Japanese Firm Offers State O.C.-L.A. Commuter Train

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

Eiji Ikeda, general manager of 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 between Santa Ana and Anaheim could operate within 18 months of approval.

Ikeda said the sleek, aerodynamic train would resemble a demonstration model used at Expo ’86 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada and could move millions of commuters each year to urban centers and both Los Angeles International and John Wayne airports at speeds ranging from 60 to 200 m.p.h.

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.”

Reaction to Ikeda’s proposal by state and federal officials ranged from skepticism to cautious enthusiasm. Ikeda acknowledged that although his and other foreign firms have developed magnetically levitated commuter trains, which ride above a rail guideway by electromagnetic force, none is operating yet except on test tracks or at exhibitions.

Ikeda said that fares on a completed Southern California system would be less than what Amtrak 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 in Orange County 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). In addition, HSST 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 that largely doomed a 1981 proposal for a steel-wheeled, high-speed Bullet Train from Los Angeles to San Diego. The HSST 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 the company 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.”

However, he cautioned that the firm’s request for speedy environmental clearances would be difficult to grant, but added that a successful legislative package he sponsored for construction of new state prisons included provisions that hastened the environmental review process.

“I have to go back to the experience we had with the Bullet Train,” said Caltrans’ assistant director Warren Weber. “Any proposal like this one has to go through the California and the federal environmental processes, since the highways are owned by the state and the federal government. It’s plausible to work it out, 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 new commuter rail service, Scolaro said, adding, “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. is bidding against other companies, including a German firm, for a $100-million, five-mile commuter rail project in Las Vegas.

Ikeda said his company is not seeking the contract for the $4-billion, Las Vegas-Anaheim high-speed train project because costs are expected to be higher than those projected by the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, a bi-state agency that is overseeing the privately funded effort.

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. He revealed that he recently met with Santa Ana Mayor Daniel H. Young and other city officials.

The Bidder: HSST Corp.

Founded in 1985. Principal business is building magnetically levitated trains--vehicles that hover above their tracks on a cushion of electromagnetic force at speeds of between 60 and 200 m.p.h.

An offshoot of Japan Airlines, which began studying “mag-lev” trains in 1974 as an alternative to airliners. Financed by a group of more than a dozen Japanese companies, including Seibu Railway Co. and Hazama-Gumi Ltd.

Was selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the companies of the 1990s and beyond that will lead advances in technology.

Current projects include a bid to build a five-mile “mag-lev” system in Las Vegas.