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Post by jdrcrasher on May 22, 2010 13:45:51 GMT -8
^ Phoenix to LA should be it's own route, because it would go through the Palm Springs/Indio area. The Las Vegas to Anaheim Maglev project never made much sense. The route is short enough than even 150 mph max speeds will be faster than flying between LA and LV (the train to LAX would take about 2.5 hours), and Anaheim would be only 20 minutes longer by 110 mph HSR. Frankly i'm not even concerned about competition with Southwest airlines. Specifics on the Palmdale extension have yet to be seen. They've claimed that CHSR trains can use it, but if that's the case, why didn't they plan using trains of reaching that speed in the first place? The Maglev isn't perfect, but believe me, neither is DesertXpress. It's not whether it'll make sense, it's when. Perhaps being overshadowed in the news by recent sprawl, inner city growth in San Bernardino has taken off as well. Heck, SanBag is already preparing to heavily expand it's bus and even rail system. It wouldn't surprise me if 10 or 15 years from now this becomes the third major core for businesses, and becomes a huge destination for IE and even SGV residents commuting to work(the other 2 being LA and Anaheim/Santa Ana). It takes time to build new lines, as well as extensions, especially tunnels. By the time the maglev or even desertxpress is built, the demand will already be there for a Cajon Branch. As you said, you would make the trip only an hour earlier. |
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Post by jeisenbe on May 22, 2010 15:50:33 GMT -8
"Desert Lightning?" I'm amazed that so many private groups are getting in on this. It's bizzare. Specifics on the Palmdale extension have yet to be seen. They've claimed that CHSR trains can use it, but if that's the case, why didn't they plan using trains of reaching that speed in the first place? Trains and tracks capable of 150 mph are cheaper, yet still faster than driving and as fast as flying. 150 to 220 mph is a 48% increase in speed, hence a 115% increase in aerodynamic drag (which increases by the square of velocity), requiring about twice the power. Motor size and weight increases, demand on the cantenary and power systems increases, acceleration may suffer. For long routes, like LA to SF, with several intermediate cities (each stop adds 8 minutes), 220 mph max speed makes sense, but if you can beat Southwest door-to-door with a top speed of 150 mph, there is no need to push it. I do hope that the tracks are straight enough to allow 220 or 250 mph operations in the future, and that the cantenary and electrical systems are compatible with California's high speed trains. That max speed will be important for the SF Bay to Las Vegas route, or a Las Vegas to Phoenix route via San Bernardino. DesertXpress could get the Las Vegas to LA market with 150 mph trains, while California's operator could provide 220 mph max service from San Francisco, San Diego or Phoenix. Of course, this depends on Southwest finding enough fossil fuel in 2030, or run jets on biodiesel; if airfare was prohibitively expensive, we would only need to compete with (electric?) cars averaging 50 mph or so. 150 mph trains would then be plenty fast for all of the routes in California. |
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Post by jdrcrasher on May 23, 2010 14:02:44 GMT -8
How much cheaper, though?
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Post by rubbertoe on Jun 7, 2010 6:26:24 GMT -8
And now Desert Xpress has a bit more to say. The most interesting thing in the article is that they say that they will announce a major financial backer in about a month. Does anyone thinks it will be any entity other than the Chinese? www.sbsun.com/ci_15239527?source=most_viewed |
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Post by James Fujita on Jun 7, 2010 14:28:24 GMT -8
What's wrong with China? *shrug* They are something of a mixed bag: economically, doing awesome. In terms of environment or human rights: Not so much. However, any assistance that they may give would be economic, they'd still have to comply with U.S. labor laws. And who knows, since China has been importing train technology, we could end up with trains that look like thisOkay, so that's probably beyond DesertXpress' budget. But I do want DXpress to win this race — building their own tracks to avoid the UP monster and they seem to be at least vaguely aware that the ultimate goal is linking with Cal HSR. |
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Post by rubbertoe on Jun 7, 2010 16:24:58 GMT -8
James,
Couldn't agree more with everything that you have said. The comment about China being the funding source was based on my idea that only the Chinese are in a financial position to put up the $ required to make Desert Xpress happen in a reasonable time frame. My money is still on them being the backer. And I think it will be built to link up with CAHSR, another entity that could end up getting Chinese $.
RT
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 7, 2010 21:28:55 GMT -8
Here's the thing, though. China apparantly announced a few months ago that it has planned to hand the Maglev project $7 Billion.
