Friday, June 6, 2008

The Most Vital Infrastructure in America

WASHINGTON (AP) - Plans for a levitating train from Las Vegas to Disneyland can move forward under a transportation bill signed by President Bush on Friday that frees up $45 million for the futuristic project.

Derided by critics as pie in the sky, the train would use magnetic levitation technology to carry passengers from Disneyland to Las Vegas in well under two hours, traveling at speeds of up to 300 mph.

2 comments:

Fungster said...

The train is meant to ease traffic on increasingly clogged Interstate 15, the main route for the millions of Southern Californians who make the 250-plus-mile drive to Las Vegas each year. There is no train on the route—Amtrak's Desert Wind between Los Angeles and Las Vegas was canceled in 1997 because of low ridership.

Having been on the TGV and the Shinkansen, Fung is a big fan of the fast trains. Those are on regular (well, slightly modified, but regular nontheless) tracks. Why can't we get fast trains on regular tracks here? Maglev may be the future, but how can the start on a route that they don't even run now?

Trains need to make a comeback. We need investment in railroads. Dis ain't it.

Jason said...

Obviously, Fung, you are not a rich, politically connected, dissolute doofus.