs to develop and operate train lines typically require public assistance.

DesertXpress has said it could break ground on the project next year — although past start dates have been postponed.

Skeptics continue to question the Victorville terminus, but the company believes Southern California travelers will be willing to drive to the high-desert outpost 85 miles north of the Los Angeles basin and ride the train with food, drinks and entertainment to Vegas.

Skancke said he highlighted DesertXpress because “I was trying to show the committee something that could be done right away.”

From NBC 4: Officials Break Ground on Orange Line Extension

Link: Officials Break Ground on Orange Line Extension | NBC Los Angeles

Officials Break Ground on Orange Line Extension

Updated 4:19 PM PDT, Wed, Jun 24, 2009
Related Topics: Chatsworth

Elected officials and transportation leaders broke ground Wednesday on an extension of the Metro Orange Line that will stretch the popular busway to Chatsworth, making it the first project funded by Measure R tax funds to begin construction.

The $215.6 million project will extend the Orange Line -- which operates on a dedicated busway across the San Fernando Valley -- four miles from its western end point in Canoga Park to the Metrolink/Amtrak station in Chatsworth.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Council members Greig Smith and Dennis Zine were among those taking part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

"We knew that this was a great opportunity to connect the dots here in the San Fernando Valley, and bring a system to the valley that will connect the employment centers," Smith said.

The project is expected to create about 3,000 jobs, and have an economic impact of $461 million. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by summer 2012.

"It's just ridiculous paying three dollars a gallon, you know, when I can pay a $1.25 to get all the way there," Orange Line rider Carlos DeSantiago told CBS2.

Los Angeles County voters narrowly approved Measure R in November. With the measure requiring the approval of two-thirds of voters, it received support from 67.41 percent.

The half-cent sales tax was opposed by some residents and officials who said the county's tax rate was high enough. Some also complained that the planned allocation of the tax funds was not equally distributed among various parts of the county.


The lion's share of the funding, 35 percent, will be spent on rail and bus rapid transit projects, including $4.2 billion for a subway connecting downtown with Westwood.

The remaining funding will be split among bus operations, highway projects, system improvements and rail operations, with 15 percent of the total given directly back to local governments for street repairs and other transportation-related projects.

Copyright City News Service

From LA Times: Orange Line extension to break ground today

Link: Orange Line extension to break ground today | L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times

Orange Line extension to break ground today
8:59 AM | June 24, 2009

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joins city and county transportation officials this morning in Chatsworth for a groundbreaking ceremony on a project that will extend the Metro Orange Line busway by four miles.

The $215.6-million extension will continue the dedicated bus line from Canoga Park to the Metrolink-Amtrak station in Chatswoth. The project is the first to begin construction under Measure R and is expected to generate about 3,000 jobs.

County voters approved the measure in November, allowing $40 billion to be used for crucial transit and highway projects. The measure goes into effect next month.

-- Ruben Vives

From the LA times: child safety and rail lines comes up as a potential barrier

Link: Citing student safety, school board opposes Expo Line rail route | L.A. Now | Los Angeles Times

Citing student safety, school board opposes Expo Line rail route
10:18 AM | June 24, 2009

Citing safety concerns for students, the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously decided to oppose the design of the Expo Light Rail Line, which would pass at street level near Overland Avenue and Charnock Road elementary schools.

Board members said they would not support the Expo Line unless the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority could eliminate all the safety hazards of operating light-rail trains near schools. They also directed the district's superintendent to exhaust all legal options while trying to resolve the Expo Line's safety issues.

The board resolution relates to the second phase of the project, which would run from Culver City to Santa Monica. Phase 1 from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City has already generated considerable controversy about street-level crossings near schools. That segment is under construction.


The resolution notes that MTA's Blue Line from Long Beach to Los Angeles, which has street-level crossings, has become the nation's deadliest light-rail line. It also states that the Expo Line should not be built near the two schools because it could violate the district's 128-foot distance requirement for active rail lines.

-- Dan Weikel

From Akihabara News: Bullet train in Japan reaches new high speed: 320km/h.

