China: $7 billion for Las Vegas to Los Angeles maglev train

[LVZ]

China may fund 300mph maglev train from Las Vegas, Nevada to Anaheim, California.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22406495/detail.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5052929,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/01/12/high-speed-rail-in-china/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California-Nevada_Interstate_Maglev
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev_%28transport%29



YOUTUBE (Shanghai maglev train) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4z6PNFvRYI

[ddeclue]

1. OK..then who's going to cough up the money on the east coast for FL HSR - France?

:D

[Statistical]

2. We got your $7B as long as you use Chinese companies for labor and banking.

If CA accepts this deal...

[LVZ]

3. that's a bit paranoid - it is really about showcasing Chinese high technology in the USA

China may be considered the new leader in high tech maglev train technology.

While the USA has let its transportation infrastructure decline, China is making major investments.

What better way to showcase their high tech transportation emergence in the USA?

[Statistical]

5. Paranoid? Did you read it? It couldn't be more clear.

[Las Vegas Mixx]

7. Chinese funding, tech, and suppliers --- American jobs --- win/win

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/22406495/detail.html

The construction of the Maglev from Las Vegas to Anaheim will create 90,000 jobs and has the potential to revitalize the Las Vegas economy immediately by employing thousands of construction workers and in the long term by linking Las Vegas with the ARTIC intermodal transportation hub of Southern California, said spokesman Mark Fierro.

[Statistical]

8. Lose - Lose.

This is how other 3rd world nations are treated and it doesn't usually end up a "win-win" for them.

Granted there will be US jobs but the US jobs are paid for by taxpayers.
Sure there are 90,000 local jobs but how many hundreds of thousands of jobs back in China.

All the profit, expertise, technology, patents remain with China. In the future we will be EVEN MORE dependent on them for technological resources for the next maglev. We will fall further behind as a 'consumer nation'

To add insult to injury they are financing it so we get to pay them interest for decades on top of the profits. $7B financed over 30 years at 6.0% interest is $8.1B or $15.1B total.

[Las Vegas Mixx]

11. Do you oppose investment in American infrastructure or just don't like Chinese? n/t

[Fixed_Based_Operator]

17. That would be sweet!

As long as they serve drinks.

[Tesha]

4. Get used to it -- That's how it works when you're a third-world country (NT)

[Skink]

6. They built the transcontinental railroad for us.

This is just away to get more gamblers to Vegas.

[Lance_Boyle]

10. and should be entirely funded by Vegas, just like the FL HSR boondoggle should

be funded by Disney.

[Las Vegas Mixx]

9. California-Nevada Interstate Maglev Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/California-Nevada-Interstate-Maglev-Project/111312839388

[LVZ]

19. more info from Facebook group's FAQs

What is Maglev?

Maglev (magnetic levitation) is an advanced transportation technology in which magnetic forces lift, propel and guide a vehicle over a guideway. Utilizing special electric power and control systems, this configuration reduces the need for mechanical parts, thereby minimizing resistance and permitting speeds of 300+ mph or more.

Who is developing this project?

Since 1988 the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission (CNSSTC), now in partnership with the American Magline Group (AMG) has been working for the purposes of developing a 269-mile super speed, magnetic levitation “Maglev” train system connecting Southern Nevada and Southern California along the heavily congested I-15 highway corridor from Las Vegas to Anaheim. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) are working together to complete the environmental processes and review which began in 2004. The AMG is a joint venture of General Atomics, MNC & Associates, Parsons and Hirschfeld Steel. This partnership is made of the engineering, planning, legal, financial, research and development, and manufacturing firms dedicated to adapting and deploying Transrapid maglev technology in the United States.

I assume that AMG would have to negotiate about its role in the project if the Chinese bank starts funding for the project.

[LVZ]

12. California-Nevada Superspeed Train Project

http://www.canv-maglev.com/

The California-Nevada Maglev Project will create a brand new industry to the United States and provide the foundation for other corridors throughout the country. The project will also provide significant benefits to both Nevada and California. It will boost the economy, decrease environmental impacts, and provide riders with one of the fastest, safest and most reliable forms of ground transportation in the world.

