Tuesday, September 1, 2009

More on the Latest Desert Boondoggle Xpress News

(Also at OC Progressive)

Oh, jeez. DesertXpress is claiming construction will start next March. Remember DesertXpress, the boondoggle in the making that would connect Las Vegas to Victorville? Yes, you heard me right... The train would start only go as far as Victorville, or at least that's the current plan.

Well, at least we're starting to see more details. They're saying they're in talks with California High-Speed Rail about building a spur to connect Victorville to the California rail network stop in Palmdale, and maybe even allowing the DesertXpress to use the state rail to go all the way down to LA and Orange County. We'll see.

If something actually materializes out of these "talks", color me pleasantly surprised. But in the mean time, I just don't see very many people either driving all the way to Victorville to take a train to Vegas or riding up on a bus to Victorville and change from the bus to the train. Yes, that's really the interim plan.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm NOT opposed to rail. I just want to see it done right. The Anaheim to Las Vegas Maglev plan just seems to make more business sense, especially over the long term. But even if we want to go forward with conventional rail, put forward a workable plan! I don't like how DesertXpress claims "we may work something out with CA High-Speed Rail" or "we may one day talk with Arizona officials". Either put up or shut up! Come forward with a detailed plan to make DesertXpress work or don't come to us the taxpayers and expect a bailout when we can just go forward with Maglev and their real, sensible plan.

Honestly, we can't afford another Las Vegas Monorail.

1 comment:

  1. Right wing, agnostic, fiscally conservative gun toting independnet here-

    Ask Buck Johns, backer of Desert Express, why he abandoned his role on Mag Lev, which he touted for years as being the only sensible option- perhaps it is becasue by feeding at the federal pig trough, he stands to gain tens of millions as the city of Victorville has granted him exclusive development rights to 1,300 acres surroundinghte 60 acres on which the train station will be located-

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