Restore Rail Service to Las Vegas

[GG-1]

How many would be interested in Las Vegas Rail Service

 

[Guest]

I think it would be a valuable service although I would likely never be in a position to ride it myself.

 

[capltd29]

Ditto

 

[Firebert]

I could get some good use out of a Los Angeles - Las Vegas Corridor. It would be great to take the train to Vegas a few times a year for a weekend. It would be great if they could extend that monorail to meet the tracks, or if they built the new train station at the Rio I'd be set. There's lots of potential there, it's just a matter of making the commitment to do it.

-Firebert

 

[Steve4031]

I would go out of my way to ride it because it offers a daylight crossing of Cajon pass. It would be fun to ride Talgo equipment (this was in the plan at one point) on that route.

 

[Vicki]

I's really love to see aChicago to Las Vegas run!

 

[smoker]

Why does the Sunset Limited go all the way to Los Angeles and then you take a bus back to Las Vegas?

Why doesn't the bus start in El Paso or San Antonio and go straight to Vegas instead of backtracking?

 

[jccollins]

I guess Amtrak doesn't figure there would be enough passengers to justify running an exclusive thruway from the Sunset Limited to Las Vegas, NV at a point earlier than Los Angeles. Probably rightly so - management decided to cancel the Amtrak thruway motorcoaches from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, NV a while back and offer passengers Amtrak thruway tickets on connecting Greyhound buses. If they do not have enough market to justify their own service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, NV, I doubt they would have enough market to justify a thruway from a point earlier on the Sunset to Las Vegas.

However, if you are taking the Southwest Chief train westbound towards Los Angeles you can detrain in Needles, CA and take a connecting Amtrak thruway motorcoach/van a couple hours into Vegas. The only real option on the Sunset Limited other than going all the way into Los Angeles would be to detrain from the Sunset Ltd in El Paso, TX and take a bus from there to Albuquerque, NM, connect to train 3 to Needles, CA and then the thruway from Needles to Las Vegas, NV. However this is quite a circuitous route and would take longer (due to poor train/bus connections at ELP and ABQ) than going directly into Los Angeles and the Amtrak (Greyhound) thruway from there.

 

[smoker]

Thanks for the advise. I'll rent a car in Baton Rouge and drive to St Louis, catch the Ann Rutledge to Kansas City, catch the S/W Chief to Needles and rent a car from there to Las Vegas.

It will be better than the Sunset Limited to LA. (If the SL would run everyday, I would consider taking it to San Antonio, sleeping in a hotel and take a break, then continue to LA. But you need a break from that 40-50 hour ride!)

 

[jccollins]

Thanks for the advise. I'll rent a car in Baton Rouge and drive to St Louis, catch the Ann Rutledge to Kansas City, catch the S/W Chief to Needles and rent a car from there to Las Vegas.
It will be better than the Sunset Limited to LA. (If the SL would run everyday, I would consider taking it to San Antonio, sleeping in a hotel and take a break, then continue to LA. But you need a break from that 40-50 hour ride!)

Your plan sounds like it will work with the exception of renting a car in Needles, California. The train will arrive into Needles around 1 in the morning and a car rental agency will not be open. However, you can board the dedicated Amtrak thruway van in Needles (departs after the train arrives) which will take you directly to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV. You shouldn't have any problem renting a car at the airport in Vegas.

 

[AlanB]

Last chance to vote in this poll, before I pull the plug on it.

 

[Anthony]

I REALLY doubt there is a suitable car rental agency in Needles - at any hour! :lol: :lol: