Las Vegas Monorail
The Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail is a public transport system in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Monorail (English: Monorail ) is operated by the Las Vegas Monorail Company, which is registered for tax reasons as a foundation. The state of Nevada has made no financial subsidies except guarantees.
Development
The Las Vegas Monorail was built by Bombardier Transportation and extended an existing free connection between the MGM Grand and Bally's. Tourists walk were previously usually go, so can cover a wide range of Strips effortless. The rails were built by the California Granite Corporation, one of the largest construction companies in the United States.
After many delays, the line was opened on 15 July 2004, after the first phase was completed and tested. During the tests, there were numerous failures that delayed the start of the system by almost a year. Most of the problems caused by falling parts of the rails of the elevated railway.
On 8 September 2004 again resulted in problems with falling parts to a four-month closing until 24 December 2004. The first stress test at major events was the transport system for the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2005. A fault in the electronics system led on 2 February 2005 to repair work. Due to a short circuit in a 9 -meter-long power rail had to be replaced this. After 12 hours of operation was resumed.
Plans to extend the route to the airport were envisaged with the decision of a feasibility study by the regional government on 1 November 2005.
Project status
Currently operate the vehicles ( in phase 1 of the project) from the MGM Grand on the south end of the Strip, approximately parallel to the strip on the eastern side. The route runs adjacent to the Las Vegas Hilton and the Convention Center - there are also bus stops - and ends behind the Sahara Las Vegas at the northern end of the Strip. A ride along the entire route (6.3 miles) takes about 14 minutes.
The rails are routed behind the big hotels and casinos that lie to the east, and a long block away from the Strip. Therefore, one has to take a wide walk through one or more casinos until you arrive at the Strip. Due to this fact, the transport system was rather sluggish accepted. Trains run daily from 7:00 am till 2:00 clock clock at night (weekends until 3:00 clock ). The tickets will be sold from vending machines at the stations.
The namesake Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas owes support to the project in the population and the public administration. Broadbent was mayor of Boulder City, employees in the administration of Clark County ( Nevada), senior staff in the U.S. Department of Interior and director of the airport of Las Vegas ( McCarran ). He died in 2003 a few months before the scheduled start of the system.
Financing
Non -profit organizations are very rarely responsible for passenger for planning, financing and operation, as with the Las Vegas Monorail. In addition to the revenue for the loan repayment and the operation was expected profits, with which the system could be extended. While planning the management in Las Vegas was warned by experts warned that in America no public transport system without public subsidies exist. According to the Washington Post, the subway in New York generate 67 % of operating costs through ticket sales and advertising itself, making it front-runner in the United States.
The Las Vegas Monorail achieved not only proceeds from ticket sales, but also from the sponsorship. A total of 7 stations and 9 trains can be designed in the image of the respective sponsor. The prices for the sponsorship are in the millions. Hansen Beverage sponsored the first train in the design of their energy drinks monster. Nextel Communications designed the largest station near the Las Vegas Convention Center in the corporate style. Since the merger with Sprint Nextel by the end of 2005, the station was renamed Central Sprint Central.
Insolvency
Presented in January 2010, the Las Vegas Monorail bankruptcy petition on the grounds that 649 million U.S. not being able to repay dollars ( 476 million euros ) in government bonds. The operation of which is not currently impaired.
Stations
- Sahara Station The Sahara Station was designed with the idea of an extension of the rail network from the Las Vegas Strip to the center of Las Vegas, on a route at Circus Circus and the Riviera with a new section of track. CAT buses run from the Sahara Station in the city center.
As vehicles nine Bombardier MVI trains are used, each consisting of four wagons and are automatically controlled.
Extension
For phase 2, a 3.7 km long extension to Fremont Street and the city center of Las Vegas is planned, with new stations at the Stratosphere Hotel, Charleston Boulevard, Bonneville Street and Fremont Street. Construction should begin in 2005 and be operational from 2008. However, since the expected financing by the public sector in 2004 was not planned for in the budget, the plan was shelved. On 27 January 2005 the State Government announced that no grants for the 400 - million - dollar project to be paid.
It is not yet certain, therefore, whether the Phase 2 will ever be built. According to reports the Associated Press (AP ) said Cam Walker from the management of the transport system, there are currently no immediate plans to extend the route. In addition, it is reported that the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, looking for solutions with a better train system or modern buses.
A Phase 3 was planned to extend the route south of the MGM Grand Station to Las Vegas Airport ( McCarran ). A feasibility study is conducted, which examines whether this is possible in the course of the planned expansion of the airport. Some hotel and casino operators on the strip support this extension and want this. Rather than the expansion of Phase 2 to the center of Las Vegas The airport line will be built from 2008 and be completed in 2011 and funded by a private model.
Currently, however, even this extension still in the planning stage.