Is there train service into Las Vegas?

[BCL]

Considering the struggle and demise of Amtrak's Atlantic City service, they probably weren't interested in going down that road again...

Las Vegas is not Atlantic City. Even with the economic downturn there, Vegas has a much larger population, more diverse economy than many people realize, gets a lot more convention business, and has a huge number of people who travel from Southern CA to Vegas. What has likely kept Amtrak from actively pursuing a LA to Vegas corridor service is lack of spare equipment, I would guess lack of strong interest by Nevada, and the cost of the track upgrades that UP wants.

If the X-Train plans happen, LVRE has agreed to put $27 million in escrow to pay UP for initial track improvements and provide an additional $29 million in 2 years for more improvements. The LVRE X-Train service will also be able to take advantage of BNSF and UP track projects in Southern CA that are being undertaken for Metrolink and Transcon freight service. There are start-up costs that someone has to pay for.

There are about 36,000.000 people a year use just i15 alone and another 3.7 million fly between LA and LV. A very sizable volume to be ignoring.

It was noted that improvements needed would be costly. As it stands now, people want to fly in or drive in, and much of the bus service to Las Vegas is subsidized by the casinos.

Wait, Greyhound gets paid by casinos?

I'm pretty sure a lot of the buses are subsidized - especially the chartered coaches that serve Asian communities. I've seen $50 round trip fares, where they won't make money without some other income. I've heard that the Greyhound "Lucky Streak" buses that drop off passengers at specific casinos do get some sort of subsidy. The passengers can also get bonuses like bonus play or special casino chips (ones that can't be directly cashed but must be played at a table game).

I've actually played with such chips (something like $30 value for $10 cash), although it was a coupon promotion. They were a little bit odd looking, and whenever I lost they took them and dropped them in the cash box. When I won they paid out in negotiable chips. So I'd just play them until I didn't have any more, and by that point I had more than I paid for the original chips.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Considering the struggle and demise of Amtrak's Atlantic City service, they probably weren't interested in going down that road again...

Las Vegas is not Atlantic City. Even with the economic downturn there, Vegas has a much larger population, more diverse economy than many people realize, gets a lot more convention business, and has a huge number of people who travel from Southern CA to Vegas. What has likely kept Amtrak from actively pursuing a LA to Vegas corridor service is lack of spare equipment, I would guess lack of strong interest by Nevada, and the cost of the track upgrades that UP wants.

If the X-Train plans happen, LVRE has agreed to put $27 million in escrow to pay UP for initial track improvements and provide an additional $29 million in 2 years for more improvements. The LVRE X-Train service will also be able to take advantage of BNSF and UP track projects in Southern CA that are being undertaken for Metrolink and Transcon freight service. There are start-up costs that someone has to pay for.

There are about 36,000.000 people a year use just i15 alone and another 3.7 million fly between LA and LV. A very sizable volume to be ignoring.

It was noted that improvements needed would be costly. As it stands now, people want to fly in or drive in, and much of the bus service to Las Vegas is subsidized by the casinos.

Wait, Greyhound gets paid by casinos?

I'm pretty sure a lot of the buses are subsidized - especially the chartered coaches that serve Asian communities. I've seen $50 round trip fares, where they won't make money without some other income. I've heard that the Greyhound "Lucky Streak" buses that drop off passengers at specific casinos do get some sort of subsidy. The passengers can also get bonuses like bonus play or special casino chips (ones that can't be directly cashed but must be played at a table game).

I've actually played with such chips (something like $30 value for $10 cash), although it was a coupon promotion. They were a little bit odd looking, and whenever I lost they took them and dropped them in the cash box. When I won they paid out in negotiable chips. So I'd just play them until I didn't have any more, and by that point I had more than I paid for the original chips.

But I thought Lucky Streak only goes to Atlantic City and Foxwoods.

 

[BCL]

There are about 36,000.000 people a year use just i15 alone and another 3.7 million fly between LA and LV. A very sizable volume to be ignoring.

It was noted that improvements needed would be costly. As it stands now, people want to fly in or drive in, and much of the bus service to Las Vegas is subsidized by the casinos.

Wait, Greyhound gets paid by casinos?

I'm pretty sure a lot of the buses are subsidized - especially the chartered coaches that serve Asian communities. I've seen $50 round trip fares, where they won't make money without some other income. I've heard that the Greyhound "Lucky Streak" buses that drop off passengers at specific casinos do get some sort of subsidy. The passengers can also get bonuses like bonus play or special casino chips (ones that can't be directly cashed but must be played at a table game).

