I'm in favor of HSR in concept. LA/Vegas is a high traffic route, with clogged roads and airports at peak times driving up costs and travel times, so it's a good fit for fast rail. But ending the line in Victorville, a suburb on the very fringe of the LA metro? That's going to kill any potential for ridership and render this project an expensive boondoggle.

Of course, going all the way to the LA basin would be drastically more expensive. Land costs skyrocket, as would construction costs in building around or through the Angels Crest mountains.