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Post by rubbertoe on Aug 31, 2012 8:32:29 GMT -8
Resurrecting this thread, since I just saw a news flash from the Progressive Railroading site that X-Train has purchased their first 10 car train set. The current plan is for them to refurbish it, and start 5 hour LA-LV service in late 2013. www.vegasxtrain.com/index.htmlNice to see this actually moving forward if that is really the case. Apparently the train will leave from the Fullerton station. Not sure why they didn't choose Union Station? |
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Post by bzcat on Aug 31, 2012 9:25:48 GMT -8
Fullerton Station has ample parking...
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Aug 31, 2012 12:06:06 GMT -8
Fullerton Station has ample parking... Unlike 1,000 passengers/hour potentially arriving via the Purple, Gold and Red Lines..... |
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Post by matthewb on Aug 31, 2012 14:24:05 GMT -8
Resurrecting this thread, since I just saw a news flash from the Progressive Railroading site that X-Train has purchased their first 10 car train set. The current plan is for them to refurbish it, and start 5 hour LA-LV service in late 2013. www.vegasxtrain.com/index.htmlNice to see this actually moving forward if that is really the case. Apparently the train will leave from the Fullerton station. Not sure why they didn't choose Union Station? I thought there wasn't enough capacity for passenger rail through the Cajon pass. Maybe it's possible because there are only two trains in each direction per week. With their given schedule, they'll have to have two train sets that just sit there most of the time. I guess tickets will be expensive. |
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Post by James Fujita on Sept 4, 2012 15:22:48 GMT -8
Fullerton Station has ample parking... Unlike 1,000 passengers/hour potentially arriving via the Purple, Gold and Red Lines..... The X-Train website shows Metrolink lines, all aimed for Fullerton. They are probably aiming more at Orange County and Inland Empire than at Los Angeles or the Westside. Also, it's possible they couldn't get an open berth at Union Station. I seem to recall there's also a siding at Fullerton that could be used for a weekends-only train such as the X-Train. |
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Post by rubbertoe on Sept 4, 2012 20:26:04 GMT -8
Unlike 1,000 passengers/hour potentially arriving via the Purple, Gold and Red Lines..... The X-Train website shows Metrolink lines, all aimed for Fullerton. They are probably aiming more at Orange County and Inland Empire than at Los Angeles or the Westside. Also, it's possible they couldn't get an open berth at Union Station. I seem to recall there's also a siding at Fullerton that could be used for a weekends-only train such as the X-Train. James, I was reading another article on the Xpress West train, I might have even linked to it here, don't remember. Their CEO said a lot of the SoCal to Vegas travelers were from the Inland Empire, which was why they chose Victorville as the terminus. That could also be why Xtrain chose Fullerton as their departure point. It will be a nice narrative to follow over the next few months as the plans hopefully come together. RT |
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Post by matthewb on Sept 5, 2012 7:51:53 GMT -8
James, I was reading another article on the Xpress West train, I might have even linked to it here, don't remember. Their CEO said a lot of the SoCal to Vegas travelers were from the Inland Empire, which was why they chose Victorville as the terminus. That could also be why Xtrain chose Fullerton as their departure point. It will be a nice narrative to follow over the next few months as the plans hopefully come together. RT Given the limited number of trips for X-Train, I can see both Xpress West and X-Train being complementary. It sounds like X-Train will be a limited investment, low ridership operation, while Xpress West will ultimately link to Union Station and have much more frequent service. There will be a balance of time, cost, and type of experience that will come down in favor of different options for different people. X-Train could be more attractive to someone from OC who wants to rent a stripper champagne car for an epic bachelor party, while Xpress West might be a more attractive option for someone from San Bernardino who wants to drink a beer while having a stress free ride to a Cirque du Soleil show. Either way, though, I don't expect I would likely ride either one, unless I were to take Xpress West from a future LAUS extension to a conference in Las Vegas. |
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Post by James Fujita on Sept 5, 2012 23:58:08 GMT -8
I must admit the X-Train is a case where I support a train that I wouldn't necessarily ride myself — I'm not a fan of Vegas. However, from a more pragmatic point of view, it is ridiculous that Vegas hasn't had passenger service since the Desert Wind shut down.
If they advertise themselves right, X-Train joins the list of Amtrak-era private passenger rail services from Auto-Train to the Ski Train. It would certainly be interesting to photograph the thing.
The Xpress West is a different story, as they seem to be aiming for somewhere in the area of Acela-level of semi-HSR. That would make it more interesting that the conventional rail that the X-Train would offer.
Before the Blue Line, there was the San Diego Trolley and before the San Pedro Red Car Line there were the Red Cars in Perris. I would imagine rail fans would flock to the first high-speed rail line in California.
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The Las Vegas to Anaheim Maglev project never made much sense. The route is short enough than even 150 mph max speeds will be faster than flying between LA and LV (the train to LAX would take about 2.5 hours), and Anaheim would be only 20 minutes longer by 110 mph HSR.
