U.S. funding for maglev isn't a lock -- Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Baltimore vying

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Sunday, April 14, 2002 | Karen MacPherson

[Willie Green]

WASHINGTON -- Transportation planners in Pittsburgh and Baltimore are working to meet a November deadline for refining their proposals to build the first U.S. high-speed magnetic levitation train system. But it's still not clear either will get the necessary federal funding.

[Willie Green]

U.S. Petroleum & Crude Oil Overview
(thousand barrels per day)

	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000
U.S. Crude Oil Production	7,035	7,804	9,637	8,375	8,597	8,971	7,355	6,560	5,834
U.S. Petroleum Imports	1,815	2,468	3,419	6,056	6,909	5,067	8,018	8,835	11,093
Total	8,850	10,272	13,056	14,431	15,506	14,038	15,373	15,395	16,927
Imports as % of Total	20.5	24.0	26.2	42.0	44.6	36.1	52.2	57.4	65.5

During Don Young's 30+ years in Congress, U.S. dependence on imported oil has increased from 26% to over 65%. With increasing frequency, with have been drawn into utilizing military action to secure these foreign sources. And most recently, we've had to avenge the deaths of 3000 of our fellow citzens slaughtered on our native soil in a terrorist plot masterminded by a religious zealot financed by OPEC monies.

Yet this Alaskan congresscritter persists in abusing his position of power to obstruct and delay construction of energy efficient mass transportation systems that would reduce our petro-dependency. The Las Vegas / Los Angeles route may eventually merit construction, however it has already been eliminated from contention as the initial project because it falls short of elements necessary to prove the capabilities of this modern technology:

Federal officials choose practicality
over novelty for demonstration train

by Michael Squires
Sunday, January 21, 2001
The Las Vegas Review-Journal

Nevada's high-speed magnetic levitation train proposal didn't make the cut in the U.S. Department of Transportation's billion dollar beauty contest this week. The agency instead selected Pennsylvania and Maryland as finalists for designation as the national maglev demonstration project.

Everyone with a stake in Nevada's entry is disappointed and vowing to fight on, but I can't imagine too many were surprised. Looking at the seven entries from the point of view of the decision makers, we weren't even a contender for Miss Congeniality.

Federal officials said that compared with the other projects Nevada's proposal lacked a certain, shall we say, purpose for being.

One of those decision makers, Arnold Kupferman, maglev program manager at the railroad administration, didn't sugarcoat his take on the project's weaknesses: "We would want it (the demonstration project) to be more than a novelty. It's (the Nevada proposal) an attraction.

"It's something people would ride because it's there. It's like going to see the volcano or the pirate ship."

Instead of novelty, the Transportation Department wanted utility. And judging by their selections, they got it.

Maryland's train would run from the center of one large city, Baltimore, to a busy international airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, then to center of another large city, Washington, D.C.

Pittsburgh's also would serve an international airport from its downtown and provide commuters in its eastern suburbs a very quick trip to work.

Then there is Nevada's entry. It would have run from the center of a bustling city, Las Vegas, to a grouping of casinos and an outlet mall on the otherwise deserted border of California and Nevada.

Railroad administration officials probably imagined the train's destination looking like the set of an old western movie, complete with a few rolling tumbleweeds. A gambler's train to nowhere, perhaps, in the view of authorities doling out almost $1 billion in federal funds for the project. However they imagined it, it didn't fit into their vision for maglev.

Federal officials also had problems with Nevada's ridership estimates. The California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission claimed 32,000 people would ride the train each day. Many of these people would ostensibly have been Southern Californians who drove the three or four hours to Primm, then abandon their cars and paid $30 to ride a train the last 40 miles to Las Vegas. Or tourists at Las Vegas' lush resorts who would ride it out of curiosity.

Again federal officials had a hard time believing that many tourists would be saying, "Honey, what do you say we take a fast ride out to Primm and look at the outlet mall."

Despite the setback, no one on the Nevada team is quitting. At least they're not saying it publicly.

If they do continue to develop the project and want the Transportation Department to seriously consider bankrolling it, then they might reflect on another statement Kupferman made about Nevada's proposal.

"We were concerned that it did not serve a transportation purpose," he said. "Obviously, if it was built to Barstow, or say Anaheim, it would serve a purpose."

To be a contender for federal money, Nevada's train must connect Las Vegas with populated areas of California -- provided there is a functioning electrical socket to plug the thing into on that end.

Granted, Nevada maglev officials have always touted their train as the first segment of a Los Angeles-Las Vegas maglev route. Apparently federal officials want a little more from that first segment.

