Study Cites Benefits of Using Palmdale Route for Las Vegas Train

A proposed high-speed train from Las Vegas though Palmdale to Sylmar would be easier, quicker and less expensive to build--but also would have fewer riders--than rival routes ending in Anaheim, according to a study conducted for the city of Palmdale.

A 54-page report comparing route options for the $4-billion system was released by Palmdale city officials Wednesday in hopes it will help keep their city in the running against Anaheim.

“We feel with the data we have acquired, we can present a compelling story that would say, ‘Yes, this is the way to go,’ ” said Palmdale Mayor William (Pete) Knight. The report was conducted by Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall, a Los Angeles engineering firm, and cost $49,600.

City officials said they plan to use the report at Friday’s meeting of the California-Nevada Super Speed Ground Transportation Commission, a panel of officials from both states charged with exploring development of the train system.

The commission was expected to consider choosing between the alternative termination points in Southern California. But Palmdale officials said they will urge the commission instead to ask for opinions from private businesses considering building the 230-mile system.

The Palmdale consultant found that a Palmdale-Sylmar line could be 45% less expensive, completed up to a year sooner and have fewer environmental impacts than the others. It would travel through less-developed areas, likely reducing the cost of obtaining right-of-way and the political and construction snafus that could delay the project or inflate costs, the consultant said.

The route, which would aid Los Angeles’ long-delayed plans to develop a regional airport in Palmdale, had been viewed as an underdog of sorts.

Earlier this month, the commission released a study indicating alternative routes ending in Anaheim would draw 5.7 million and 6.5 million round trips annually by 2000, while a Palmdale-Sylmar line would have just 2.3 million round trips.

The Palmdale report was more optimistic about the Palmdale-Sylmar link, but the projection of 3.76 million round trips by 2000 was still well below those of competing routes.

The Palmdale report also said ridership by 2025 should increase to between 10.4 million and 13.4 million round trips with development of the airport and growth in commuter ridership. The city consultant acknowledged, though, that those longer-range figures still might not exceed those for Anaheim.