XpressWest says it no longer has a potential Chinese partner to build its proposed high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
XpressWest officials say China Railway International ran into unexpected difficulties in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, including the federal government insisting high-speed trains be built in the United States.
XpressWest called the federal demand “inflexible,” particularly since there are no high-speed trains in the United States. China has 12,000 miles of high-speed rail lines and first started high-speed rail service in 2007.
XpressWest initially wants to build a 185-mile line from Victorville, about 85 miles east of Los Angeles, to Las Vegas.
China Railway International proposed a 230-mile route, with a second stop in Palmdale, and eventually connecting to Los Angeles.
While XpressWest’s plans are on hold, McCarran International Airport is scheduled to open a new air-control tower in Las Vegas.
The new tower is designed to electronically track aircraft traffic, but the National Air Traffic Controllers Union says that’s not good enough.
If the electronic system goes down, air traffic controllers don’t have a backup system to continue directing air traffic, the union says.
The union wants the airport to redesign the tower to provide space that would enable traditional air traffic control via paper strips.
The union says the electronic systems used to tracking aircraft are too unstable and prone to crashing. That means the old system of using strips of paper to track aircraft must be available to prevent potential disaster and ensure the safety of airline passengers.
Fortunately, the union says the under-construction tower has ample room for the backup system and time to make the changes before opening.
