Thread: Privately funded high-speed train from Las Vegas to California is back on track

A high-speed train from Las Vegas to California is back on track, and construction is set for 2020


Posted: 10:55 AM, Aug 30, 2019
Updated: 6:41 PM, Aug 30, 2019
By: KTNV Staff




LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas is one step closer to having a high-speed train between the Las Vegas Strip and California.

On Tuesday, city and economic leaders at the Nevada Economic Development Conference talked about the railroad service that would connect more than 22 million people.

Talks of a rail service date back to the late '90s, but Virgin Trains USA says it's now ready to move forward because their current routes in Florida have been a success and they have a model to follow.

"We're looking to start construction in 2020," says Bob O’Malley, the vice president for Virgin Trains USA.

O’Malley says the train tracks near the Strip may seem quiet for now but Virgin Trains USA will put them to good use next year. He says engineers have designed 30% of the project and that it's using Florida's project as a model.

"It'll be a three-year build," O'Malley says. "We're excited about connecting those two markets."

The trip from Las Vegas to Victorville, California, will be about 75 minutes.

"(It) operates privately funded high-speed rail between cities that are too close to fly, too far to drive," O’Malley says.

The first phase of the corridor is expected to be built along Interstate 15. It will travel a distance of 185 miles nonstop, at speeds up to 150 miles per hour.

"If you drive to Southern California on a Friday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon, you'll want an alternative. We think we can be an alternative," O’Malley says.

Tina Quigley, CEO of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, tells KTNV "the timing couldn't be better" especially since Las Vegas growing.

"It is in a dedicated lane," Quigley says. "It's not competing with any other railroad projects."

Since the high-speed rail will be near the Strip, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President Steve Hill says it will make it easier for visitors to access Allegiant Stadium. It is committed to at least 46 major events once the construction complete.

"There's real alignment in what the community needs from that stadium and what The Raiders need from that stadium," Hill says.

Hill also says the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Aces and other minor league teams could also have a positive impact.

"It's a convenient and sustainable way for both residents and our visitors," he says.

The rail line is currently trying to find the money to pay the price tag of more than $4 billion.

"We're currently on financing it and intend to finance it the same way we did in Florida," O'Malley says.

This story was originally published by Cinthia Maldonado on KTNV.

https://www.abc15.com/news/national/...s-set-for-2020

California to assist financing of California-Vegas train

[By KATHLEEN RONAYNE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEP. 18, 2019 4:45 PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California officials on Wednesday could put a private company’s plan to build a high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Southern California one step closer to reality by helping it access billions of dollars in private financing.

A committee chaired by state Treasurer Fiona Ma is likely to approve $300 million in tax-exempt private activity bonds for Virgin Trains USA this year, followed by the same amount again next year. That will allow the company to issue about $2.4 billion in debt, roughly half of what it needs to build the first private, high-speed train in the U.S. West.

Ben Porritt, senior vice president for public affairs at the company, called the approval “a major milestone.”

“This is a significant private investment that will generate thousands of new jobs, spark new mixed use and housing development and remove nearly 4.5 million cars off the road each year,” he said in an emailed statement.

Virgin Trains USA, previously known as Brightline, already operates a high-speed train in Florida. Its California-Nevada project is expected to span 185 miles (297 kilometers) and take 90 minutes to move passengers between Las Vegas and Victorville, California, which is northeast of Los Angeles. Construction is expected to start in 2020 and take three years.

Virgin is in the process of seeking similar financing help from Nevada and the federal government.

Like California’s publicly funded high-speed rail project, the private project has hit stumbling blocks. It was first proposed in 2005 and has changed ownership multiple times.

But it’s now expected to have its trains up and running long before passengers can travel on the state’s proposed high-speed rail line linking Los Angeles and San Francisco. The state doesn’t expect to have trains running until 2028, and then only on a line of track in the Central Valley.

Virgin’s ability to access private financing could raise questions about why California’s public project hasn’t attracted the same investment. As it stands, the state has less than half the $77 billion it needs to build the full line, and no private companies or donors have committed money.

Ma, a Democrat, said she rode on one of Virgin’s trains in Florida and described it as swankier than a traditional train. Building such a project between Las Vegas and California will provide economic development, ease travel and improve the riding experience, she said.

“It is like moving people to the next level of train travel where train travel is going to be really hip and fun,” she said.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...ia-vegas-train

Then California can dump their homeless problem on Vegas.

Cities have been offering homeless people free bus tickets to relocate elsewhere for at least three decades. In recent years, homeless relocation programs have become more common, sprouting up in new cities across the country and costing the public millions of dollars.


Bussed Out
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