High Speed Rail - Victorville to Las Vegas

If this scheme comes to fruition it will be the first purpose built high speed passenger line in the US and will be funded entirely by private investors. The trains will run at 125mph.


http://www.desertxpress.com/

You mean if they finish it. The Chicago-New York Air LIne was to have been an arrow-straight, 1/2% grade 90mph interurban between the two names cities. They built twenty miles of it, but ran into a depression in 1907 and couldn't get any more funding.

No mention of electrification on the website, but I assume the line would be electrified if it will be running 125 mph European-style equipment.

And how is one supposed to get from LAUS to Victorville ???

more info here http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/rrdev/ ... r_08_c.pdf

cost 3 billion they say, private investment can fund this project, a private company can make money on operations.....they say. It is a fairy tale.

Finch wrote:No mention of electrification on the website, but I assume the line would be electrified if it will be running 125 mph European-style equipment.

No, the plan is to purchase Diesel Multiple Units from Bombardier - the 125mph Class 222 'Meridian' diesels run on the Midland Main Line in England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_222

Chafford1 wrote:No, the plan is to purchase Diesel Multiple Units from Bombardier - the 125mph Class 222 'Meridian' diesels run on the Midland Main Line in England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_222

Can you document this? Do you know if this equipment is FRA certified, or likely to be able to obtain such?

icgsteve wrote:

Chafford1 wrote:No, the plan is to purchase Diesel Multiple Units from Bombardier - the 125mph Class 222 'Meridian' diesels run on the Midland Main Line in England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_222

Can you document this? Do you know if this equipment is FRA certified, or likely to be able to obtain such?

Here's the article that mentions the trains.

http://blogs.vvdailypress.com/insidevic ... ublic.html

The key section is:

"Although the train is diesel-electric, similar to hybrid car technology, it's a much more efficient way to transport people than millions of cars. He expects 4 million riders the first year, displacing 25 percent of annual car trips.
The public sector is a vital partner, though, because the massive undertaking will require intense oversight and resolution of right-of-way issues.
Stone said the model will be based on the second generation of trains designed by Canadian firm Bombardier to run in England, called Midland Mainline, at least he said they were 90 percent leaning toward it. Though he hasn't established where it will be manufactured, he said it will probably be Belgium, with assembly in England -- and a chance there might be some final assembly in the States."

icgsteve wrote:

Chafford1 wrote:No, the plan is to purchase Diesel Multiple Units from Bombardier - the 125mph Class 222 'Meridian' diesels run on the Midland Main Line in England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_222

Can you document this? Do you know if this equipment is FRA certified, or likely to be able to obtain such?

It looks like they want to build an entirely dedicated right of way- if this is the case, then FRA crash certification may not be needed, as most of the requirements are due to coexistence with heavy freight trains...

pennsy wrote:And how is one supposed to get from LAUS to Victorville ???

That's a big weak spot of this scheme. Its designers expect many of its riders to drive to Victorville, but once they get to Victorville, they might decide to keep on going to LV.

Distances from Victorville:
Las Vegas: 200 mi
San Bernardino: 35 mi
Los Angeles: 81 mi
Irvine: 80 mi

So I think that the DesertXPress train company may have to run buses to LAUS, and likely other Metrolink and Amtrak stations in the LA area. There is certainly plenty of precedent for doing so, however. Amtrak California's San Joaquins have Bakersfield as their southernmost point, connecting to LA by bus, because that is faster than using the existing rail route. And Amtrak California runs numerous other buses that connect to trains.

I think that the DesertXPress company is going this route to avoid using El Cajon Pass, which would either slow it down by some sizable factor or else require expensive new construction. The train could also go from Victorville to Palmdale, then follow Metrolink's route: Palmdale - Santa Clarita - Burbank - LAUS.