Report Gives Anaheim Edge as Las Vegas Rail Terminus

A consultant’s report released Friday gives a strong edge to Anaheim over the north San Fernando Valley and other communities proposed as the Southern California terminus for a $4-billion, high-speed train to Las Vegas.

Ridership for an Anaheim-to-Las Vegas line is projected to be as much as 5.7 million people a year versus a maximum of 2.3 million annually for a line between Nevada and either Sylmar or Mission Hills, according to consultants hired by the California-Nevada Super Speed Ground Transportation Commission.

An Ontario-to-Las Vegas line would generate a maximum of 4.3 million riders annually, the report said.

The commission was created a year and a half ago by the California and Nevada legislatures to examine the high-speed train proposal, which has been promoted strongly by Las Vegas officials and Transrapid, a European firm that is developing a magnetically levitated train and test track in West Germany.

The report comes just as Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and City Council President John Ferraro have stepped up lobbying on behalf of the Valley terminus.

Relieve Airport Congestion

Los Angeles officials favor the train primarily as a way to ferry airline passengers to and from the city-owned Palmdale Air Terminal to relieve congestion at Los Angeles International and Burbank airports.

The report was released late Friday by Orange County Supervisor Don R. Roth, who is a commission member and the leading booster of Anaheim as the Southern California terminus. Roth, a former Anaheim mayor, said he was delighted with the consultant’s findings. “Tourism was obviously an important factor,” he said, referring to Disneyland and other Orange County attractions that would generate ridership. “It appears that we are way out in front.”

Los Angeles officials could not be reached for comment Friday evening.

Earlier in the day, William Bicker, Bradley’s transportation deputy, said: “The mayor has told me twice lately that he is very serious about this, and he wants it.”

Another city official, who asked to remain anonymous, said regardless of what the commission recommends, the final route must be approved by the Legislature. “I think we have the votes there,” the official said. “We sure have the votes to block another route.”

Legislative approval is required because the train, although constructed entirely with private funds, would be built in the right of way of Interstate 15 most of the way to Las Vegas.

Using the consultant’s findings as a basis, the bistate commission is expected to select a route at an Oct. 27 meeting in Los Angeles.

Although the report said an Anaheim terminus would generate more than twice as many passengers as a line originating in the Valley, the two rival routes are close in the number of commuters they would draw.

A separate commuter service between Anaheim and Ontario, using the same tracks as the high-speed train, would draw 433,000 round-trip riders annually, the report said. A similar commuter train service between the north Valley and Palmdale would draw 418,000 riders, the consultants said.

The anticipated round-trip fare to Las Vegas from Anaheim would be $104, about two-thirds of the current air fare, according to the report.

The Anaheim proposal has been endorsed by the Orange and San Bernardino county boards of supervisors and the Anaheim and Ontario city councils. It is widely viewed as a means to relieve heavy commuter congestion between plants and offices in Orange County and new housing tracts in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Despite the new resolve of Los Angeles officials, the bistate commission, which has eight members from each state, appeared to be leaning strongly toward Anaheim even before release of the consultant’s report.

Paul Taylor, the commission’s executive director, said this week that he “would not be a bit surprised” if newspaper reports that 13 of 16 commissioners favor Anaheim turn out to be true.