CA's Rail Plan: MagLev Here We Come

The Southern California Association of Government (SCAG) and the state's High Speed Rail Authority are bumping heads over competing plans for high speed rail. SCAG's $4.8 billion proposal for a high-speed "magnetic levitation" train would be paid through fares, and the infrastructure would be financed through an unusual but innovative mechanism. The State Rail Authority, which has its own plans for a San Francisco to San Diego high speed rail line, has raised doubts about the SCAG plan and projections.Los Angeles is one of seven US cities who has submitted a proposal to the Federal Rail Administration to develop the nation's first maglev train. The train would run on an 82-mile elevated rail line at speeds of up to 240 miles per hour.