Two high-speed rail technologies are competing to serve the corridor between southern California and Las Vegas (NV). A magetic-levitation line, proposed by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission in partnership with American Magline Group, would run between Las Vegas and Anaheim (CA). An alternative proposal, the Desert Xpress, would run electric or electric-diesel trains on an elevated guideway along the I-15 corridor between Victorville (CA) and Las Vegas. Read a comparison of the two proposals in the Las Vegas Sun.
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I say build neither. The maglev is too expensive to complete at this time and we need transit through this corridor NOW. Desert Xpress would terminate in Victorville, dumping passengers off in an area with little public transit to connect them with the LA metro area. Instead, why not re-establish the Amtrak Desert Wind between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles via Las Vegas? Gradually track upgrades could then increase the operating speed of trains and more daily trains could be placed on the stretch between LA Union Station and Las Vegas. Connections would be made in the downtown of both cities, meaning the train would not dump people off in the middle of the desert and riders could connect to other forms of transit including the coming California High Speed Rail corridor and other Amtrak trains. This would lead to the possibility that passengers would be interested in initiating trips in both directions, instead of the rail-line being a money funnel into the Las Vegas area. Finally, this is the most cost effective way to re-establish a passenger rail connection between the cities.
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