A train from Vegas may be creeping closer to southern California, though it's not really the one anyone wanted. While the proposed maglev from Anaheim to Sin City searches for funds, the DesertXpress from Vegas to Victorville takes a tiny step forward. A draft environmental statement was just completed last month, and it was discussed last night at a community meeting in Vegas that drew about 100 people, reports the Las Vegas Sun. "All 12 attendees who spoke during the Tuesday meeting at an off-Strip hotel supported high-speed rail, though some support maglev and one preferred a third option, a solar-based alternative. The largest skepticism was for the Victorville terminus. 'A train starting in Victorville, how attractive will that be for people in Los Angeles? That’s our primary market,' said resident Tom Piechota." Proponents of DesertXpress stress that the train is a cheaper alternative than the maglev (approx. $3 million to the $12 billion maglev), though the magnet train would go 300 miles per hour, double that of the Victorville train. DesertXpress would run a length of 180 miles; Victorville, a city of over 100,000, is 85 miles northeast of LA. [Las Vegas Sun]
More Useful than LA's Green Line: A train from Vegas
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