I've actually played with such chips (something like $30 value for $10 cash), although it was a coupon promotion. They were a little bit odd looking, and whenever I lost they took them and dropped them in the cash box. When I won they paid out in negotiable chips. So I'd just play them until I didn't have any more, and by that point I had more than I paid for the original chips.

But I thought Lucky Streak only goes to Atlantic City and Foxwoods.

http://www.greyhound...kystreaknv.aspx

However, it's at the downtown station and not direct to certain casinos as I'd originally thought. It might not be subsidized. I guess one could take a bus from there, rent a car, or take a cab. The cab ride to the Strip is going to cost about as much as the bus ride.

However, originally I wasn't thinking about Greyhound but rather the charters, like the one from Vancouver filled with Koreans that went off the highway in Oregon.

 

[calwatch]

The Asian buses to Las Vegas historically have been captive buses to off strip destinations like the Station Casinos and Sam's Town. They largely have been supplanted by the Indian casinos, which are a much faster trip to have the bus patrons spend, er gamble, their money, although you still see an occasional State Line or Laughlin turnaround trip.

If you look at the schedule at http://tinyurl.com/LA-LVSched there are quite a few options, none of which are subsidized. There may be subsidized buses, through various tour agencies, but as the chains have consolidated there is less and less of that going on. A slow party train from LA to Las Vegas, combined with a long term plan to at Las Vegas as a spur to the greater California High Speed Rail system, may be the ticket. Arguably, however, with water resources declining, the viability of Las Vegas in the long term is questionable, but that's another thread.

 

[the_traveler]

There is train service to and thru Las Vegas - but they're Union Pacific freight trains only. :giggle:

 

[Texan Eagle]

See the thing is, those $2 fares are promotional gimmicks. Only a few seats on each bus are sold for $2 on a random basis. The other seats are sold for higher fares. Megabus couldn't make any money selling all their seats for $2.

Same thing is true for Amtrak and airfares too. You ought to be smart if you want the best deals. I have traveled quite a few times on Megabus and never paid more than $5 in fares. I just checked LA-Vegas fares for weekends in January and on no day is it more than $15. Much better than Greyhound or that LuxBus costing $59.

I have a feeling a lot of Megabus-hate on this forum comes from people whose opinions are purely fed by news, and never been on one in person. I know they have had a couple of accidents that could have been avoided, but apart from that, one must not forget that they run thousands of services day in day out without accidents. Its not like Megabuses have been spewing out dead passengers daily.

I have personally never had a bad experience with Megabus and to those who crib about lack of facilities, tell you something- their customer service is excellent! I had booked Megabus for myself and 3 friends from San Francisco to Reno and back the next day last month. A day before the journey I got an email from Megabus warning that there is a winter storm approaching and the return trip from Reno may get cancelled. Outbound trip was going to be fine in sunny weather. I decided to skip the trip and called up their customer service number after my outbound bus had departed from San Francisco. So technically I was a no-show and they were not obligated to pay me any refunds for it, but I told them that I am skipping my trip because of impending snow storm and within two minutes, no questions asked, the nice lady on the phone told me they will refund me the entire fare for both legs, even the one unaffected by snow! Try that with airlines or beloved Amtrak.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I can say that I've tried Megabus and I don't like it. Their bus was a stupid Van Hool that all the drivers and mechanics know to hate and it's quite cramped inside. That big glass pane up front is just SO dangerous! Also, slow and sluggish.

 

[John Bobinyec]

IF there were to be train service from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (NV), where would the train stop in Las Vegas? Is there a station? If so, where is it located?

jb

 

[Ryan]

When the Desert Wind ran there, the station was at a hotel (the Plaza?). The platform is still there, I think.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yep, the old waiting room is now the Plaza employees breakroom.

Eric( GG-1)visited the Plaza and posted some pics of this in a thread we had discussing this a couple of years ago.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I have a feeling a lot of Megabus-hate on this forum comes from people whose opinions are purely fed by news, and never been on one in person. I know they have had a couple of accidents that could have been avoided, but apart from that, one must not forget that they run thousands of services day in day out without accidents. Its not like Megabuses have been spewing out dead passengers daily. I have personally never had a bad experience with Megabus and to those who crib about lack of facilities, tell you something- their customer service is excellent!

IIRC I'm taller than you and I'm willing to bet that if I rode Megabus it would be extremely cramped and uncomfortable. Possibly to the point of being medically harmful. Is their excellent customer service going to magically create more legroom for me? You think I'm going to risk several hours of pain just to save a few dollars and prove a point on a forum? No thanks. If Megabus makes no sense for me then I'll keep avoiding it. If Megabus ends up blocking traffic in my city because they're too cheap to rent a boarding location then I'll keep fighting it. If Megabus is right for you then by all means continue riding it.

 

[railiner]

, Greyhound gets paid by casinos?

Not exactly....but passengers pay say $30. for a roundtrip ticket to a certain casino run. They can only return from that casino, and must stay for at least six hours. When they arrive at the casino, the casino gives each passenger a coupon for say $15 in free play, plus another coupon worth about $10 or $15 towards the casino buffet. So the passenger spends $30, and gets back the equivalent. Greyhound gets the fare, and the casino gets a 'captive audience that will usually drop a lot more than that $30 in the six hours....

 

[Bob Dylan]

Yep, fact of life, the House always wins and the suckers, er customers go home sad and broke!

 

[railiner]

Yep, fact of life, the House always wins and the suckers, er customers go home sad and broke!

And sadder yet is the fact that as soon as they get a few dollars together, they are right back for more....

 

[the_traveler]

I always go home with the same amount asi brought. Of course, I stay out of casinos! :giggle: (Even considering I live within 20 miles of 2 of the 3 at least at one time biggest casinos in the world!)

 

[railiner]

Same here.....you know....I never lost a lottery....to paraphrase the New York Lottery...."You've got to be in it, to lose it"....

I just work too hard for my pay to gamble it away, but I don't begrudge those that get a kick out of it....their spending subsidizes me when I enjoy some of the lavish Las Vegas buffet's.....

 

[dlagrua]

Yes few remember the Amtrak Desert Wind that ran from LA to Ogden, UT and then connected to the EB onto Chicago. Another route casualty that shows no signs of coming back.

 

[zephyr17]

Connected with the California Zephyr/San Francisco Zephyr, not the Empire Builder, would have had to gone 700 miles or so further north to connect with the Empire Builder. Odgen was the connection point in the first years before the re-route of 5/6 onto the Rio Grande. Salt Lake City after that.

Of course, during the last few years of its existence during the less-than-weekly Mercer Cuts era, it was its own train, running 3 days a week when the CZ did not run.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I just work too hard for my pay to gamble it away, but I don't begrudge those that get a kick out of it....their spending subsidizes me when I enjoy some of the lavish Las Vegas buffet's.....

I'm not sure how much of a subsidy there is when every buffet we tried ran anywhere from $45 to $90. Or maybe I'm missing a critical aspect of the equation.

 

[neroden]

Amtral should try to ask for funding from Nevada or Utah to operate a restored section of the DW from SLC.

Not a good idea. That was always the unpopular part of the route. You'd be surprised how little traffic there is from Vegas to Salt Lake City (or Denver); the roads are empty, the airplanes are empty. The big business was, and is, on the California - Las Vegas end.

There is a mega bus who goes to Vegas daily from union station to Vegas with a quick stop in riverside ! It's only 2.00 one way

And the safety is messed up because their equipment is the worst in the industry and their drivers and seats aren't much better.

Worth noting, Swadian is the biggest intercity bus fan on here, so if he says a bus route is bad, it's bad. He tends to know the situation on individual routes, not just per operator, though I'm not sure whether he's speaking specifically about the LA-LV route here.

 

[GG-1]

Amtral should try to ask for funding from Nevada or Utah to operate a restored section of the DW from SLC.

Not a good idea. That was always the unpopular part of the route. You'd be surprised how little traffic there is from Vegas to Salt Lake City (or Denver); the roads are empty, the airplanes are empty. The big business was, and is, on the California - Las Vegas end

Aloha

I used to attend a convention in LV every 5 years typically early October. My Daughter lived near LA so I would fly from Hawaii to visit her then take the Desert Wind on Sat to Vegas for the convention. Every time I got off in Vegas at the plaza almost as many that left the train were replaced by those going east. I understand from the crew the reverse was true. I never took the reverse route because after the convention I would return directly to Hawaii.