But then again, if people got behind rail, some group will pop up and sue because it will endanger some habitat of a frog or bird or some insect that serves no purpose.

Which is why we’re never going to see a MagLev from California to Las Vegas. For the last 15-20 years, the Union Pacific has been seeking to expand capacity on it’s Los Angeles-Salt lake City route (which takes it through Las Vegas). Basically the most pivotal part of having that line accomodate more trains is extending the already existing sidings so that longer trains can fit in. Except UPRR can’t do that because some environmental group said it would endanger some turtle or snake or rat or something…and has been litigating against any expansion ever since.

Now if the Union Pacific can’t do any work on their own trackage that’s already existed for over a century, what makes people think that they’ll somehow magically be able to build a maglev train through the very same desert filled with all sorts of endangered critters from scratch?

/I’m only 15 seconds in on the video- damn dial-up!