Sen. Harry Reid, while disappointed that Nevada wasn't selected, could understand federal railroad official's thinking on this point.

"I agree with them. We have to get back to where we are talking about a maglev from Las Vegas to Southern California," he said. "I think that we have to go for the whole enchilada."

Don Young's attempts to revisit the Las Vegas project at this point in time can only be viewed as an attempt to postpone and delay construction of ANY system. As such, he performs a tremendous disservice to our nation by placing his personal agenda ahead of our nation's need for efficient mass transportation and reduced dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Don Young is the problem, not the solution.
He should be evicted from Congress during the next election.

[ikka]

Why not instead work at passing laws that stop hobbling the railroads?

Defund Amtrak, break up the incredibly powerful railroad unions, and make it easier overall for new railroad construction to proceed (no more 3 year wait for the yellow bellied warbling beetle environmental study).

Then let the free market have at it.

[Petronski]

Give it up, Willie. The Balwash route has too much clout.

[Willie Green]

Give it up, Willie. The Balwash route has too much clout.

My personal preference would be to fund and accelerate construction of all the routes under consideration.

However, as things are currently shaping up, BalWash is beginning to encounter severe NIMBY-ism in Maryland: Howard makes tracks to oppose Maglev plan

This actually enhances Pittsburgh's opportunity to be the initial project selected: Pittsburgh region has what it takes for maglev

It is also why Don Young is seeking to resurrect the inferior Nevada proposal: to delay, undermine and side-track efforts to implement effective mass-transportation.

Don Young = Alaskan Taliban

[John Jamieson]

Cheaper to go to Mars. More people will pay to ride it too.

[Willie Green]

Cheaper to go to Mars. More people will pay to ride it too.

NASA's glory days are over.
The dimwit elitists don't have the brains to collect a $20 million passenger fare even when it's offered to them.
NASA should be defunded and privatized.
They can secure financing for their space-dreams from PBS (National Geographic & NOVA) or The Discovery Channel.
Federal funding is best spent on mass-transportation that EVERYBODY can ride, not just a bunch of overblown carnival rides for the NASA elite.

[John Jamieson]

You've got some good points there Willie.....It's hard to disagree on things like Space Station.

On the other subject: Mag Levs that stop every 10-15 miles will never achieve any reasonable speed. Local routes need modern conventional trains, or buses. None of these proposed routes has high enough potential ridership to demonstrate anything but total economic failure.

You're appearently as excited about Mag Lev as I was about space in the 60's. Good, I like "Monomaniacs with a Mission".

Why don't you put together a proposal that makes good sense like a New York to LA route with, say 10 stops, 300mph. Most riders wouldn't go all the way, but it would make a great backbone for the country. The second golden spike. Long distances allow high speed operation and would connect major hubs. Cost would about $1,500 billion or so.

Short demonstration projects are just local pork and are not needed as we can easily see the rest of the world's current results.

[Willie Green]

Mag Levs that stop every 10-15 miles will never achieve any reasonable speed. Local routes need modern conventional trains, or buses....
Why don't you put together a proposal that makes good sense like a New York to LA route with, say 10 stops, 300mph....
Short demonstration projects are just local pork and are not needed as we can easily see the rest of the world's current results....

High-Speed Ground Transportation (HSGT) systems, such as high-speed rail and Maglev, are designed to be time competitive with air and/or auto on a door-to-door basis for trips in the approximate range of 100 to 500 miles. This is market-based, not a speed based definition. It recognizes that the opportunities and requirements for HSGT differ markedly among different pairs of cities.

In particular, Maglev can travel at speeds up to 300 mph and can accelerate from zero to 200 mph in three miles. This makes it feasible to conveniently service 2 or 3 stops in major metro areas (spaced 10-15 miles apart) without hindering performance for longer distance travel in the 100-500 mile range. All three of the projects discussed in this article envision future expansion to accommodate the longer distances: Las Vegas/Prim would be extended to LA, Pittsburgh would be extended to Philly, Baltimore-Washington could be extended up and down the Eastern Seaboard. All would provide much faster travel than the same distance traveled by car. And though slightly slower than short-hop air-travel, it would be more energy efficient while increasing ridership with the added convenience of more destinations/stops.

Transcontinental travel from NY to LA is not envisioned as the market for HSGT to address. While it may be feasible, some day, to travel that route, longer distances such as that would still be more efficient (time and fuel) to be traveled by air.

The short (40-50 mile) "demonstration" projects are a financially responsible means of proving the technology's real-world costs, capabilities and advantages prior to committing to the larger system.