Levitated Commuter Line Proposed for Southland

A Japanese firm told state legislators Friday that it is willing to pay for a $30-million-per-mile, magnetically levitated commuter rail line linking downtown Los Angeles, Orange County and the San Fernando Valley in exchange for rights of way along the freeways and an exclusive operating agreement.

General Manager Eiji Ikeda of the Japanese HSST Corp. told a joint hearing of the Senate Transportation and Appropriations committees here that a five-mile demonstration project on the Santa Ana Freeway in Orange County could operate within 18 months of approval.

He said the sleek, aerodynamic trains would resemble a demonstration model used at Expo ’86 in Vancouver, Canada. Running along freeway routes, it ultimately could move millions of commuters each year to urban centers and both Los Angeles International and John Wayne Airports.

Ikeda acknowledged that though his and other foreign firms have developed magnetically levitated commuter trains, none is operating yet except on test tracks or at exhibitions. State and federal officials reacted cautiously to the proposal, expressing doubt the system was economically feasible.

Pressed on whether financing would be available for a full, 155.6-mile loop around Southern California, Ikeda said, “Money is very much available in Japan, especially right now.”

Moreover, Ikeda said that fares on a completed Southern California system would be less than what Amtrak currently charges for traveling similar distances, such as the $9 one-way ticket price between Santa Ana and Los Angeles.

Ikeda said his firm wants to build the five-mile demonstration link from Santa Ana to Anaheim to “show everyone that it works.”

He added that his firm needs assurances from the state that the environmental clearance process would be speeded up--but not waived--and would need Caltrans’ donation of rights-of-way along the Santa Ana, Golden State and San Diego freeways.

Where medians are not available, Ikeda said, the trains could use freeway shoulders and air space above freeway lanes.

It was environmental concerns, in large part, that doomed a 1981 proposal for a steel-wheeled, high-speed Bullet Train from Los Angeles to San Diego. The HSST train is “free of air and noise pollution, aesthetically pleasing, economical, reliable, safe, requires less energy consumption than other systems,” Ikeda testified.

The Japanese proposal surprised the two senators in attendance at Friday’s hearing--Robert Presley (D-Riverside), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Reuben Ayala (D-Chino), a committee member.

After joking with Ikeda about how fast he might be able to build a system, Presley said: “It’s good to learn that this technology is available to draw on.”

After the hearing, Presley supported the concept of a five-mile demonstration project and called HSST’s technology “far advanced.”

He cautioned that the firm’s request for speedy environmental clearances would be difficult to grant, though he noted such provisions have been made for construction of state prisons.

“It’s plausible to work it out,” said Caltrans’ Assistant Director Warren Weber. “But I’m not sure they (HSST Corp.) have studied carefully enough all of the bridges and overpasses that might have to be reconstructed to accommodate their train system.”

Ron Scolaro, Amtrak’s chief administrator for government affairs, said he did not fully understand Ikeda’s presentation but found it “interesting.”

“He didn’t talk about how much money it’s going to take to operate the system after it’s built,” Scolaro said. “I think there’s a place for both (Amtrak and a commuter system). I just don’t know if he (Ikeda) can pull it off. It’s going to be awfully difficult. It’s going to cost an awful lot of money.”

HSST Corp. currently is bidding against other companies, including a German firm, for a $100-million, five-mile commuter rail project in Las Vegas.

However, Ikeda said he sees his firm competing with others for construction of a six-city monorail system that has been proposed for central Orange County.