Levitating Train From Las Vegas To Los Angeles Gets Boost

WASHINGTON — Plans for a levitating train from Las Vegas to Disneyland can move forward under a transportation bill signed by President Bush on Friday that frees up $45 million for the futuristic project.

Derided by critics as pie in the sky, the train would use magnetic levitation technology to carry passengers from Disneyland to Las Vegas in well under two hours, traveling at speeds of up to 300 mph. It would be the first MagLev system in the U.S.

The money is the largest cash infusion in the project's nearly 20-year history. It will pay for environmental studies for the first leg of the project.

The money had been delayed by a drafting error in Congress' 2005 highway bill, which was corrected along with some other changes by the legislation signed Friday by Bush. The delay had allowed a competing and cheaper diesel-electric plan to emerge as an alternative, but with the money now freed up supporters hope to move forward with the MagLev plan.

The train is meant to ease traffic on increasingly clogged Interstate 15, the main route for the millions of Southern Californians who make the 250-plus-mile drive to Las Vegas each year. There is no train on the route _ Amtrak's Desert Wind between Los Angeles and Las Vegas was canceled in 1997 because of low ridership.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., praised passage of the law, saying the MagLev project "will safely and efficiently move people between Southern California and Las Vegas."

Comments

[SwingingFromCenter]

I find it really funny that the same commenters here talking about how bad an idea this is are the same people whining that we don't have a mass transit system.

LA to Vegas is the PERFECT first attempt at one of these things. And yes, it has to be mag-lev because our infrastructure is as such to where traditional rails are implausible.

Do you have any idea how many people make the 4 hour drive from LA to Vegas or vice versa on a daily basis? A *huge* amount. LAX to McCarren is one of the densest routes in the country in terms of air travel. IF it gets built (I have my doubts, these things always seem to get quashed), it will definitely be "a good thing".

[robbor]

$45 mil, that takes las vegas about 45 minutes to acquire, let them foot the bill

[Gary47]

Just another massive taxpayer funded government give-away to the well-connected casino industry. How about a maglev train where it's needed and might actually get used during the week, like SF-LA or NYC-Boston...

[nitpicker]

This is the extension of the mag-lev that Pittsburgh wanted (and I think actually expected to get) to go from downtown to the airport (about 23 miles). When the powers that be saw the condition of Pittsburgh they laughed and backed away---faster than finding a skunk in your garage. Las Vegas seems like a good choice given the land will be relatively cheap but given the destinations they better order a "cooler"car for all the drunks. Two hours is not enough time to get sober. I do have the feeling though that there will be an awful lot of movies made on and about that train. God help us, a "Love Train"

[NoSillyName]

We need these all across the country.

[wadenelson1]

A high speed rail from San Diego to LA to SF makes a LOT more sense than a Disneyland, uneconomic Maglev to Las Vegas.

[loki]

I just do not understand this. They did a similar thing in St. Louis Missouri years ago. Not levitating train, though it does do that on a test section by Washington University I was told, but the wonderful mass transit light rail system they sold to the public years back did not end up going where people could use it to get to work and back, but from the airport to the casinos! That is all they are doing here too. From the people, to the slot machines..... What a country we live in. Why not use that money to make better public transportation and light rail in LA and in LV , and not just to ferry gamblers back and forth? Pathetic if you ask me. It doesnt do much to help where help is needed. It wont decongest the highways with thousands of cars every morning and evening around LA trying to get form work to home and back. It doesnt do jack except take people to a place where the odds are against them. We are really screwed up as a country .

[sculptor]

Tax revenue, its as simple as that. Not to mention lobbying by the gaming industry. Now, I don't live there so this is just an educated guess but since when did government actually ever do anything for the average citizen when it absolutely wasn't backed into a corner and forced to do so? ;-) ;-) ;-)

[tukatz]

What a waste of resources. There's already a railroad line there that could be used for conventional trains and a magLev train takes an immense amount of energy. The only place the have one of these is in China where they're just trying to show off to the world. Are they building these things in Europe? No, they invest in conventional high speed rail because it makes the most sense. Instead of a magLev, why not just build something futuristic like a monorail [sarcasm]. At least then it can link up with the one at Disneyland.

[loki]

Not true. There are test mag lift tracks in the US. A new one is actually being designed to be built in Minneapolis right now. I know the designer personally.

[fillou]

1981 : France introduced the TGV the first high speed train with an average speed of 180 mph.
2007 : the TGV top speeds on regular tracks : 339 mph !

The probleme with Maglev train is that only Maglev trains can be used on those special designed infrastructure. With TGV, all kind of trains can use the tracks (low-speed regional trains, freight train, high speed trains ...) The return on investment is much higher as the tracks have a diverse use.

[unholyman]

Yes, wheels are a great invention. Trains with wheels travel all over France and other Euro countries at 180 mph for a fraction of the cost of maglevs.

[appleknocker]

Finally our government is getting its priorities straight! Is this a great country or what?

[fdp3]

This will never be build. People understand that it will never be built based upon the very expensive experience of other countries. This is simply a way to had $45 million to a corporation for an environmental report on a project everyone understands will never see the light of day.

Link to Gizmodo with commentary:

http://gizmodo.com/5014227/transportation-bill-gives-45-million-to-maglev-project-sets-it-up-for-fail

fp

[blues]

I worked 30 years in all kinds of electrical engineering, so I know ALL about the energy and safety issues. All kinds of "mag lev" type systems are ultimately absurd. Anything that runs at 300 mph in the earth's atmosphere MUST me inefficient! But much more to the point, anything running on the map at such high speeds MUST depend on components of ultra-high PRECISION. And ultra-high precision ALWAYS requires ultra-high energy and ultra-high expense and effort to create and maintain! Would you rather be derailed by a terr'ist at 40 mph or 300 mph? Prepare to be "screened" to death!

(By the way, where are we going to get just the money; we are going BANKRUPT in September, remember?)

And beyond all of that, this thing is to go between Disney Land and Vegas??? The two most productive places on the planet? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! We must keep these Vegas gangsters happy, or else, huh? Oh Lordy, pleeeeze give me a damn break!

[dplum]

We need to try it to get some experience in this type of travel. If it falls flat at least we tried. It is better than doing nothing. If it goes to the politically connected low cost builder ???????????????????/

[gerrylong]

It would be amazing, surprising, bewildering, and disgusting, if such a train is built between LA and Vegas, before the same efforts are put into putting the same type of train on the route from LA to San Francisco.

Is this a concession to the gambling interests of Vegas?

[AmbroseChapel]

Do you think they can get it done by the 20th? I got a cold room at the Mandalay Bay waiting for me and I'm not too thrilled about the airfare and LAX!

[revko]

What?!!! No high speed train to Baker,California?!!!

They've got the "World's Largest Thermometer"!!!

And "Bun Boy"!!!!