It’s not as fast, but this train could hit the rails sooner

Las Vegas Sun ^ | Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | Richard N. Velotta

[Willie Green]

As two companies compete to be the first to provide high-speed rail service between Las Vegas and Southern California in the not too distant future, a third is saying it will have a train click-clacking along next year. Las Vegas Railway Express will provide conventional passenger rail service to and from Los Angeles on existing tracks, its executives say.

They’ve been studying the prospect since early 2009 and are now in the strategic planning stage for an inaugural run by mid-2011, more than three years ahead of when the planned DesertXpress high-speed rail system would make its first trip between Victorville, Calif., and Las Vegas.

Michael Barron, chairman and CEO of the company, which is calling its project the “X Train,” envisions having a party atmosphere on wheels when the train takes passengers from Los Angeles’ Union Station to an as-yet-undetermined station location in Las Vegas in about 5 1/2 hours.

“It’s here now, existing technology that won’t take billions of dollars or even hundreds of millions of dollars to develop,” Barron says. “We’re acquiring standard train sets and bi-level commuter passenger cars, and then we’re getting some special cars that we’ll trick up to become a gaming car or a sports and entertainment car.”

While the rival DesertXpress operators have emphasized that they want their customers to begin the Las Vegas experience when they climb aboard their 150 mph train by offering luggage check-in straight to the hotel, the developers of the X Train say the Las Vegas party will start as the train rolls out of the station, with a sports bar lounge in one of the cars and rooms and show tickets available for purchase onboard.

[BfloGuy]

Because there is a pressing need for people from LA to get into Las Vegas?

What's to complain about here?

If investors want to try and exploit what they see as a profitable market, then I'm all in favor. If this were a government-subsidised excursion train -- I wouldn't be.

I'd love to see rail travel improve in the US. I just want it to be done with private money. I hope they do well. It's a concept (party train) that might work in other places.

[SoCal Pubbie]

In California casinos, traditionally the law allowed games of “skill," but not “chance”, so 21 was outlawed while poker was okay. By whatever process that's changed, and forms of blackjack are now played, as well as Pai Gow and other card games. Craps is still illegal. The house “rents” the table to the players, who play among themselves. Indian casinos have slots. There is also horse racing here too. So just about anything but slots, craps and maybe sports book would be fair game. I could see the State passing a special law to allow a train to have all types of gambling though, just to get the tax revenue.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I don't know about that. The bus would take about the same time to get there and be much cheaper, I would think. I would assume that train service would have to appeal to those currently flying to be a success.

[Godzilla]

Even a relatively "short" 3-hour trip by car on a congested interstate can be a miserable trip that leaves you feeling all worn-out when you finally arrive at your destination.

I had the pleasure several years ago of trying to get back to the coast by traveling the interstate between vegas and LA on a Sunday. It was worse than your standard rush hour traffic! Stop and go from Vegas to Barstow (where I got off to head towards Bakersfield). If there is that much traffic between the two locations - a train would be my way of travel -less stress and ready for action.

[az_gila]

I don't know about that. The bus would take about the same time to get there and be much cheaper, I would think. I would assume that train service would have to appeal to those currently flying to be a success.

---

...and, as happened on a friend's bachelor night trip to Vegas, the bus can stop in Barstow for an extra keg of beer when the first one runs out...:^)

[JRios1968]

Yeah but you would be stuned by the time you get there

[Willie Green]

Willie, cam you tell us what the “gamblers special” was, and why it no longer runs? Hmmmm?

Google tells me that “Gamblers Special” was a cheap, DC-3 charter flight carrying passengers from Burbank to casinos in Hawthorne NV and back. It crashed and burned on February 18, 1969 with no survivors.

I never heard of it before, but it sounds like another good reason to stay on the ground and take the train instead. Train travel is much safer than airline travel, that's for sure...

Thanks for the info!

[SoCal Pubbie]

To bad you don't know much about Southern California and its history. That wasn't the gambler's special I was talking about, but obviously you don't know much about trains, either.

[Willie Green]

To bad you don't know much about Southern California and its history.

There's not much to know...
A bunch of burned-out surfers and migrant stoop laborers looking for free handouts from Hollyweird...
Definitely not my kind of place.

That wasn't the gambler's special I was talking about, but obviously you don't know much about trains, either.

Hey... don't blame ME for your obscure references...
If you have a different "gamblers special" in mind, then be more specific.
"Gamblers Special" isn't a copyrighted trademark, you know. It's in the public domain and has thousands of uses. I'm not gonna waste my time trying to guess which one you have in mind.

[SoCal Pubbie]

To those who know about trains, it's not obscure. “Gamblers Specials” were trains running LA to Vegas years ago. They didn't make money. PERIOD.

[Lorianne]

Reid’s Gambling Train
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/02/12/reids-gambling-train

True, but Reid is planning his own Casino Train at taxpayer expense. Fortunately, he’ll be out of office and the USA will be out of money before that can happen.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

This is a good start—How about using Steam Engines? We can get some ceap from China or restore what we have. The Monorail conects to the Vegas Downtown so the whole strip would be open—put in some discounts and this could help bring business to Las Vegas. Then, lets do the same from San Francisco to Reno.

[KevinDavis]

I prefer to “drive” than take a train..

[AFreeBird]

Yea but you’re not drnking and gambling as you drive, right?