Local News in Brief : Countywide : Supervisors Approve Fast-Train Resolution

A resolution proposing construction of a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California, with a possible stop in Anaheim, was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Don R. Roth, the county’s representative on the California-Nevada High Speed Train Commission, wants the rail line to run between Las Vegas and Anaheim.

The $3-billion proposed project would be an “economic boon” because it “would link two of the nation’s biggest tourist meccas,” Orange County and Las Vegas, Roth said.

About 16 million people a year visit Las Vegas, and another 35 million come to Orange County, making such a rail line an attractive way to generate more tourism locally. The high-speed train, which could average 250 m.p.h., could whisk travelers between Las Vegas and Anaheim in 70 minutes, Roth said.

Most often mentioned as a possible county terminal for the train is Anaheim Stadium, though no final decision has been made.

“It’s conceivable that a group of businessmen attending a convention in Nevada could board the train in Las Vegas late in the afternoon and comfortably make an Angels game that night,” Roth suggested.

At Roth’s urging, the supervisors adopted the resolution in support of the high-speed train. Roth said it is important that the county is an “early and loud” proponent of the project to offset the interest other Southern California cities and counties may show in the rail line.