trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Even if they COULD get everything together with
> the railroads and secure enough capital, the
> environmentalists are sure to come out of the
> woodwork and kill it off. Wasn't it the desert
> tortoise, or some other desert creature, that was
> at the center of the environmental issues that
> killed off the reintroduction of the Desert Wind?

Well, for whatever it's worth, I can tell you this. I attended a TRAC meeting in San Diego two years ago, and one of the guest speakers was Richard Phelps (VP at Amtrak). He talked about Amtrak service to Las Vegas, and he was VERY clear about what stood in the way of passenger train service. He told us that there were NO environmental concerns and that the desert tortoise issue was "locked in" and was no longer an issue. He told us that the sole issue was equipment---and Amtrak did not have anything to spare.

I don't know if something has changed in the last two years, but straight from the horse's mouth, he assured us that an EIR or other concerns were no longer a problem.