Sen. Harry Reid is taking a lot of heat for his failure to secure the federal funds. It also appears that the privately-developed Desert Xpress train from Victorville may have diverted attention away from the slower maglev proposal.
Steve Tertreault writes, "The maglev project involving Las Vegas, which has been in planning since 1988, encountered a setback last summer when Reid, who had been its chief patron in Congress, said he would wait no longer for progress and announced he was switching his support to Desert XPress.
Reid said at the time he would seek to redirect a $45 million earmark that he had placed in a 2005 transportation bill for maglev, on the grounds the project was not prepared to spend the funds."
Comments
NV Maglev China Funding
The $7B China bank funding for maglev is huge, I for one am extremely impressed. The US banks are only interested in making a profit, not actually HELPING this nation to rebuild! So look who's willing to take a risk to help Nevada . . . china! When I look at how inept that US banks are, given the recent mis-management and collapses, I am ashamed to be an American! Thank goodness the entrepreneurial spirit still exists somewhere in this world! I am even more ashamed at our elected/appointed politicians, Reid, Berkley & Gibbons, Aguilera arguing about forms, applications, funding, blab bla . . . sorry guys that is not the collaborative spirit here, it does not get things done! Now if the US government will not step up to the plate and offer some, not all, but some guarantees, I will start voting the incumbents out!
Can Private Sector Build this HSR?
I had not know about the Desert Xpress before reading this article.
I hope they can do it - it would be a blessing for all HSR in this country. Here in CA, HSR opponents claim the private sector won't step up to the plate - and without the private investment, the SF-LA HSR won't be built.
Irvin Dawid, Palo Alto, CA