Job Creation & Economic Benefits: The full corridor of the rail project will create nearly 97,000 total jobs, $12 billion in economic output and $3.4 billion in household income. Benefits also include economic development impact, such as construction, operation and maintenance jobs as well as commercial and residential development around stations or in the adjacent corridor

Environmental Benefits: Maglev technology will contribute to a reduction in emissions, noise and air pollution in this corridor. The technology emits far fewer pollutants than traditional transportation, reducing the CO2 tons per year as compared to other modes of transport. California-Nevada Maglev Project will help ease land consumption issues, impact to wetlands and endangered species as well as community disruption. Maglev provides energy-efficient operation and reduces U.S. reliance on foreign or domestic oil. The complete 269 mile corridor will utilize less than 1% of the presently available electricity on existing grids.

Travel Speed and Trip Time: Transrapid maglev trains run at speeds of over 300 mph, twice that of Amtrak’s fastest commuter train, and will make the full 269 mile trip in less than 90 minutes as opposed to the 3.5 to 8 hours it can take to get from Las Vegas to Anaheim. The ride from Las Vegas to Primm will take only 12 minutes. Transrapid trains can also accelerate quickly to high speeds reaching 300 km/h (185mph) after a distance of only 5km (3miles). Modern high speed trains require at least four times this distance to reach the same speed. The Transrapid Maglev system can therefore be used not only for long distances but also for short and medium distances in metropolitan areas with short intervals between stops.

Capacity of a New Eight-Lane Freeway: Utilizing less than 20% of the land required for a new eight-lane freeway, the California-Nevada Maglev Project system can deliver the equivalent number of passengers as an eight-lane freeway (four lanes in each direction) moving at 60 mph. Operating at 10-minute headways 16 hours per day, the system will deliver 76,800 passengers per day in each direction.

Regional Transportation Benefits: It is estimated that 52 million people will be traveling along the I-15 corridor annually by 2015. Existing I-15 highway and airport service, however, is projected to have a maximum annual capacity of moving only 38 million people. California-Nevada Maglev Project has the opportunity to change the shape of urban development in a metropolitan area projected to grow by at least 30 percent in the next 25 years. The value of reduced congestion and delays on highways from diversion of auto travelers to Maglev is a significant benefit of the California-Nevada Maglev Project on the I-15 corridor roads, and airports. When complete, the train will link three major airports, three major tourist destinations, and some of the largest, fastest-growing regions in the United States. It is the only high speed system available to connect the heavily populated areas of Southern California and Southern Nevada.

Efficiency and Reliability: This innovative technology is already operational in other parts of the world with successful results – an incredible efficiency of 99.85% on-time to schedule. While the average lifespan of steel-on-rail vehicles is about seven years, requiring frequent maintenance, Maglev vehicles are expected to be in service for 30 years or more with minimal maintenance.

Safety: Maglev is considered to be a very safe mode of high-speed ground transportation. The vehicle is designed to wrap around the guideway and therefore cannot be derailed. Only the section of the guideway occupied by the vehicle is electrified, precluding the possibility of two or more vehicles entering the same space. Also, elevated guideways eliminate the need for grade-level crossings, unlike traditional railroads. In case of power failures on board, batteries allow the train to remain levitated so it can be pushed to the nearest station or an evacuation point on the guideway. Since there is no fuel on-board and non-combustible materials are used in construction, there is no fire danger.

[superduperfarleft]

13. Well, sir, there's nothing on earth

Like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car, monorail!

In related news, Anaheim, CA changes its name to North Haverbrook and Las Vegas changes its name to Ogdenville.

[joeybee12]

14. But Main Street's still all cracked and broken!!! n/t

[superduperfarleft]

15. Sorry, joeybee, the mob has spoken. n/t

[joeybee12]

16. And now the chorus - Monorail, Monrail, Monorail!

D-oh! As Homer messes up again.

[name not needed]

23. The ring came off my pudding can!

[ljm2002]

18. Mixed feelings here...

...on the one hand, it's worrisome to have China be the ones supplying the technology. Not because they can't do a good job (they already have this technology up and running in China), but because we ought to be able to do this ourselves.

On the other hand, the funding for the maglev train had dried up, and it looked like the other proposal, a slower high-speed train from Victorville was going to be the one that got implemented, and I never thought that was the best idea.

I really, really want to see the maglev train get built. So for me, on balance, I'm for it, even if we do it with the Chinese.

