It's not a socialist state project, like the CAHSRA fiasco, so they'll pencil out what they need to, to make it work for those putting up the money.

The LA-LV route I saw is not flat directly along portions of I-15, but it' not the Sierra's, either. I don't recall grades of more than 3%, for all but a few segments (which are more efficiently doable with electric propulsion, but doable none the less with sufficient HPT with a diesel locomotive). And, an "inferior" speed of 125 mph. will be just fine compared to my last weekend trip back from Vegas, to even Victorville..... You haven't lived until you've spent an extra hour and a half in stop and go traffic on I-15, in the middle of the desert.

So what, if Virgin chooses to use off the off the shelf "evil" inferior Siemens Tier IV 125 diesel for operating the service, if it pencils out. Why would the State of Nevada care? If Branson was to spend investor money to do this and bring folks to have their pockets picked in Vegas, would the State care, it picks their pocket, so they don't have to tax their citizens as much.

It's up to Branson to make his investors happy with a service that attracts enough riders, willing to buy tickets, that are sufficient to cover operating and capital investment costs, and still make those investors, including himself, a profit. This project is not a giant socialist wealth transfer from my pocket to well healed political contributors, like the CAHSRA "runaway money train". The Brightline project is instead based on a strange concept called capitalism.

And, how many EIR's or EIS's have you seen done? Down scoping a project that has already been cleared, and is essentially doing the same thing, with the same proposed route, should be relatively straight forward. And if they are not seeking loan guarantees and using strictly private financing, I can't think of any reason the a competent team could have this project revived and under contract within 2-3 years.

Now, will the nattering nutty Nimby's of the purest perfectionism whine about Tier VI diesels...? Well, of course they will.. Does a bear $hit in a National Park? They will all get in their prius's, making sure to add to rush hour traffic, to come to the meeting, howling and chanting, to protest the terrible evil that this despicable evil "Thomas" and his sinister friend "Devious Diesel" are trying to pull.

Of course, if we let that kind of nuttery continue to prevail, and guide our public discourse, then we're all screwed anyway...

If they build to the current standards and track designs for 140 to 160 mph., then they can operate with diesel at 125 mph., generate cash flow, test the markets, and decide for themselves, if and when higher speeds are required. They can decide, as a privately financed company, if they want to spend the additional "marginal cost" of the extra $10-20 million a mile to "wire up", and if it would be "worth it" to "return on investment", like the evil capitalist's that they are...right?

But, I'm a dinosaur, left over from the late cretaceous, I know that in upside down world, where the tails wag the dogs, that we increasingly find ourselves in these days...that none of that logic applies anymore....does it?