Las Vegas Monorail

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A monorail train arrives at the Sahara Station. A monorail train arrives at the Sahara Station.

The Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail is a mass transit system located in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company. For tax purposes, the Monorail is registered as a charity. Under Nevada law this is allowed since the Monorail provides a public service.

Current operation

The present monorail (Phase 1 of the overall project) begins at the MGM Grand Hotel near the south end of the Strip, and runs roughly parallel to the Strip on its eastern side. The monorail passes next to the Las Vegas Hilton and the Convention Center, both with stations, before ending at the Sahara hotel at the north end of the Strip. The ride takes about 14 minutes to travel its total distance of 3.9 miles (about 6.3 km).

The monorail generally runs behind the eastern side hotels and casinos, a long block away from the Strip. To get to the Strip thus usually requires a long, confusing walk through one or more casinos, with the prospect of emerging upon the Strip in an unexpected location. This lack of a direct presence on the Strip has been a factor in the rather slow acceptance of the monorail.

The Las Vegas Monorail operates from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. daily. A person can ride the system from end to end in as little as 14 minutes. A single ride costs $5.00 one-way. A 24-hour unlimited travel pass can be purchased for $15.00, and a three-day unlimited travel pass can be purchased for $25.00. Tourists who are planning a trip to Las Vegas may purchase tickets in advance. Tickets may also be purchased from automated kiosks located inside the train stations. A map of the system is provided by the monorail operator.

It is named for Robert N. Broadbent, whom Las Vegas officials credit with gaining the support from the public and officials needed to bring the monorail to fruition. Broadbent, a former Boulder City mayor, Clark County commissioner, assistant secretary of the interior, and McCarran International Airport director, died in 2003, a few months before the system's scheduled opening.

The Las Vegas Monorail generates revenue not only from ticketed passengers, but also from corporate sponsors. Branding rights for the 7 stations and the 9 trains are available, and the sponsorship prices are in the millions. Hansens Beverage sponsored the first monorail train, featuring its Monster energy drink. Nextel Communications created a totally themed pavilion by branding the largest station, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Since the Sprint-Nextel Merger in late 2005, Nextel Central has been rebranded as Sprint Central.

History and problems

After many delays, the Las Vegas Monorail opened to the public on July 15, 2004 with the completion and testing of Phase 1.

During testing and commissioning, the monorail suffered several malfunctions that delayed the start of passenger service for almost a year. The most severe of these problems related to parts falling from the monorail to the ground under the tracks.

On September 8, 2004, more problems with falling parts led to the closing of the monorail for nearly four months. It reopened on December 24, 2004. A number of repairs were made to the monorail cars during this shutdown. Each time the monorail system requires major engineering changes, it must undergo a lengthy "commissioning" process to confirm the effectiveness and safety of the repairs. The local press reported that each day the monorail was down cost the system approximately $85,000, and that over $8.3 million was lost as a result of this one shutdown.

Transit Systems Management officials cited the good handling of crowds during the Consumer Electronics Show in January of 2005 as proof that the system can handle a major convention.

On February 2, 2005, the monorail system had to be shut down again due to problems with the electrical system. Reportedly, a short circuit required replacement of a 30-foot (9.14 m) section of the power rail. The system reopened about 12 hours later.

July 2005 set a record for ridership for the monorail, with over 1 million passengers. Also, Bank West debuted a red "MoneyRail" branded train, and joins Nextel Communications, Hansens Beverage, and Paramount Studios (Star Trek) as corporate sponsors.

On July 8, 2005, Transit Systems Management announced that it would shut down, turning over its responsibilities to the Las Vegas Monorail Company, the system operator.

As a result of the Sprint and Nextel merger, the Convention Center station was rebranded to the new Sprint logo on September 21, 2005.

Expansion plans took a step forward on November 1, 2005 when the County Commission approved a study into the feasibility of an airport extension.

Extensions

The Las Vegas Monorail over Paradise Rd The Las Vegas Monorail over Paradise Rd

For Phase 2, a 2.3 mile (3.7 km) extension to Fremont Street and Downtown Las Vegas is planned, with new stations at the Stratosphere Hotel, Charleston Boulevard, Bonneville Street, and Fremont Street. Construction was planned to begin in 2005 with service beginning in 2008. However, the anticipated funding from the federal government was not allocated in 2004, so the plans were put on hold. On January 27, 2005, it was announced that the federal government will not provide money for the $400 million project.

The original plan was to open the system in January 2004, and for it to cover its debts and operating expenses by attracting 19 million?20 million riders. Since the system was not only delayed in opening, but later shut down for four months, income was not as great as organizers had hoped. This reportedly is a contributing factor for the government's denial of Phase 2 funding.

It is thus unclear if Phase 2 will ever be built. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Cam Walker, head of Transit Systems Management, the non-profit corporation charged with operating the monorail, said his company had no immediate plans to extend the monorail in any direction. The AP also reported that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has been looking at cheaper, alternative funding for a light rail system or high tech buses.

A Phase 3 was planned to extended the monorail system south from the MGM Grand Station to McCarran International Airport. At present, a feasibility study has been ordered to fit in with an upcoming expansion at McCarran Airport that may would allow for an integrated station at the airport as part of a new terminal. Several hotel and casino owners on the Strip continue to support the project.

The Las Vegas Monorail pulling into the Las Vegas Convention Center [1] Station The Las Vegas Monorail pulling into the Las Vegas Convention Center [1] Station

Construction and planning

The monorail track was built by the Granite Corporation of California, one of the largest civil contractors in the United States.

The Las Vegas Monorail vehicles and signals systems were developed by Bombardier Corp., which has been blamed for problems with the system. Bombardier also constructed the monorail Mark VI trains for Walt Disney World, as well as many other transit systems around the world. The company may be subject to litigation and liability for losses of income due to monorail malfunctions, although the legal responsibility lies entirely with the Transit Systems Management corporation, which inspected and accepted all the rolling equipment and the infrastructures.

The technology for the monorail vehicles came directly from the well-tested and safe monorail train systems running in Walt Disney World. Having an independent non-profit corporation in charge of financing, maintaining and running the entire system was a relatively new idea with very few precedents. From the start, extremely high standards and great financial demands were set for what was a new, unproven management structure in the transit domain. The pressure to perform without losing money was great. It was expected that in addition to covering operating expenses and service of the debt, there would be surplus revenue that would be invested in expansion of the system. While still in the project stage, Las Vegas officials were warned by experts in mass transit that no major urban transportation system in the United States operates without significant public subsidies. As reported in the Washington Post, a spokesperson for the largest association of transit utilities in the United States noted that New York city's subway system recovers only 67% of its costs (through fares and advertising revenue), and it is the best performer in the US in that respect.

Stations

All stations in the system are available for branding by companies and groups. By selling branding rights for the stations, the system earns additional income to limit the fares paid by passangers.

Trains

The monorail uses 9 Bombardier MVI trains that have 4 cars in each of the fully automatic trains.

All trains in the system are available for branding by companies and groups. By selling branding rights for the trains, the system earns additional income to limit the fares paid by passangers. Branding income from the trains is much lower than the income received from the station branding.

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