Backers of maglev train say Chinese bank prepared to fund project

By Richard N. Velotta

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Las Vegas Sun

The proponents of a maglev train line between Las Vegas and Southern California say a Chinese government-controlled bank has agreed to loan up to $7 billion to help build the high-speed transportation system.

But the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission still has several hurdles to clear before it could move ahead with plans to develop the project between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif.

The commission late Monday announced that the Export-Import Bank of China, which has 14 domestic offices and three overseas offices, said it would provide a direct loan that would require the backing of the U.S. government as well as cooperation with Chinese enterprises.

“It is a very positive development for Nevada’s employment picture and very telling that the financiers who are stepping up to bat are the Chinese, the people most familiar with Transrapid Maglev technology,” Neil Cummings, president of the American Magline Group, said in a press release announcing the loan.

American Magline has contracted with the commission to build the system and is partnering with Transrapid, a German company that built a maglev system operating in Shanghai and has since developed upgrades to the technology that are proposed for the Nevada system.

“In China, it has been operating flawlessly for six years, carrying 20 million passengers over 4.1 million miles,” Cummings said.

In an interview today, maglev spokesman Mark Fierro said the Chinese bank’s backing of the project is an employment game-changer for the hard-hit Southern Nevada economy.

Maglev backers view the project as a massive stimulus package for Southern Nevada, with an estimated 90,000 jobs that could be created.

Fierro said development of the project could be one of the most significant economic events in Las Vegas history, because the city would become a virtual suburb of Los Angeles if trains could make the trip from Anaheim to Las Vegas in just more than an hour.

“People in Los Angeles could come to the Las Vegas Strip for dinner,” Fierro said. “This couldn’t be a more perfect technology for the kind of visitor we’re going to attract.”

Fierro said the commission has been in negotiations with the bank — known in the industry as “China Eximbank” — for about a year. He said the bank was unclear about what type of assurances it would need from the federal government to back the loan.

Support from the Chinese bank would help the maglev team’s efforts after the group hit a stumbling block last week. Nevada was left off the list of high-speed rail projects receiving a total $8 billion in federal stimulus funding.

Commission officials viewed the rejection as a double loss for Nevada, because not only was the project not funded, but Florida received $1.25 billion for a rail project that would help Las Vegas’ biggest rival for attracting meetings and conventions — Orlando.

The largest portion of the stimulus funds, more than $2 billion, went to California for a traditional steel-wheels-on-rail project with which the proposed DesertXpress — a Las Vegas-to-Victorville, Calif., line — would link.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the California project eventually would benefit Las Vegans because the Victorville end of the DesertXpress line would be connected to the California system at Palmdale.

Another problem for the maglev is credibility.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said after the stimulus funds were announced that the reason the maglev project was rejected was because it failed to apply — a claim maglev leaders deny.

In a video released by Reid’s office, LaHood said, “Nevada did not submit any paperwork, any proposal for high-speed rail.”

LaHood also said the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission was not eligible to submit a proposal because it was not sanctioned in California.

The commission responded that not only did it file an application, but it has received correspondence from the Federal Railroad Administration, the clearinghouse agency for the high-speed rail proposals, five times in the last 10 years.

The commission also said its plans were jointly submitted with the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Federal Railroad Administration representatives did not return calls on Tuesday.

MTI Hosts Fact-Finding Group from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority

Delegates met with MTI experts to continue discussions about security and crisis management best practices for their city’s new metro system.

San Jose, Calif., January 28, 2010 – The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) hosted representatives from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), who continued discussions with MTI experts about security and crisis management for their city’s new metro rail system. The ambitious project calls for three new elevated rail lines totaling nearly 40 miles, along with a monorail. Considering Mumbai’s historic possibilities for accidents, terrorism, and other incidents, the Indian delegation was on a fact-finding mission to the United States.

“Mumbai has a very large rail and bus system, moving about 11 million people each day,” said Brian Michael Jenkins, director of MTI’s National Transportation Security Center of Excellence (NTSCOE). “It’s no longer adequate to serve a growing metropolitan area that now has 22 million people. Therefore, the city is facing a huge problem with mobility. But it also wants to ensure safety and security for its passengers, especially because Mumbai and the surrounding region have lost nearly 1000 people to terrorist attacks in the last decade.”

Mr. Jenkins had met with MMRDA a few months ago while in India as an invited expert discussing counter-terrorism. He invited representatives to come to the U.S. on a fact-finding mission to see how this country builds crisis strategy and security preparations into the transit systems.

MMRDA delegates were Vijaya Lakshmi, additional chief, Transport and Communications Division, and Anil Wankhade, deputy metropolitan commissioner. They were accompanied by Ronald Boenau, a senior transportation systems manger for the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, and Satish Kastury, a principal engineer with Environmental Consulting & Technology in Florida. Earlier this month, they attended the Transportation Research Board’s conference in Washington DC before making on-site visits to Washington Metro, Amtrak, San Francisco area’s BART, and other sites.