Link:JR Unveils Their E5 Shinkasen, Japan's Fastest Ever Bullet Train : Akihabara News .com

JR Unveils Their E5 Shinkasen, Japan's Fastest Ever Bullet Train
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Yesterday the East Japan Railway Co, unveiled their fastest shinkasen, ever, the E5 series, which will be put in operation in March 2011 on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line.

The E5 Series has a 320km/h top speed but will initially drive at 300km/h until Spring 2013. The E5 will finally be capable of reaching the French TGV operation speed and allow passengers to reach Shin-Aomori from Tokyo in only 3hrs and 5 minutes.

From the Las Vegas Sun: Letter to the editor critical of the high-speed train to Vegas from CA.

Link: DesertXpress plan doesn’t get the job done - Las Vegas Sun

DesertXpress plan doesn’t get the job done

Mark Kostner, Las Vegas

Sun, Jun 21, 2009 (2:03 a.m.)

I am a rail enthusiast who has hoped for years that train service of some kind would be restored on the Las Vegas to Los Angeles corridor. I’d settle for Amtrak, but I have been following the high-speed rail proposals with great interest. I travel to California frequently and would certainly ride a high-speed train if it were priced reasonably.

Unfortunately this DesertXpress proposal just doesn’t do it for me. I have yet to make Victorville my destination on a California trip.

What kind of train gets you only part of the way there? Could Las Vegas have been built on this kind of service?

The thinking seems to be: If you can make it to Victorville, we’ll see to it that you can get the rest of the way here. Or, we’ll get you part of the way home; after that you’re on your own.

This proposal is quite unbecoming of a Las Vegas transportation option. Seriously, folks, how many of you would actually ride a train, no matter how modern, that only got you part of the way there?

The sensible option is to tie any proposed Las Vegas-Southern California rail line to what is being planned internally by California. Perhaps Nevada could have a representative on the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

This Victorville proposal is a white elephant. The Roy Rogers Museum isn’t even there anymore!

Ask yourself: How how many people do you know in Southern California who would trek to Victorville in a car or bus to hop aboard this train? The DesertXpress would be a deserted express.

From Time magazine: U.S. Stimulus Puts Bullet Trains on the Fast Track

Link: U.S. Stimulus Puts Bullet Trains on the Fast Track - TIME

U.S. Stimulus Puts Bullet Trains on the Fast Track
By Tim Padgett / Miami Monday, Jun. 22, 2009

Florida is considering plans to build a bullet train, possibly along the lines of France's Train a Grande Vitesse

Florida is considering plans to build a bullet train similar to France's Train a Grande Vitesse
MICHEL KRAKOWSKI / AFP / Getty

Florida, like many of America's biggest states, can be frustrating to traverse. Driving between such major cities as Miami and Tampa is a back-numbing haul; flying between them, especially at the exorbitant fares many airlines charge, often seems impractical. And as the peninsula state's population has exploded in recent years — Florida is set to pass New York as the nation's third largest state — its road and air corridors have become more gridlocked and eco-unfriendly. Which is why Floridians voted in 2000 to build a high-speed bullet-train service between Miami, Tampa and Orlando. By 2004, however, then-governor Jeb Bush, who had insisted the estimated $6 billion cost would in reality top $20 billion, had persuaded Florida.

But the bullet-train idea is back, as it is throughout the rest of the country, thanks to $13 billion for high-speed rail (HSR) that was tucked into President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package. The application process for bullet-train bucks ($8 billion this year and $1 billion in each of the next five years) began this week. States like Florida are vying for big chunks of it — not only as free funding for a traffic decongestant they thought they couldn't afford, but also as a high-tech pump primer for the kind of higher-wage jobs that low-wage economies like Florida's need. Current Florida governor Charlie Crist, who has angered conservatives in his Republican Party by embracing Obama's overall stimulus program — and who has reversed much of Jeb Bush's antigovernment agenda — said recently that rail projects like HSR are "critical because we're still a growth state. Any of these transportation alternatives are good for Florida and good for jobs." (Read about Japan's high-speed trains.)

One of the key ideas fueling HSR is that the U.S. in the 21st century has grown beyond a country of cities and suburbs to what urban-studies expert Richard Florida calls "mega-regions." Central Florida's I-4 Corridor, between Orlando and Tampa, is a prime example. Mega-regions "are natural economic agglomerations whose market potential can be harnessed if they're linked up by high-speed rail," says Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto. "If there's any place in the world right now where this makes sense, it's the U.S. Cars and jets won't do it; high-speed rail will."

