Passenger Trains > Trains Newswire on BrightLine West

I do not subscribe to Trains but I got through to this article:

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/10/26-las-vegas-high-speed-project-rebranded-brightline-west-launches-website-on-construction

 

GO Brightline!!!

I havent spent time in LAS in years.    Hoping they put together train/hotel packages... and make it to at least palmdale so I can take Metrolink right up from Burbank.

Yes, I know the the initial plan is only to Victorville, all u naysayers dont have to tell me....  But hoping as this progresses, they will have some way to get to vegas without me having to drive or take a bus from downtown or the SF valley.

Biggest roadblock is going to be selling the bonds.  They will obviously get a junk rating, but if Brightline in FL at least appears to be a viable RR, maybe they will get the money....
 

Does that mean they would use the same sort of rolling stock as they have in Florida ? 

Last I heard they were planning to go electric for the LAS train, but that could change, obviously.

i think it would be quicker to drive before taking metrolink as PART of any journey to vegas from the l.a. basin..........

66

 

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i think it would be quicker to drive before taking
> metrolink as PART of any journey to vegas from the
> l.a. basin..........
>
> 66
>
>  


Depends on traffic

Posted from Android

goduckies Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> goneon66 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > i think it would be quicker to drive before
> taking
> > metrolink as PART of any journey to vegas from
> the
> > l.a. basin..........
> >
> > 66
> >
> >  
>
>
> Depends on traffic
>
> Posted from Android

laupt to palmdale on metrolink is 2 hrs.  add at least a 30 minute drive to laupt IF you are lucky.

any metrolink service from laupt to victorville would be but it would be at least 3 hrs along with the 30 minute drive to laupt.

the numerous times i drove from the south bay/torrance area to vegas, i left AFTER 0900 hrs.  as long as there were no accidents, it was 2 hr 15 minute drive to barstow.

66

pdt Wrote:
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> Last I heard they were planning to go electric for
> the LAS train, but that could change, obviously.

with electric cal train, cahsr, vegas hsr, will california's electric grid handle the extra demand? 

66

Id rather relax on a train for 3 hours than drive for 1.  And if u live in the SFV, theres no need to gio to LAUPT

goneon66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pdt Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Last I heard they were planning to go electric
> for
> > the LAS train, but that could change,
> obviously.
>
> with electric cal train, cahsr, vegas hsr, will
> california's electric grid handle the extra
> demand? 
>
> 66

Please, do not introduce common sense into the discussion.

The obvious answer is NO, unless electrical generation, storage and distribution is greatly increased.

jst3751 Wrote:
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> The obvious answer is NO, unless electrical
> generation, storage and distribution is greatly
> increased.

It's always the same thing. Let's take the part of today that will not work tomorrow, assume that nobody has thought about changing that part of today, and then pronounce with authority that it can't be done. I was repeatedly told by the experts that the minimum passenger train running time between Seattle and Vancouver BC would be 5h30m. 4h or less is impossible (for a while the Cascades were doing it in 3h50m, last I looked it's 4h as thjings have....mmmmm....slippedm let's say.  Seattle - Portland was never going to be less than 3h55m. Nobody would ever ride a commuter train between Tacoma and Seattle.  Passenger tains would confiscate BN's railroad and BN would go bankrupt. The ports of Seattle, Tacoma, Longview, and Kalama would lose all their business and close because of passenger trains. West Coast Express in Vancouver BC would never need to expand. They'd be lucky if anybody rode the train. Mexico doesn't have enough electricity for a new electric commuter service in the Mxico City area. In every case, folks have chosen the part that isn't there, proclaimed that nobody thought of it, and it will never work.

I used to love sitting in meetings with the self-proclaimed experts to go over a planning report that nobody in the meeting ever looked at and merely cite page numbers in response to all of the objections. Used to - It has become a bore, actually.

TAW

How will BrightLine fund all of this new construction? IIRC they aren't exactly financially solvent.

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Please, do not introduce common sense into the
> discussion.
>
> The obvious answer is NO, unless electrical
> generation, storage and distribution is greatly
> increased.

thanks.  that makes sense to me............

66

i think the target markets for any hsr system to vegas should include passengers from these 3 stops: eastern/southern los angeles county (laupt?), orange county (fullerton/anaheim), and san berdoo or riverside.

an hsr system that enters the los angeles basin over/through cajon would serve those 3 target markets.

that said, here is what COULD lure me out of my vehicle in victorville into hsr to vegas: 

#1 LOW fares

#2 the terminus in vegas CLOSE to my hotel to avoid taxi fees and the hassle and time of ground transport...............

66








 

goneon66 Wrote:

> #2 the terminus in vegas CLOSE to my hotel to
> avoid taxi fees and the hassle and time of ground
> transport...............

The proposed terminal is not close to many hotels at all.  Mandalay Bay would be the closest of the strip hotels to the station, and even that is about the same distance as a cab trip from the airport.