California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

2005-06 – 2015-16 California State Rail Plan
• $14 million in Proposition 116 capital funds were earmarked for intercity
rail service on this Route.
LOS ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS
In 1997, Amtrak discontinued the tri-weekly Desert Wind that ran from
Los Angeles to Chicago via Las Vegas. Currently, San Joaquin trains provide
connecting buses from Bakersfield to Las Vegas via Lancaster. Ridership on this
route was 15,000 in 2004-05.
In 1998, Amtrak announced plans to start service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
with one daily round-trip. However, due to continuing funding shortfalls and
increased capital requirements to initiate service, the new service was not
implemented.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is conducting a
feasibility study on multi-frequency rail service between Las Vegas and the
Los Angeles area. This study is being funded equally by the FRA and the State of
Nevada. The Department will be working with the Commission on the study that
will include ridership, cost and revenue projections; track, station, maintenance
facility and property acquisition needs; equipment recommendations; and
schedules for planning purposes.
The Department presently includes no operating or capital costs for this service in
its ten-year plan because costs and implementation schedules are dependant on the
results of the Nevada study as well as agreement between California and Nevada
on cost sharing.
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
BACKGROUND
High-speed rail has been studied in California for over a decade.
The Department participated in a number of studies in the late 1980s and early
1990s. The Department was a member of the Los Angeles-Fresno-Bay Area/
Sacramento High-Speed Rail Corridor Study Group. The group published its
report in 1990 as required by Chapter 197, Statutes of 1988 (AB 971 - Costa).
Under Chapter 1104, Statutes of 1990 (SB 1307 - Garamendi), the Department in
1991, completed a work plan for a feasibility study for the development of an
integrated public, private, or combined public/private high-speed intercity and
commuter rail system. Under Proposition 116, the Department completed
a preliminary engineering and feasibility study on high-speed service between
Bakersfield and Los Angeles.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 6 (1993) established the California Intercity
High-Speed Rail Commission. This Commission, while using some Department
staff resources, was not part of the Department. The Final Report of the
Commission was sent to the Legislature at the end of 1996 and indicated that high-
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