Ontario, Barstow: No, Thanks on DesertXpress Train

DesertXpress, the high-speed train proposed to connect Victorville with Vegas, isn't finding find too many friends. After the city of Barstow and nearby the Helendale Community Services District passed resolutions opposing the DesertXpress because of the economic impacts of the train on their area (the train would likely decrease the amount of drivers stopping in Barstow), the city of Ontario has done the same. The Desert Dispatch reports that Ontario passed a resolution last week opposing the train, which is supposed to travel 184 mph and get people from V'ville to Vegas in 84 minutes. What problem does Ontario--which is not really close to Victorville--have with the DesertXpress? Ontario is still rooting for a maglev that would connect Anaheim, Ontario, and Vegas--but the "maglev lost its federal funding last year after Nevada Senator Harry Reid switched his support from the maglev train to DesertXpress" and the fact, that federal money for the maglev was moved to a road widening project in Sin City. While Ontario and Barstow say the DesertXpress is a white elephant, a study commissioned by the latter city did find that the train would reduce 33 percent of the car and bus traffic from Southern California into Vegas (much of their business).
· Ontario Passes Resolution Against DesertXpress [Desert Dispatch]
· DesertXpress Delayed, Not Dead [Curbed LA]