It has been asked by forum members, residents of California and Nevada, as well as Washington law makers. What is the purpose of Harry Reid's DesertXpress…aka the train to nowhere?

High speed rail developers had a Rail Ahead Conference at the Bellagio today to discuss all aspects of high speed rail plans, especially the DesertXpress. It would link a station near Mandalay Bay to Victorville California in an 85 minute trip.

Early promotions claimed a link between LA and Las Vegas, because further expansion would extend beyond Victorville CA to Palmdale and beyond.

Now, it seems the promotions are about jobs and the Californians near Victorville who are frustrated with driving on I-15. There is more play on bringing California tourist dollars into Nevada than getting a transportation link between major points.

Another thing is that they are blaming the high cost on antiquated red tape for rail approval laws that were not written for 21st century travel.

DesertXpress hopes to have it trains rolling in 2016.

It seems like a very expensive project to pay for now in hopes of using it in 5 years. (Kinda like our rest areas in California, although they weren's that long in realization of use.) I would like to commend Nevada on their highways and speed of construction of buildings, etc. When I travel over a back highway in California, full of rough areas, potholes, etc. that jar me and my car and I curse California most of the way until I cross the line into Nevada and it all smoothes out, becomes a 4-lane, divided highway and is so serene and bumpless. Kinda makes me want to visit Las Vegas more often.

Build it and they will come, doesn't always work, just look at the monorail, linking the casinos. IMPO

The SEMA show was in town last week. It is one of the largest conventions in Las Vegas. I used the monorail from the MGM to the convention center and back a few times. There are less trains on the tracks which creates longer wait times and more crowded trains.

In once instance when I was paying attention, I went into the convention center station to go to the MGM. A northbound train came and went. That same train stopped at the LV Hilton, the Sahara, back to the Hilton, and that was our Southbound train.

This isn't helping their cause.

The Feds have given Harry Reid's choo choo another blind stamp of approval as the BLM granted permanent use rights for approx 821 acres of public land. This is in addition to the approval from the Surface Transportation Board and the US DOT Railroad Administration. The secret sauce of $5 billion in federal money is still being sought for the train set which includes 2 lanes of track 185 miles long.

Just keep this little fun fact in the back of your head. The "projected" ticket costs to ride the train will AVERAGE $50.