[LVZ]

20. It is ironic that foreign nations need to jumpstart the rebuilding of our transportation system. n/t

[LVZ]

21. One hour away - Las Vegas could become a virtual suburb to Los Angeles

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/feb/03/backers-maglev-train-say-chinese-bank-prepared-fun/

Fierro said development of the project could be one of the most significant economic events in Las Vegas history, because the city would become a virtual suburb of Los Angeles if trains could make the trip from Anaheim to Las Vegas in just more than an hour.

“People in Los Angeles could come to the Las Vegas Strip for dinner,” Fierro said. “This couldn’t be a more perfect technology for the kind of visitor we’re going to attract.”

...

“It is a very positive development for Nevada’s employment picture and very telling that the financiers who are stepping up to bat are the Chinese, the people most familiar with Transrapid Maglev technology,” Neil Cummings, president of the American Magline Group, said in a press release announcing the loan.

American Magline has contracted with the commission to build the system and is partnering with Transrapid, a German company that built a maglev system operating in Shanghai and has since developed upgrades to the technology that are proposed for the Nevada system.

“In China, it has been operating flawlessly for six years, carrying 20 million passengers over 4.1 million miles,” Cummings said.

[LVZ]

22. Californians weigh in with their opinions ...

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/02/httpwwwlasvegassuncomnews2010feb03backersmaglevtrainsaychinesebankpreparedfun.php
http://laist.com/2010/02/03/high_speed_train_to_vegas_could_be.php#comments

[Yavin4]

24. This Is Fantastic

Maybe this will wake up and shame dumb ass Americans into supporting new mass transit technology.

[walldude]

25. Um excuse me...

I hate to be the um... wrench in the works but do the fucking words Communist, Fascist, Tiananmen Square, Tibet, Human Rights Violations, Sweat Shops, Child Labor, Torture, Political Prisoners, Restricted Speech and Restricted Media mean anything anymore?

People here actually want to reward China with a multi billion dollar contract to work on our transportation infrastructure? Good fucking luck with that.

[LVZ]

26. Are you behind the times or what? China's economic development led to greater citizen freedoms.

China has a long way to go to become a truly democratic society but then so do we. Didn't the Bush years teach us anything about the fragility of our own democracy?

I would bet that you've never been to China. I can tell you that the China of 30 years ago is nothing like China today. Leave your "commie-bashing" boogie-man rhetoric to the GOP. They are much better at it.

[walldude]

27. The China of 30 years ago? You have a short fucking memory..

Tiananmen Square was 10 years ago. The Tibet China conflict is still ongoing. Their human rights are in the toilet. No I haven't been there. But I have friends who have been. Have no desire to go after talking to them. What I got from them was "it was cool but there was something bad beneath the surface, you could feel it".

Call me whatever names you want, I sat there and watched the how Chinese Government handles "dissenters". You want to do business with them go ahead. But don't sit there and tell me how fucking great China is, you might know more about how fucked up it is if the Chinese people were allowed full internet access, free speech, if their press was allowed to speak out freely, if they weren't under constant threat of being jailed or killed for the huge crime of disagreeing with their government.

Yeah you go ahead and do business with the Chinese, I'm sure that they will take your willingness to lick their balls as a sign that they better get their human rights shit together :eyes:

[laughingliberal]

28. Tiananmen Square protests were 1989. That's about 21 years. nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

29. I agree with you but a

Gentle correction, Tiananmen Square was 21 years ago.

[LVZ]

30. walldude, perhaps you need to learn how to read first ...

I said that China of 30 years ago is not the China of today. I could have said 20 years ago or 10 years ago. China has made great strides economically and socially. Freedoms and economic gains that many urban Chinese enjoy today could not be imagined 30 years ago. That did not come about by isolation but through international cooperation, trade and dialog. You seem to be a throwback to the "cold war" mentality or is it something more?

Freedom is not black and white. It is a broad spectrum. There has been both progress and setbacks in China and in the United State. If you think that Americans are truly free, you are naive indeed. In fact, for quite some time we have become hostage to the whims of regressive forces in our own country. We are seeing a creeping "corporate welfare" state, stealing from the middle class and politically powerless and giving to the most privileged and well-connected, become the accepted norm. That is not freedom.