High-speed train project seeks input from Las Vegas residents

Plans for a high-speed train that would travel from Nevada to California reached a major milestone last month with the approval of a draft environmental impact study. Now investors want to hear Las Vegas residents' opinions about the privately funded project.

DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, which is behind the train project will conduct a public hearing from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Hampton Inn, 4975 Dean Martin Drive.

Representatives from the company said construction on the first phase of the train rails, which would link Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif., is expected to begin early next year. The tracks would be built alongside Interstate 15.

At speeds of up to 150 mph, the 180-mile trip between Las Vegas and Victorville would be about an hour and 20 minutes. In Victorville, the system would link to the voter-approved California High Speed Rail Station in Palmdale, Calif. The train is expected to carry more than 10 million passengers a year by 2015 and more than 16 million passengers by 2030.

DesertXpress will hold public hearings in Barstow, Calif., on Wednesday and in Victorville on Thursday.