(The following story by Eugene Tong appeared on the Los Angeles Daily News website on November 11.)
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — 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 — 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 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 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. A proposed route runs parallel to the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, then heads south along the Golden State Freeway and branching west along the San Diego Freeway.
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.
While the project is still in its infancy, Palmdale Councilman Steven Hofbauer urged Santa Clarita to join. He said North County cities must plan for future transportation needs today.
“We have to look at these things in the long term, and we’ve bought a place at the table,” he said, referring to his city’s membership in the authority.