Would high-speed train benefit Route 66 town?

This is an interesting development for the Route 66 town of Victorville, Calf., if it happens …

VICTORVILLE – Construction crews could begin work on a proposed high-speed rail line to Las Vegas as early as next year, executives with the company behind the project said. […]

The DesertXpress idea is based on the assumption that Vegas-bound Southern Californians would be willing to pay to park their cars Victorville and forego the time and potential frustrations of freeway travel. The company says it can build the route with private funding.

The proposed high speed rail route a separate from the proposal to establish a Maglev route from Las Vegas to Anaheim.

As planned, the DesertXpress line would allow Southern California passengers to board trains at a north Victorville train station and speed to Sin City as quickly as 150 mph. The line, which would generally follow the route of the 15 Freeway, would feature 183 to 200 miles of track, depending upon its ultimate alignment.

DesertXpress is still awaiting approval from the federal government. The firm has completed a draft environmental impact statement and Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Rob Kulat said the agency could make a decision in nine months. […]

DesertXpress reports that construction and other start-up costs will total $3.5 to $4 billion. and that the line could be built in four years. The midpoint fare price is projected to be about $50.

Naturally, the nearby Mother Road town of Barstow is concerned it will be left out as a stop. Of course, another stop on the line would likely lower the train’s speed, so it’s understandable that DesertXpress is reluctant to add one.

But I concur with officials that high-speed rail between the two metro areas makes a ton of sense. I’ve made the trip from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas via I-15 several times. Unless you have a gas-sipping vehicle, you almost always have to stop for fuel in the hot and desolate town of Baker, Calif. To this day, road signs urge motorists to shut off their air conditioning during the steep ascent into the mountains to keep their vehicles from overheating.

Simply put, driving to Vegas isn’t all that pleasant. I think a lot of people would jump at the chance of taking a fast train to Vegas in less than two hours in no-worries comfort. And you know that businesses and residences would pop up around the station in Victorville.

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