Overview
The DesertXpress – Super High speed train would create equivalent of 50,000 one-year construction jobs
Most permanent jobs would be based in Victorville, Calif.
When the DesertXpress high-speed train is built, there would be up to 700 permanent jobs at an operations and maintenance facility — in Victorville, Calif.
President Tom Stone of DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, told representatives of the Associated General Contractors recently that building the privately funded, $4 billion traditional super high-speed rail system would create 50,000 person-year construction jobs over the four-year design and construction period expected to begin late this year, including planners, architects, draftsmen, engineers, construction workers, electricians and other specialists. A smaller number of permanent jobs would be based in Southern Nevada for crews that would clean and inspect trains parked overnight in Las Vegas.
The rail line is expected to be completed by 2014.
Desert Xpress – Super Speed Train
The proposal will provide an alternative to automobile travel between the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas along Interstate 15. This highway is a direct automobile route between the two regions and carries heavy traffic.[2] Greyhound buses cover the route in between five and seven hours, while automobiles take around four hours.[3] Currently, there is no passenger train service to Las Vegas. Amtrak last operated passenger train service to Las Vegas in 1997 on its Desert Wind route, which was canceled due to low ridership.
The city of Victorville was selected as the location for the westmost terminal since extending the train line farther into the Los Angeles basin through the Cajon Pass would be prohibitively expensive.[4] Victorville is about 40 mi (64 km) from Riverside, where a station was proposed for the California high-speed rail line. The station will include free parking and through-checking of baggage straight to the Las Vegas Strip resorts.[5] A future extension would include a new link to the California High-Speed Rail station in Palmdale.[6]
The train would travel at speeds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h) and would make the 186 mi (299 km) trip from Victorville to Las Vegas in about 1 hour 24 minutes, shaving about two hours off the travel time.[7][8] The backers of the project are currently in the process of raising funds for its construction, estimated at between US$4 to 5 billion.[7][9] The cost would be about $21 million per mile, less than the average $35 million per mile of the light rail systems in the USA. The developers had hoped to break ground by early 2011, but incomplete planning and lack of funding have delayed the project.[10]
Details
RouteThe tracks are planned to be laid largely within the right-of-way of Interstate 15, although in sections it would pass through federal land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.[5] Station locations in each of the terminus cities have not yet been identified,[5] and the line is not planned to stop at intermediate cities.[9] The train is planned to take 84 minutes to complete a one-way trip between Victorville and Las Vegas.[11]
Service to Los AngelesAlthough Desert Xpress is intended to serve passengers from Los Angeles, the route does not extend into that city due to the high cost of building rail in urban areas. An future 50-mile (80 km) extension to the city of Palmdale, where Desert Xpress would join the proposed California High-Speed Rail system in order to connect with Los Angeles, is a possibility. [12]
Ridership and FaresDesertXpress estimates that it will carry around five million round trip passengers in the first full year of operation,[13] with the company charging fares of around $50 for a one-way trip.
ConstructionAs of May, 2011 construction has not yet begun and no definite start date has been set. It is anticipated that once construction begins the entire 185 miles (298 km) system would be built in three to four years. Originally construction was set to begin in 2010, and was later pushed back to 2011. The multiple delays are attributed to incomplete planning and funding. [5][9][10]
Cost and FundingThe total cost of the line is expected to be around five billion US dollars, although the exact amount remains unknown due to incomplete project planning.
Project planners have said they can obtain the full funding amount through exclusively private investors[9][5], however they have also applied for a $4.9 billion loan through the federal Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program. [9]. To date funding has not yet been finalized.
PlanningA preferred design was identified with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement on April 1, 2011, which began a public comment period that ended on May 2, 2011. It is expected that the federal government will approve the design in Spring 2011, after which time full funding can be sought.
Key Search Topics: High-Speed Rail, Trains, Travel, Super, Speed, Trains, Super-speed Trains, Super Speed Trains, Maglev, Desert Xpress
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