The Obama Administration has identified 10 major regional corridors for HSR funding: three in the heavily populated Northeast (where the quasi-high-speed Acela train is already in use), then the Southeast coast, Florida, the upper Gulf Coast, the Midwest (dubbed the Chicago Hub), Texas (South Central), the Pacific Northwest and California. Of those, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has pointed to California and Florida as being "way ahead of the curve" in terms of preparing for HSR. Florida, for example, already did most of the spade work, including land acquisition and environmental-impact and ridership studies before Bush quashed its first HSR effort five years ago. Californians have approved a $9 billion bond issue to finance an ambitious 800-mile network that could ultimately cost as much as $45 billion and would not only zip passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours but would ferry them to Sacramento and San Diego as well.

But Florida, like the national bellwether it's become this decade, could also serve as a gauge for HSR's political viability. While Crist has directed his transportation officials to apply for the funds, he hasn't exactly played the ebullient cheerleader he's famous for being on issues like alternative energy. That's largely because he knows a chorus of voices in Florida and the rest of the nation still fears that bullet trains, despite the federal largesse, will turn out to be a white elephant whose costs have been lavishly underestimated by the Obama Administration. Even the Orlando Sentinel, which covers a city that would absorb a large share of the $1.5 billion Florida will seek to help fund a $2.5 billion Orlando-Tampa HSR line, warned in a recent editorial that the Sunshine State is "really not a strong candidate for high-speed rail." The reason: its local commuter-train lines — which HSR would need to link up with to make it truly practical — are virtually nonexistent because of the peninsula's car-obsessed culture.

Still, despite the questions about Florida's long-term commitment to HSR, Vice President Joe Biden this month assured the state that it's "in play" for the stimulus money. Either way, Florida is a strong reminder that the passenger-rail debate isn't likely to go away. Liberals tend to romanticize trains (because the French use them) and conservatives tend to disparage them (because the French use them). But while the U.S. probably can't re-create the charming ride from Paris to Lyon, it also can't keep treating rail like a loathsome relic. Since World War II, the U.S. has poured almost $2 trillion into highway and aviation systems, while passenger rail — like the wheezing federal Amtrak line — has received less than 3% of Washington's transportation dollars. Obama argues that the U.S. needs, economically and environmentally, a rail revival in order to relieve stressed auto and air infrastructure. That means emulating the long-established high-speed (more than 110 m.p.h., or 177 km/h) passenger-rail systems in Europe and Asia.

Florida's HSR boosters say its rail project could create as many as 20,000 jobs. In addition to the $1.5 billion in stimulus money to fund the 100-mile Orlando-Tampa line, which will likely use the more eco-friendly electric TGV trains popular in Europe, Florida will look for $1 billion from the private sector, which will operate the line. The Florida High Speed Rail Authority predicts the line would be profitable: even with one-way fares of less than $20, say its studies, HSR would generate up to $42 million a year from an annual ridership of almost 3 million (or 4 million if tourists are included) vs. up to $36 million in operating costs. As for the state's inability to provide commuter lines to complement HSR, authority chairman Lee Chira calls it a chicken-and-egg debate: establishing one kind of line, he insists, "will lead to building the other. Since federal dollars are paying for the high-speed, doing this first is a no-brainer for us."

More important, says Florida Congresswoman Kathy Castor of Tampa, HSR can enhance Florida's old economy, tourism, while helping lay a foundation for a new one. "So many visitors to Disney World would also like to hop on high-speed rail and enjoy our beaches," says Castor. "But the I-4 Corridor is also vital to our economic future, and high-speed rail is a high-tech project. I see it as a linchpin of Florida's reinvention."

But many opponents see it as financial quicksand, certain the Orlando-Tampa high-speed line will end up costing much more than $2.5 billion. Still, free billions from Washington during a crippling recession are hard to pass up. Florida's bullet, as a result, may well be a train that's already left the station.

From Los Angeles Downtown News; Update on Gold Line; still scheduled to open by September.

