Brightline West (XpressWest, DesertXpress) Las Vegas - Victorville - Rancho Cucamanga - LA Proposal

lpetrich wrote: They also still have to decide on a station site in Las Vegas. But in Victorville, they expect to build a 15,000-space parking lot and parking garage; they expect their presence along I-15 to be good advertising for them.

There's no better advertising for HSR than to be driving along and have a high-speed train pass you at 2 or 3 times your speed. That goes double if there's kids in the car: "Hey daddy, let's take the train next time!".

jtr1962 wrote:

lpetrich wrote: They also still have to decide on a station site in Las Vegas. But in Victorville, they expect to build a 15,000-space parking lot and parking garage; they expect their presence along I-15 to be good advertising for them.

There's no better advertising for HSR than to be driving along and have a high-speed train pass you at 2 or 3 times your speed. That goes double if there's kids in the car: "Hey daddy, let's take the train next time!".

That's an experience one can have on the Eurostar between Lille and Paris - passing the crs as though they are stationary.

That's how Orlando-Tampa will be the whole way. When they rebuilt and widened I-4 some ten years ago they left a median wide enough for the rail line.

NE2 wrote:That's how Orlando-Tampa will be the whole way. When they rebuilt and widened I-4 some ten years ago they left a median wide enough for the rail line.

I think they will have to move the road. It would not be suitable to put the rail line in the middle. Safety consideration will need the road and the rail line to be entirely separate. For example, cars sometimes run off a road into the median zone.

Wherever high speed lines are parallel with an existing road they are alongside. One factor in planning this way is that it is easier to get another mode into the land where there is already a noisy area, and thus fewer objections.

Median rail lines are always metros or light rail lines (like the Chicago metro that runs to the airport, or the Docklands light rail in London on the Beckton line).

I assume there will be a fence.

http://www.floridahighspeedrail.org/News___Room_FAQs.html wrote:Years ago the master plan for Interstate 4 was developed with future widening to be done to the outside, purposely preserving the median for a rail/transit corridor.

The HSR system will be fully barrier protected both along the corridor and from overhead structures to prevent intrusion of any kind.

The fence will likely include crash barriers, which are fairly standard.

Getting back to the DesertXPress,

High-Speed Rail to Vegas Hits the Fast Track | NBC Los Angeles

states that they could start work by as soon as this summer, at least if environmental approvals come soon.

lpetrich wrote:Getting back to the DesertXPress,

High-Speed Rail to Vegas Hits the Fast Track | NBC Los Angeles

states that they could start work by as soon as this summer, at least if environmental approvals come soon.

Completion in 4 years - coinciding nicely with rising oil prices!

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/ma ... egin-year/

Chafford1 wrote:

lpetrich wrote:Getting back to the DesertXPress,

High-Speed Rail to Vegas Hits the Fast Track | NBC Los Angeles

states that they could start work by as soon as this summer, at least if environmental approvals come soon.

Completion in 4 years - coinciding nicely with rising oil prices!

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/ma ... egin-year/

The oil price issue is irrelevant as it's hard to envision a scenario in which fares would be less than the price of fuel for the drive from Victorville to Vegas.

In any case, prospective passengers will still have to drive to Victorville.

until the califionian hsr is built .

David Benton wrote:until the califionian hsr is built .

That is a very big IF in the case of Victorville, which is literally the middle-of-nowhere. CHSR is something of a potential house of cards at the moment, as it seems likely that even current rail funding might be pillaged to avert a massive and catastrophic California debt default.

Chafford1 wrote:

lpetrich wrote:Getting back to the DesertXPress,

High-Speed Rail to Vegas Hits the Fast Track | NBC Los Angeles

states that they could start work by as soon as this summer, at least if environmental approvals come soon.

Completion in 4 years - coinciding nicely with rising oil prices!

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/ma ... egin-year/

But theyre talking about fares being 50-100 per person. Thats fine for a single person, but not for multiple people.

And besides, last time I flew to vegas, my airfare was $19 going and $10 returning. They have to compete with Allegient as well.

george matthews wrote:I think they will have to move the road. It would not be suitable to put the rail line in the middle. Safety consideration will need the road and the rail line to be entirely separate. For example, cars sometimes run off a road into the median zone.
Median rail lines are always metros or light rail lines (like the Chicago metro that runs to the airport, or the Docklands light rail in London on the Beckton line).

I disagree. Amtrak long distance trains fit in freeway medians too. I see no reason why a long distance trains can't run down freeway medians. Check out Austin's MoPac Freeway.

UP Tex-Mex freight trains and Amtrak's Texas Eagle use it daily.
YouTube video of the Texas Eagle in the median of the MoPac freeway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg4Zww3KuVo

And NMDOT's Railrunner also runs down the middle of 1-25 too.

YouTube video of the Railrunner in the median of I-25.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx_7K_W4A1I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqJCW6UZw6Q&NR=1
Look closely, you'll see that NMDOT has already graded the corridor for a second track, although a second track isn't needed yet...Also note that guardrails, separating the highway from the rail corridor, aren't legally required, although I'll agree some sort of traffic divider would provide more safety.

electricron wrote:

george matthews wrote:I think they will have to move the road. It would not be suitable to put the rail line in the middle. Safety consideration will need the road and the rail line to be entirely separate. For example, cars sometimes run off a road into the median zone.
Median rail lines are always metros or light rail lines (like the Chicago metro that runs to the airport, or the Docklands light rail in London on the Beckton line).

I disagree. Amtrak long distance trains fit in freeway medians too. I see no reason why a long distance trains can't run down freeway medians. Check out Austin's MoPac Freeway.

UP Tex-Mex freight trains and Amtrak's Texas Eagle use it daily.
YouTube video of the Texas Eagle in the median of the MoPac freeway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg4Zww3KuVo

And NMDOT's Railrunner also runs down the middle of 1-25 too.

YouTube video of the Railrunner in the median of I-25.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx_7K_W4A1I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqJCW6UZw6Q&NR=1
Look closely, you'll see that NMDOT has already graded the corridor for a second track, although a second track isn't needed yet...Also note that guardrails, separating the highway from the rail corridor, aren't legally required, although I'll agree some sort of traffic divider would provide more safety.

Looks dangerous to me. The barriers between road and rail are totally inadequate if a heavy truck lost control.

Like that's any different from a truck crossing the median and striking oncoming *road* traffic?