Re: Les is more....? There have been two projects all along, --But you know that, right?
Yes, but at one point DesertXpress was branded XpressWest.
"XpressWest (formerly known as DesertXpress) is a private venture proposal previously backed by Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel developer Marnell to build a .." [
en.wikipedia.org]
And correct, the X train or Xpress is a different and slow mo system.
As far as I know, the speed for Virgin (Brightline-XpressWest-DesertXpress) is still 140-150mph range isn't it? If anything it could be slower given Virgin's infinity for the slower Siemen's diesels. If they go electric it sure seems odd that they anticipate service so soon and yet haven't decided on what electrics to buy let alone order.
BOB2 Wrote:
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> The confusion is over the dueling similar names.
> The Desert Express is the "inferior" (140 mph
> HSR), which is not fast enough for those who love
> only the "runaway money train" budget busting 250
> mph. to build a new line from Victorville to
> Vegas.
>
> This proposal for a new HS line, now Brightline,
> was planned and financed by competent adults
> working in the interests of their investors
> (unlike the CAHSRA that has been a self serving
> contractor driven gravy train, not apparently
> "accountable" or "responsible" to anybody).
>
> Work on the Desert Express, Virgin/Brightline,
> project has been going on since about 2005
> (IIRC?), and had been looking at the FRA's
> statutory HSR loan guarantees, and potential
> Chinese, Japanese, or European investors for
> financing, using the loan guarantee's (anyone
> vendor will be happy to build anything with loan
> guarantee's...). All of the required work to
> getting permits had been largely done, by the
> previous Desert Express group, up to financing had
> been completed, when this project was "put on
> hold", until Virgin group bought them out. Now,
> after looking at this, Virgin thinks they can
> pencil this out without loan guarantee's. And
> now, we shall see if that is the case....
>
> The Las Vegas Xpress, has been the more of a "rail
> fan" fantasy concept and was always vague as to
> how it would be financed (kind of like the
> east-west Eureka line fantasy time financial
> planning by putting out an optimistic sounding
> occasional press release???) kind of hit and miss
> proposal that always seemed to have a lot of
> "holes" in how this would come together. As I
> said above, this kind of incomplete approach was
> their "hallmark", until recently that is, when
> they announced that they were purportedly in talks
> with Amtrak to get the rights they would need to
> make UP run their train, on UP's tracks...