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Vegas rail: a gamble or good thing?

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posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 01:21 PM
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That 150mph "Vegas" train is in the news again.

The company involved is DesertXpress and is close to
getting a near $5 Billion loan from ......

The government !!

This is the train project that Senator Harry Reid (D. NV) claims
will create 80,000 jobs. The Federal Railroad Administration
says however, that only 722 would be "permanent".
Nearby Barstow, CA says 2300 jobs would be taken away from them.

Cost "estimates" are around $6.5 Billion not including interest on loans.
And planners say millions of travelers a year will use the train.

The odd part is that the rail line will only connect Las Vegas to Victorville, CA.
Victorville is about 70 miles from Los Angeles. Not much in 200 mile stretch between
Victorville and Las Vegas.

Victorville is a depressed area right now, and this could bring back their local economy.

DesertXpress majority shareholder is Marnell Companies.
They are a construction company that has built several Las Vegas casinos in recent years.

At first, DesertXpress talked about an all private financial arrangement, but now seek Federal loans.

The big questions are:

Will it stay in business long enough to complete ?

And will it actually make money to pay the loan back to taxpayers ?


Mar 25, 12:49 PM EDT -- AP

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- On a dusty, rock-strewn expanse at the edge of the Mojave Desert, a company linked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to build a bullet train that would rocket tourists from the middle of nowhere to the gambling palaces of Las Vegas.

Privately held DesertXpress is on the verge of landing a $4.9 billion loan from the Obama administration to build the 150 mph train, which could be a lifeline for a region devastated by the housing crash or a crap shoot for taxpayers weary of Washington spending.

The vast park-and-ride project hinges on the untested idea that car-loving Californians will drive about 100 miles from the Los Angeles area, pull off busy Interstate 15 and board a train for the final leg to the famous Strip.....

The Vegas Express


DesertXpress Lobbying:

According to federal records, the company has spent at least $270,000 since 2006 lobbying at the House, Senate and federal offices.


Please "Reid" the article for details



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 04:55 PM
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If it's cheaper than flying it stands a chance.

Right now it costs just as much to fly by plane than it does to ride by train with the added bonus of taking twice as long than driving by car.

There is already a Los Angeles metro area train that can take you from just about anywhere in the LA metro area to Victorville.

It all comes down to price to the consumer.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 06:07 PM
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Great!!!!

More union bailouts just like GM was but of most unions invest their pensions at wall street another banker bailout.

Lets go European everyone wants to ride a train!!!!!!

No wait America the car is king but wait for it pain at the pump via Government manipulation to make alternative energy and alternative modes of transportation look "enticing".

Who do those idiots think they are fooling?

Go ahead and gamble the next Megamillions jackpot is $356,000 million with a cash option of $255,100,00

Play and hope you can win and you just might walk away with little over 1$100,000,000 after taxes you will make more money that that vegas rail will.
edit on 25-3-2012 by neo96 because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 06:23 PM
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This countries rail infrastructure is wanting. Go to England, I found the rail system pretty efficient.

Course those that don't like the president won't go for this idea. (It might create jobs, they can't have that)

The cost should be competitive though. Course, last time I traveled I went from Detroit to Florida, the plane ticket cost me less than it would to have taken a bus.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 08:13 PM
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reply to post by xuenchen
 


A flight from LA to Vegas is pretty cheap. Actually a flight from anywhere on the West Coast is pretty cheap. Last time I flew from Portland I think I paid $150 a ticket.

So what would be the justification of driving 70+ miles through LA traffic to a town in the middle of nowhere to hop on a train that, at 150mph, would take longer than if you flew from LA?

Nothing.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 08:15 PM
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reply to post by HauntWok
 


High speed rail is important.. connecting major cities, like from LA to Seattle, or NY to Chicago. But from podunk desert town to Vegas?

No..

That's what we call stupid.

That doesn't even go into the fact that when the USA builds rail compared to the rest of the world our rail roads are 10x more expensive and half as fast.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 08:50 PM
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reply to post by Rockpuck
 



High speed rail is important.. connecting major cities, like from LA to Seattle, or NY to Chicago. But from podunk desert town to Vegas?


You have a valid point. High speed rail, would be a wise investment. And they shouldn't connect high speed rail to podunk desert town. But regular passenger rail should exist in every town, to every town. Making commuting more efficient and less expensive.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 08:54 PM
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reply to post by Rockpuck
 


Not to be combative or anything but a couple hundred thousand people live in the high desert area (Victorville, Hesperia, Barstow, etc.). So it's not exactly podunk.



posted on Mar, 25 2012 @ 09:13 PM
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Hey, maybe they will have a stop at the bunny ranch! Just sayin, go where the money is! LOL



posted on Mar, 26 2012 @ 09:00 AM
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Originally posted by HauntWok
Hey, maybe they will have a stop at the bunny ranch! Just sayin, go where the money is! LOL





Not a bad idea,

but the legal ranches are North of Las Vegas.

Prostitution actually is illegal in Clark County !



posted on Mar, 26 2012 @ 11:22 AM
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reply to post by xuenchen
 



but the legal ranches are North of Las Vegas.


Exactly why they should put high speed rail in!



posted on Mar, 26 2012 @ 11:58 AM
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As one who has lived most of my life in Vegas, I've never seen the need for this. Put a high speed train where people actually need it, not so they can come to Vegas and party.Connecting it with Victorville seems quite absurd, leaving it short of SmellA doesn't really help pull in the people. All it does is service a small part of So Cal and that seems like a huge waste of money to me. We have planes, we have cars, we also have many roads leading in here. Ain't that hard to get here from So Cal.




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