Thursday, June 12, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.
Your Tuesday editorial headlined “New life for fast train,” on the likely need for a high-speed train between here and either Victorville, Calif., or Anaheim, Calif., is ludicrous. The environmental impact study alone, for just one leg of the route, is $45 million.
Previous estimates have said any likely fare for such a train would be at least $150 to $200. This is after someone has driven his car to Anaheim or Victorville to park it (in what would have to be the world’s largest parking lot) for the privilege of riding an expensive train at least another 90 to 120 minutes to Las Vegas. Then, if passengers want any mobility at all in Las Vegas, they will end up having to rent a car here anyway.
The same estimates also say the line would have to be subsidized to the tune of $10 million to $20 million a year. I seriously doubt the forecasters were predicting that it would be any government on the California side of the border picking up that tab.
Our monorail charges $5 to travel four miles and can’t make a profit. Stop the fantasizing for now on these boondoggles and do the right thing. Start negotiating with California to share in the cost of widening Interstate 15. Consider truck-only lanes, carpool lanes, toll lanes, whatever.
Just please, please, please come back down to earth.
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