CITY MULLS MAGLEV EFFORT COUNCIL SUPPORTS NEW HIGH-SPEED TRAIN.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The City Council is considering joining a a 13-city group working to build a high-speed railway that could connect Palmdale with Orange County and LAX. The Santa Clarita council voiced support Tuesday of Orangeline Development Authority's proposed maglev - magnetic levitation magnetic levitation or maglev (măg`lĕv), support and propulsion of objects or vehicles by the use of magnets. The magnets provide support without contact or friction, allowing for fast, quiet operation. - train line, which backers said could begin operation in 2011. But Councilman Frank Ferry wanted more information before committing the $29,000-a-year fee to join the agency. The panel ordered city officials to research the proposal and return with a recommendation. ``We have to think of alternatives for the future,'' Mayor Bob Kellar said. Currently, the Metrolink commuter train connects the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. with the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles. But Maglev trains can travel at 90 mph, while standard commuter trains run at about 40 mph. The Orangeline Authority, whose members include Palmdale and such south Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. County cities as Cerritos, Downey, Paramount and Artesia, have invested about $10 million since 1999 to conduct a joint study of the 30-mile high-speed rail route with the Southern California Association of Governments. In December 2000, the group completed a study of a Palmdale-to-Los Angeles International Airport line, which confirmed the feasibility of a maglev connection between North Los Angeles County, LAX and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . A proposed route runs parallel to the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, then heads south along the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. and branching west along the San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. . Orangeline Authority Executive Director Albert Perdon said the maglev trains would augment the Metrolink with an ``express'' line. ``They work together - one will feed the other,'' he told the Santa Clarita City Council. ``We need every tool we can pull from our tool box (to meet transportation demands).'' Officials expect another three years of planning and lobbying to pass environmental review and gather financial backing. Construction cost is estimated between $12 billion and $15 billion, to be funded through bonds sold by the authority, Perdon said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion