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Thursday, April 22, 2010
It Doesn't Take A Genius To Visualize Successful Route System For Las Vegas Monorail
By Robert L. Candiotti
I thought I would write down here what I think could be an extended route system for the Las Vegas Monorail that
would significantly elevate ridership to a level of distinct profitability.
The stations that are shown in blue
are the ones that exist now. The stations in orange with asterisks are the ones that are needed for additional construction
to turn Las Vegas Monorail into a complete system going from McCarran International Airport at the south end to Downtown Las
Vegas at the northern termination of the route.
Even today, though, speed is not an issue. Speed is there. The
monorail just needs more track.
I live in Las Vegas and I ride Las Vegas Monorail all the time. Its efficiency
on an elevated track above plodding traffic and trudging pedestrians is almost always satisfactory. However, what is obviously
lacking is a complete system all the way from the throbbing airport to the increasingly thriving Downtown.
Here
is my conception (south to north) of a complete system for Las Vegas Monorail:
* McCarran
International Airport station
* Thomas and Mack Center/Cox Pavilion/UNLV station
MGM Grand station
Bally's/Paris Las Vegas station
Flamingo/Caesar's Palace station
Harrah's/Imperial
Palace station
Las Vegas Convention Center station
Las Vegas Hilton station
Sahara station
* Stratosphere station
* Premium Outlets station
* Downtown Las Vegas station
12:10 pm pdt
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Original Draft Of Letter Headlined 'X Train a smart short-term solution' In Las Vegas Sun
By Robert L. Candiotti
This blog contains the original draft of my letter to the editor that
was printed in the April 17, 2010, issue of the Las Vegas Sun.
The Sun gave the letter the headline
"X Train a smart short-term solution." It was written as a reaction to the highly interesting article
by Rick Velotta - "It's not as fast, but this train could hit the rails sooner" - that was printed in the April
14 Sun.
While reading Velotta's story, at first I was a little baffled why Las Vegas Railway
Express' X Train to run between Las Vegas and downtown Los Angeles felt immediately so much more appealing than
the DesertXPress train to travel on yet unbuilt tracks between Las Vegas and Victorville, California.
However,
as I read further and thought it over, things became quickly clear why X Train makes so much more sense than the DesertXPress.
The sense of the X Train is what this letter to the editor is about:
The April 14 article by Rick Velotta about the
Las Vegas Railway Express was a surprise.
In
the midst of the long-term contention between developers of a Nevada-California maglev and the proposed DesertXPress
train between Las Vegas and Victorville, all of a sudden here is publicity about this plush and pulsating train
that can start up as early as 2011.
What impresses me even more than the fact that Las Vegas Railway Express will
operate on existing tracks is that the train will originate and terminate at Los Angeles' Union Station.
Unlike
isolated Victorville, Los Angeles Union Station is presently connected by Amtrak trains, light-rail, motorcoahes and
bus transportation going pretty much all the time in every direction. Plus, the station is at the central business district
of Los Angeles.
Also, Union Station remains beautiful. Built in 1939, it is still referred to as the "Last
of the Great Railway Stations."
Reading the story in the Sun, I was once again reminded of the statement
of Robert E. Lang of Brookings Institution that "Las Vegas is a world city due to its connectivity to other cities."
Even though Las Vegas Railway Express' X Train would run far slower than the 150 mph DesertXPress, the X Train
would greatly benefit from the extensive connectivity currently provided at Union Station.
Michael Barron, chairman
and CEO of Las Vegas Railway Express, calls the X Train a party train, but I can imagine the X Train quickly evolving
into a business person's transportation choice, as well.
I personally see the 300 mph Nevada-California maglev
as being needed in the long run, but it seems like the X Train could become both popular and profitable in the near future.
12:30 pm pdt
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Cocktail Bar With Glass Floor Over Track At Las Vegas Monorail Convention Center Station
By Robert L. Candiotti
In addition to an attractive newsstand (see previous blog dated 3/31/10) at the Las Vegas Monorail's Convention Center
station, it seems to me an adjacent glass floor cocktail bar situated above the trains would be an appealing feature.
Right now there is an empty space right over the monorail track. Would building a glass floor bar there be too difficult
or prohibitively expensive?
Slowly sipping a soothing drink, seeing the monorail trains whiz by below every
few minutes, I think, would be pretty cool.
I am sure a lot of business is done at Las Vegas Convention Center
gatherings. Many people probably would like to get just outside of the convention buildings and have a sociable drink in a
nearby, but very different, environment.
The NAB Show is going on at the Convention Center as I write this blog.
It is plain to see there are many people - both male and female - coming and going in well-tailored clothes. I am
sure this convention is awash with movers and shakers. A booze bar and a good newsstand would almost assuredly serve
various needs of NAB Show conventioneers, as well as participants in the numerous other year-round meetings at the
Las Vegas Convention Center.
What is more, as a local monorail rider, I can easily see myself doing some relaxed
reading and drinking at the Las Vegas Monorail Convention Center station at night on my way home.
A
cool cocktail bar - in a currently existing space that is now vacant - with a glass floor over the
monorail track at
the Convention Center would have an attractive and unique presence in Las Vegas.
And, of course, the glass
floor bar - like an adjoining sophisticated newsstand - could bring in needed additional revenue for the Las Vegas Monorail
Company.
2:13 pm pdt
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