California State Rail Plan 2005-06 to 2015-16

Chapter X – Potential New Services
In December 2002, SCAG’s Regional Council selected a 54-mile segment of the
LAX-March Inland Port Corridor as the Initial Operating Segment (IOS) going
from Ontario Airport to West Los Angeles. Pre-construction work on the project
has begun, including completion of more detailed engineering, a State EIR, and a
Federal EIS. The joint powers authority for the IOS is being developed.
This phase, budgeted at $15 million, will take about 18 months to complete.
In FFY 2001, SCAG received $877,000 in Federal Maglev funding. In FFY 2002,
SCAG received $1.0 million in Federal Maglev funding for continued corridor
planning activities. In FFY 2003, an additional $500,000 in Federal Maglev
funding was provided to support further planning studies. In FFY 2004, SCAG
received an additional $1.0 million in Federal Maglev funding.
In addition to the project described above, SCAG has undertaken three additional
Maglev feasibility studies along other heavily congested corridors. They are:
1) Los Angeles to Palmdale in Antelope Valley, along the SR-14 and I-5 or I-405
freeway corridors; 2) LAX to south Orange County, along the I-405 Freeway; and
3) the Orange Line from downtown Los Angeles to central Orange County
following the former Pacific Electric Railway corridor. In 2005, SAFETEA-LU
authorized an additional $280,000 for planning Maglev service on the
Orange Line.
From these studies, SCAG has concluded that the Maglev projects can be selffunded
through a public-private partnership, where the public sector will donate
land and the private sector will construct and operate the system. Additionally,
innovative funding strategies, such as Federal Transportation Infrastructure
Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans and private investment bonds can be
used to finance this project. The first of three joint exercise of powers authorities
(JPAs) has been formed to deploy the Maglev projects in Southern California.
The Orange Line Development Authority has been organized by cities along this
corridor to advance the downtown Los Angeles to Orange County Maglev system.
LAS VEGAS-ANAHEIM MAGLEV PROJECT
The California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission (CNSSTC) was formed in
1988 to promote the development of a 269-mile maglev system connecting
Las Vegas with Anaheim. The CNSSTC and its private sector partner, American
Magline Group, for its FRA application in 2000, proposed a 40-mile segment from
Las Vegas to Primm, on the California border. A short segment of the project was
chosen because of the difficulty in raising funds for the entire 269-mile project.
The route travels between two fast-growing and heavily populated regions of the
U.S. The project would have a total of five segments: Las Vegas to Primm,
Primm to Barstow, Barstow to Victorville, Victorville to Ontario, and Ontario to
Anaheim. There would be stops at each of the endpoints of the segments, for a
total of at least six stops. A key advantage of the system is the alignment provided
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