Link: Los Angeles Downtown News and Information - LA Downtown News Online > News > Waiting for Gold

Waiting for Gold

Metro is employing ambassadors such as Francis M. James (left) and Walter Shelby to answer questions about rail safety and other issues regarding the Gold Line Eastside Extension. The line, which will connect Downtown with East Los Angeles, is scheduled to open by September. Photo by Gary Leonard.


Little Tokyo and the Arts District Prepare for the Metro’s Eastside Extension
by Ryan Vaillancourt

Published: Friday, June 19, 2009 4:32 PM PDT

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - As Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers continue to test the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, the agency’s top official is banking that Downtown’s newest transit link will open this summer.

Currently, the six-mile rail project that will connect East Los Angeles to Downtown and, via the existing Gold Line, to Pasadena, is undergoing safety tests and equipment evaluations, said Art Leahy, the recently appointed Metro CEO.

“It’s basically a de-bugging stage,” Leahy said during a June 16 talk at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel organized by Town Hall Los Angeles. “There’s still some construction work going on out there. The stations have not been cleaned up. We’re trying to get all the construction equipment out and get the last cosmetic things done and [make] sure all the equipment works.”

The agency is not contractually obligated to open the line until December, but Leahy said he expects passengers to climb aboard “before September.” Metro anticipates that at the opening 13,000 passengers will use the line every day.

Among other evaluations, workers are testing the ventilation system in the two tunnels that are part of the line (east and westbound tunnels run under Boyle Heights). The checks are part of a final phase before the agency conducts simulated daily operations, leaving out only the passengers, Leahy said.

“When we open a line, we have to be able to respond to a major emergency on minute one,” Leahy said. “What if one minute after we open, a 7.0 earthquake hits with people in the tunnel? We’ve got to be prepared to evacuate them.”

Safety First


As Metro workers wrap up construction on the $899 million extension, agency staffers are fanning out in communities the line will serve, including Little Tokyo and the Arts District, to conduct pedestrian and vehicle safety workshops. A safety-related meeting is scheduled for noon on Tuesday, June 23, at the Little Tokyo Arts Council’s regular meeting at the Japanese American National Museum.

The agency is also employing safety ambassadors, who wear yellow Metro vests and stand near the new stations — in Downtown, they are at First and Alameda and at Temple and Alameda streets — and answer questions, said Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo. They will remain there for three months after the line opens, Ubaldo added.

For those not getting the agency’s message to “stop, look and listen” around the line’s eight new stations, the LAPD is cracking down on jaywalking across the rail lines. Most of the focus has been in Boyle Heights “because that community hasn’t seen trains in 50 years,” Ubaldo said.

The agency is also installing photo enforcement cameras at 14 intersections along the line that will identify drivers turning from left-turn lanes across the tracks when it is prohibited, Ubaldo said. Offenders will receive tickets in the mail.

“We need to change peoples’ behavior,” he said.

None of those new cameras are slated for Downtown, Ubaldo said, since no Downtown intersections between Alameda Street and the Los Angeles River include a left-turn lane. The only four-way lighted intersection along that stretch is at First and Vignes streets. Once the Gold Line opens, the traffic signal will turn red in all directions when trains approach, he said.

If the agency is intent on changing pedestrian and driving behavior, the communities in Little Tokyo and the Arts District seem mostly excited to change, or at least augment, their public transit habits.

“As a resident of the Arts District, I can say we’re pretty excited about it,” artist Qathryn Brehm said. “We’re excited to be able to go to Pasadena, the art walk and galleries there, and to Boyle Heights and points beyond.”

While the portion of the Gold Line that opened in 2003 gave Downtown access to Pasadena, it was only via Union Station or the Chinatown Metro station. Soon, Arts District residents will be able to walk to the station at First and Alameda streets.

Estela Lopez, executive director of the Central City East Association, which manages the Arts District Business Improvement District, expects the new line to spur economic development in the area.

“I think we have an exciting opportunity to talk about the lifestyle in the Arts District and the restaurants in the Arts District,” Lopez said. “I’ll be looking to work with [Metro] to market those destination locations.”

Beyond safety concerns, some area residents are leery about an influx of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, at the Little Tokyo/Arts District station.

“I think that’s the only kind of thing that’s a little worrisome,” Brehm said. “Other than that, people are pretty excited.”

Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.