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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

Not LA <-> Vegas again. An LA <-> Vegas monorail was proposed in the 1950s. A maglev was proposed in the 1990s. All so morons can go to Vegas on weekends to push the buttons on slot machines.

Maybe they can talk Google into funding a 1 mile link between Google HQ and Google's private airport, Moffett Field.

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Las Vegas is the 38th largest economy in the US, and the 30th largest population center. The economy of LV is larger than that of NOLA, of SLC, of OKC, of Memphis, and of RTP. It's an easy lowbrow dismissal to talk about slot machines, but an LA-LV line probably makes as much sense (cost-adjusted) as SF-LA.

One point that's easy to miss is that big-city smaller-city pairings can be uniquely economically productive. For instance, an actually-functional HSR between Chicago and STL would allow companies to easily set up satellite offices on either side of the line, taking advantage of the lower cost of living on the smaller side and the larger market and commercial network on the larger side.

> It's an easy lowbrow dismissal to talk about slot machines

According to Wikipedia "The primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy are tourism, gaming and conventions, which in turn feed the retail and restaurant industries."

So people traveling to LV to gamble is a big part of what makes it the 38th largest economy.

I have anecdotal experience that might confirm the economic plausibility of a LA-LV line. Driving south on I-15 from LV on a Sunday will likely drive you absolutely up. the. wall.

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