Link: http://www.cahsrblog.com/2010/06/desertxpress-projects-2011-construction-date/
DesertXpress Projects 2011 Construction Date
That’s the report from the San Bernardino Sun:
Proponents of a high-speed train that would link this High Desert city to Las Vegas say they are confident that the impending completion of environmental and financial plans will allow construction of a new rail line to begin in 2011.
“There will probably be at least some type of ground breaking, but the heavy construction will begin in 2011,” Desert Xpress president Tom Stone said by teleconference on Thursday.
This is great news – seeing HSR construction actually under way in California would be a huge boost to the SF-LA project. There’s nothing quite like seeing steel in the ground to make a project real, to show the public this is actually doable.
Of course, that’s assuming they get their financing. DesertXpress is still keeping that information under wraps, but the SB Sun article did give some indications where their funding may come from:
The Desert Xpress and Maglev options could respectively reach costs in the neighborhoods of $5 billion or $12 billion to $15 billion. Neither side has announced a completed financing arrangement, and the Federal Railroad Administration has not yet approved environmental statements for either plan.
Those on the Desert Xpress side assert that they can accomplish their project with private funding – although they may seek a federal loan – and can begin construction well before a Maglev line could happen.
Desert Xpress executives expect to make an announcement in about one month regarding a major investor for their project, Stone said. He said those talks are confidential.
It would be interesting to see who that major investor is. The article mentions that China’s Export-Import Bank has offered $7 billion to the maglev project, money that would seem better suited to DesertXpress, given the low probability that maglev will ever be built along this corridor.
Still, I’ve always been impressed by the quality of the proposal and the team behind DesertXpress, and I would not doubt Tom Stone when he says he is on course to line up the funding and break ground in 2011. Let’s hope he is successful, because construction on Vegas HSR would only benefit the cause of SF-LA HSR.
