Study: Rail transport to airport would make Las Vegas more desirable

Study: Rail transport to airport would make Las Vegas more desirable

 

Part of the reason we rent a car is cuz of lack low cost transpo to and from our hotel.

I find it amazing that there is a problem raising the capital to connect to the airport.

Also taxi, limo, shuttle service, and rental car companies would take a hit.

I'd easily hop on the monorail and use the Deuce and SDX for my entire trip.

Hell if I headed Clark County, I'd up monorail and Deuce bus rates by at least 10%. I'd also make rates a bit higher if starting from the airport.

The monorail already sucks. This would make it hella worthwhile and go with the mantra of casino wanting people to be able to get easy but not leave easy (why it's not running down the middle of the strip now).

 

This topic gets debated up and down and all over the place, over and over and over.

Same arguments now as last year, and the year before and the year before that.

Here we go again.

 

Here we go again...but it's a valid argument. And it will be a valid argument until they have rail transportation connecting to the airport.

 

Extending the Monorail to the airport should be a no-brainer! I daresay that the tracks by the MGM are only a couple hundred feet from airport property.

Yes, nobody wants to pay for it, and yes, certain other transportation interests will fight it aggressively.

 

What I like about monorail:

Easy access between SOME properties.
Cost is reasonable in comparison to Taxi.
Strip gridlock can be avoided on certain evenings / events.

The bad stuff:

Not all strip properties connected.
Monorail stations are too far from front desk / casino in some cases.
Undesirable to haul luggage on.
Safety - Unmanned and no security to deal with occasional problems.

I only see the convention crowd and certain hotels that would benefit from an extension to airport. BUT I would love to see an affordable option to the Taxi Cab / Airport Shuttle monopoly.

I could see a route to the LV suburbs or DT as viable, since DT has a much shorter walking distance door to door.

The shuttle service would be tolerable if there was more convient schedules and direct shuttle from hotel to airport instead of multiple drop offs.

Not sure if this is the best capital investment for the city. I could think of 10 better improvements for half the cost.

 

They said high speed rail in california was a good idea too.

Now its costing us something like millions of dollars per mile and its going to go from bakersfield to modesto or something like that. Complete waste of time and money.

Face it, we live in america and just arent train people.

If we grew up in that culture like in europe we would embrace it better.

 

I used to rent cars almost all the time, now I take the bus...no need for rail for me.

 

Apples/oranges. Long distance rail travel is a bust in America, and that boondoggle high-speed racket in the Central Valley is one of the great crimes currently being committed upon California. And there is a regional context to rail; what works in Boston does not work in LA. (Actually, fixed rail -- light or heavy -- has been successful in many major western cities. What it cannot do is overcome the historic land-use patterns of the west that make the car so dominant.)

But connecting a major airport to a geographically confined major hotel and tourist destination? No brainer.

 

100% agree! I was about to write the same exact thing. It really is plainly obvious that the monorail should be extended to the airport.

I think the article is focusing on a much bigger network though throughout all the commercial areas of the city to be used by residents as well. On that I'd be skeptical. I'm not too familiar with residential Las Vegas, but it seems pretty spread out to me and not really pedestrian friendly given the layout and weather. I think a rail system in an urban area depends a lot on how pedestrian friendly that area is.

 

Exactly our experience!

 

this was a sweet feature to use when visiting the Seattle area

 

Depends on the area.

It works greatly in the DC area and our subway is connected to National Airport. Hell, right now, our system is in the midst of connecting to Dulles Airport as well (the Silver Line). The trifecta would be to connect to BWI but alas, that's really another metro area and it's already served by the MARC Train.

 

I agree that it does depend greatly on the area. I am not sure how light rail would work in my town, although we do have one leg of it that goes out one side of town, it is not what I consider a major means of transport. Las Vegas would be PERFECT for light rail. Close the strip down and make it pedestrian traffic only. The traffic on the strip is already a nightmare on the weekends and will be getting much worse on the north strip over the next few years. Have a line that runs from the airport down the middle of Las Vegas blvd and back. Have a separate line that runs to downtown and back. It is obvious to most folks, taxi lobby being the main exception, that this should be done asap. The existing monorail is a joke and serves no one. Getting around and dealing with the cost and hassle of taxi service is one of the biggest complaints I hear from tourists. Light rail would solve that issue. You could still have cabs service the airport and the strip hotels for those who prefer a car.

 

That Seattle connection is awesome. Airport to w/i a block of my sister's penthouse by rail. We use MAX from PDX when in the Rose City quite often, too.

 

The reason it works in other cities is because it's not just designed for tourists. My observation is the main people using the L stations at the airport are airline employees. I have a feeling that unless the system is designed more citywide and for transporting people to work as well as tourists, it won't get support for development and won't be successful, especially considering that it will have to be a private Enterprise in Vegas' political environment.

 

For Chicago, having the El at both airports now is a godsend! Single seat to the loop from O'Hare and Midway!

I don't think that many pleasure travelers know about it, however. It does seem to be catching on, as I've seen more and more dragging roll-arounds on each trip. I've also lost count of the times I've helped out others find the way at the Roosevelt transfer. "Follow me!"

NYC is not nearly as easy. Most of the time I fly into LGA and it's a taxi to the hotel. The Airtrain at EWR (and JFK but I seldom fly in there) make it easy but still there are transfers.

Now in Las Vegas, if they would just extend the Monorail to the airport I *KNOW* it would be a convenient option and many would use it!

 

Exactly. I'd NEVER rent a car.

It's a cost thing. I get a car partly due to convenience from the airport and then use it for other stuff like when I went to Red Rock Canyon.

At home, I NEVER use the subway to hit the airport (when going to National). Why? I live in the metro suburbs and it's not as convenient. Vegas? Vegas would be convenient....even if I have to lug luggage from the way back of Ballys.

Right now, the monorail sucks. It's only great if you stay at hotel near one ANNNNNND plan to go far on the monorail. Example: staying at MGM Grand and going to Harrahs or farther.

I never even considered the monorail while I've used the Deuce even having a rental car. I rode it once just to say I went on it.