As Las Vegas residents know, there's been talk for a long time about some type of high-speed rail between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Now it appears that Brightline West has received government funding to go ahead with the construction and try to have it finished by the time the Olympics arrive in Los Angeles in 2028. But it's not even going to Los Angeles!
As someone who drives that road frequently between Las Vegas and San Diego to see my mother and other relatives, I know the roads need to be improved, but high-speed rail is not the way to go. At this point, I can drive down to my mother's house on one tank of gas. I can also bring my dog, extra clothes and anything else that I might need to bring down to my mom's house, or bring back from her house. None of that would be possible if I were to use a high-speed train.
And the estimated ticket prices are a joke. Over $400 for a trip I can make, even with Biden gas prices, for $150?!!! And here's some breaking news the elites can't comprehened: Most people who come up from California ride with friends, thereby splitting the expenses. Duh. That doesn't happen with high-speed rail. So four people now would pay $1600 instead of about $50 each to come up to Vegas? Yep.
They say you'll be able to get from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga in two hours. I can already get to Rancho Cucamonga in probably close to three hours without having to wait at a rail depot to get on the train, or have to park my car and pay for parking, or have somebody else drop me off. Not to mention the fact that if I get down to lovely Rancho Cucamonga, I will still have to drive another hour and a half to my mother's house in some other vehicle. So will anyone else who wants to get to LA or San Diego. Another wait for a rental car or an expensive Uber?? No way. Are they serious?
For the vast majority of people, this is not going to be cost-effective or time saving in any way. What this will do is provide some overpaid jobs for a bunch of people for a period of time, add construction to the existing nightmare the I-15 can already become, especially on a holiday weekend, and never be completed.
As I mentioned in a previous podcast after seeing the disaster one overturned truck can cause, which in July caused thousands to be stranded for 44 hours in 100+ degree heat, clearly much needs to be done for that corridor. What we need is at least one additional lane on each side of the I-15 from Nevada state line to Barstow. That would help tremendously. Yes it would be inconvenient while construction was going on, but that will also be the case with high-speed rail.
Even with the addition of high-speed rail, there should be a third lane built. California has no motivation to do so, since all it would do is make it easier for their people to leave California to come to Las Vegas. They have tribal casinos in California and really don't want people spending their money in Las Vegas.
What I am predicting is a debacle that could potentially cause tremendous financial damage to Las Vegas because people simply won't come here if they have to face an 8 or 9 hour drive every time they come up for the next several years, while construction is going on. And that long drive will no longer be limited to holidays or peak times.
When I go down to my mom's house, I always avoid the peak traffic days and times. Because my schedule is flexible these days, I leave on Tuesday in the morning, getting through Riverside well before afternoon traffic, and I come back either Saturday morning or Monday morning very early so as to avoid traffic through Riverside and Rancho Cucamonga, depending on which freeway I take home. But with the upcoming constrcution, even careful plannning won't help.
Brightline is planning to operate 50 trains per day, 25, North and 25 South. So what? By the way, Brightline in Florida lost about $200 million last year. Why are we always suckers for this garbage? WE will be inconvenienced for a train most of us won't use or can't afford to use, and WE the taxpayers will pay the bill for any "cost overruns" or revenue losses. Again.
I'm from Vegas - I know a sucker's bet when I see it.
Heidi Harris
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