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What ever happened to the so called high speed Los Angeles to Las Vegas service that was supposed to happen a year or two ago? Where is the equipment? What happened to the money Amtrak supposedly spent on upgrading the route? Just curious - missed riding the Desert Wind and would like to see something on the route.
Posts: 8 | From: San Diego, CA USA | Registered: May 2002
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Mr. Gas Pumps, This topic comes up every so often so if you do a search of old posts you should find the earlier comments. My understanding is: 1. The Talgo equipment that was planned for this route is currently running in the Seattle-Portland area. 2. The second UP track over Cima Hill has not yet been built. It was held up for capital funds and environmental concerns (desert tortoise). Not sure if either of those were ever settled. 3. Auto Club was persuaded by Amtrak's marketing, because they re-drew the UP line to Las vegas on their maps. Listings under Rail Service state that it is 'pending'. 4. I don't know where the Las Vegas station will be but it probably will not return to the downtown Plaza (formerly Union Plaza). The Plaza still has all the Amtrak hallway markings and signs on its ground floor.
MP
Posts: 874 | From: South Bay (LA County), Calif, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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I hear UP nixed the use of Talgos because the are articulated. I guess they were worried a bad car would screw up an entire consist in the middle of the desert. I'm not sure of teh details. As I understand it the plan now is to use Surfliners, assuming this thing goes anywhere.
On a related note, the Coast Daylight is still in the works. Originally scheduled to start up in 2001, California's budget problems resulting from the electricity crisis (thank you Enron) have put it off until 2003 or 2004.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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The second UP track over Cima Hill has not yet been built. It was held up for capital funds and environmental concerns (desert tortoise)
The Feb 2002 edition of Trains Magazine had an article on that, to the effect that the environmental studies were now complete and that building the second track was actually the "environmentally preferred option" over leaving the line single-track.
If they're going to use Surfliners, I wonder if they'll find a way to get them to run at 125 mph...?? The Talgos, with the right locomotion, would be able to run much faster.
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