MMRDA wishes to include a security strategy, along with training, policies, and procedures that will help to protect its transit network. While at MTI, they met with Dr. Frances Edwards, deputy director of MTI’s NTSCOE, who discussed options for creating a transportation security and emergency management certificate program; Rod Diridon, Sr., MTI’s executive director, who covered topics related to high-speed rail systems; Chief Rob Davis of the San Jose Police Department; Dan Goodrich, emergency preparedness coordinator for Lockheed Martin Space Systems, who covered the role of transportation in emergency planning; Dr. Wenbin Wei, MTI research associate and San Jose State University professor, who discussed rapid transit and light-rail systems; and John Schiffgens, manager of operations for Amtrak at Diridon Station.

MTI Participates in Homeland Security Science and Technology University Network Summit

The Department of Homeland Security's research arm, the Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), invites you to the fourth annual DHS University Network Summit sponsored by S&T's Office of University Programs, March 10-12 at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 Ninth Street NW, Washington, D.C. Registration is free but space is limited. (http://www.orau.gov/dhssummit)

This year's agenda and theme, STRONG! Science & Technology for Intelligent Resilience, will allow scores of homeland security research initiatives to be tackled and discussed in many breakout sessions.

The Summit has invited notable keynote speakers. These include the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, the new Under Secretary for Science & Technology, Dr. Tara O'Toole, NY Governor George Pataki,, and authors Gary Berntsen (Jawbreaker: The Attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda; Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism and National Leadership: A Practical Guide) and Steve Flynn, President of the Center for National Policy and author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation.

In addition, retired Lieutenant General Russell Honoré, best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, will also give a keynote address.

All DHS S&T University Centers of Excellence* will provide speakers and panel members who are specific subject matter experts. Students are heartily encouraged to attend the Summit if they have any interest in its themes, or in the topics listed below. The draft agenda for the Summit is here: http://www.orau.gov/dhssummit

There will be over 30 discussion panels on specific focus areas, including disaster preparedness, infrastructure protection, emergency response, and natural hazards mitigation. These panels highlight the collaborative efforts among the thirteen DHS Centers of Excellence and their over 200 academic partners in support of the DHS S&T mission.

In addition, there will be exhibits showcasing university-developed tools, technologies and training; workshops; live demonstrations; and information about S&T educational opportunities.

For information, go to http://www.physorg.com/wire-news/26137252/homeland-security-science-and-technology-university-network-summ.html

Transportation Workforce Development Summit

Here's a reminder that MTI will be co-sponsoring a transportation workforce development summit in Long Beach, Calif. on Monday-Tuesday, February 1-2, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It's open to anyone, but registration does close at 5pm Friday, January 29. For more information, go to www.workforcesummit.org

Why a Transportation Workforce Development Summit?

The Challenge
Experts predict that by 2050, California’s population will double from what it was in 2000. Those people will need mobility. If the state’s transportation infrastructure does not keep pace, it risks a meltdown. California will need a new generation of professionals to address those issues - people in transportation planning, engineering, finance, transit operations, maritime and aviation technology, goods movement, construction, agency management, community relations, and many other areas. This mobility crisis will be complicated by the growing number of Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, leaving employment gaps to be filled by a new wave of properly educated professionals.

But the State cannot wait until 2050 to act. Change is already underway. New legislative priorities at the State level may require transportation engineers to learn to calculate carbon footprints within the next few years. New technologies have changed the skill sets needed of front line transit technicians. Planners need to learn human resource management tools to address the organizational change that is happening now.

The Opportunity
The METRANS Transportation Center and the Mineta Transportation Institute are presenting “Ensuring the Growth of California’s Transportation Workforce: Developing the Right Workers for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Jobs.” This two-day professional summit, in partnership with Long Beach City College, will address those issues. Anyone who hires, trains, educates or wishes to become a transportation professional is encouraged to attend. Expert panels will address career development, skills gaps, training strategies, outreach, best practices, and more. Participants will also meet educational service providers and industry representatives in a Showcase Hall. Showcases will demonstrate effective programs already underway while allowing participants to meet potential partners and talk to people who have gone participated in effective workforce development programs.

The Result
This is one of several regional summits around the country – sponsored by University Transportation Centers – that will culminate in a national summit in Washington DC in autumn 2010. Data and recommendations from each regional summit will become part of the national summit and influence the development of the nation’s future transportation priorities.

Public Discussion: High Cost of Free Parking – February 24, 2010 – San Jose, California

UCLA Professor Donald Shoup, author of "The High Cost of Free Parking," will discuss how parking reforms can reduce vehicle travel, traffic congestion, air pollution, energy waste, and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the supply of housing and improved public services. The free event is Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 - 9:00pm at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose; Council Wing Rooms 118-120. Download an event flyer at www.greenbelt.org/downloads/regions/southbay/Shoup_2_24.pdf.

Co-sponsored by the Mineta Transportation Institute, Great Communities Collaborative, Greenbelt Alliance, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, TransForm, City of San Jose, and San Jose State University's Urban and Regional Planning Department and Urban Planning Coalition. Contact Justin Meek 831-430-6796 or justin.meek @gmail.com