Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
I don't think running connecting buses will be very successful. Too much hassles possible.
X-Train Chugging Along?
- Thread starter Anderson
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Another step in the saga of the X-Train. I don't think we will know if this is a completely aboveboard venture with a realistic and viable business plan or a shady plan using the OPM financing approach (Other People's Money) until the train service actually starts and then runs for a year. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Latest press release: Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. Completes $2,282,000 Private Offering
Latest press release: Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. Completes $2,282,000 Private Offering
cirdan
Engineer
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that would require either the provison of two consists, or one consist that shuttles back (empty?) in between the Thursday and Friday run.
cirdan
Engineer
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I guess those 5 years are a bit optimistic. It's assuming all approvals and financing work out on the first attempt. But even if construction does start on time, projects like that almost always slip a bit. If it slips more towards the 10 year margin, that could leave X-train enough time to do good business before pulling out. It's second hand cars they're going to use, and those are not going to last forever anyway.
PPorro
Train Attendant
True. It's ironic, but if DX/XW either melts down or gets hopelessly tied up in red tape, there's a risk that X-Train might need to look at dumping the service to Amtrak to avoid getting stuck with equipment replacement (or rounding up some sort of supplemental order) in the mid-20s. Of course, if the operating margin turns out to be decent, the company might be able to afford such an overhaul at that point. Of course, like I've noted, the addition of a third set of equipment to the mix (from what they've said, they intend to get at least another 10-car set before all is said and done, at least if their passenger capacity plans are to be believed) could facilitate something slightly larger/allow for slightly longer vacations (or a "reverse schedule" option).
Amusing question: For LVRE, what exactly would qualify as a "discontinued operation" for this company?
PPorro: What's that a shot of? One of the Chicago yards some time ago?
PPorro
Train Attendant
Google Maps view of Gateway Rail Services Inc, 1980 3rd Street, Madison, IL 38°40'44.07" N 90°08'34.93" W . It was just a shot in the dark. If you go to the view, they have a big yard full of pretty cars of all sorts. I see the Mark Twain Train (had to do that) with one extra car? Or one similar design? Arrived between Aug 2007 and April 2008.
I'm still learning and figured people here might know the cars from the photo, but I'm guessing they are Budd Cars. None seem to look exactly like the artists rendering? But the string in the middle, seems similar?
Found this, station design video. http://la.curbed.com...gas_station.php
Las Vegas Railway Express - http://www.lasvegass...t-rails-sooner/
With that, a screen grab of the artists concept in the video. If he worked from a real car design, some of you can tell what it is. I can't.
photo upload
I'm still learning and figured people here might know the cars from the photo, but I'm guessing they are Budd Cars. None seem to look exactly like the artists rendering? But the string in the middle, seems similar?
Found this, station design video. http://la.curbed.com...gas_station.php
Las Vegas Railway Express - http://www.lasvegass...t-rails-sooner/
With that, a screen grab of the artists concept in the video. If he worked from a real car design, some of you can tell what it is. I can't.
photo upload
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Looks like the 'artist' simply took either a Chicago Metra or SF Bay Area CalTrain car and slapped on some not so fancy graphics.
That would be a "Gallery" car, built for high passenger-load commuter service and currently being manufactured by the Nippon-Sharyo corporation (just so happens to be the same company who won the contract to build the next-gen 'California' cars for Amtrak's State services.)
The cars you were referencing to in the Gateway Rail Services photo are indeed Budd-built bi-levels. They were built in the 1950's for the Santa-Fe railway on their 'El Capitan' service as so-called 'Hi-Level' cars. They have been hard-ran, pretty much worn out and as such fully disposed of by Amtrak in the 1990's when the Superliner II's showed up. They don't have retention toilets, instead dumping the waste to the tracks, and this makes them illegal to run unless retrofitted. There are also no more parts available for them if/when things break. As such, you'll also need a shop capable of making custom parts from simple faucet handles to full-on truck and A/C assemblies. As such, the only real economical place that fleet can go is a scrap yard... Anyone looking to buy them outright and place them back into full-scale revenue service is either a rich idiot, or have their heads in the clouds.
They helped spawn the double-decker design and prove it to be a good one. But they have done their duty and need to be relegated to a museum or individual PV owners. Or the cutter's torch.
PPorro
Train Attendant
Oh darn, artists concept. So they won't be running these nifty vintage E9 engines either? 
NAVYBLUE
Lead Service Attendant
http://www.lvrj.com/...-174081901.html
Although I am cautiously optimistic, I have some doubts he can get AMTRAK and the (3) host tracks on his side, but I'll wait and see. It would be a boon to Las Vegas' economy as the train ends right on the Strip at the Plaza Casino. It could bring in the gamblers and 'outdoor recreation" enthusiasts and facilitate railfans (ME-ME-ME) to LAX and EMY for LD trains and the west coast trains.
From the article he has already bought rolling stock from a private company in Wisconsin. My concern is the company's lack of experience in the transportation field and the aforementioned AMTRAK/host railroad cooperation.
Comments ?
NAVYBLUE
Although I am cautiously optimistic, I have some doubts he can get AMTRAK and the (3) host tracks on his side, but I'll wait and see. It would be a boon to Las Vegas' economy as the train ends right on the Strip at the Plaza Casino. It could bring in the gamblers and 'outdoor recreation" enthusiasts and facilitate railfans (ME-ME-ME) to LAX and EMY for LD trains and the west coast trains.
From the article he has already bought rolling stock from a private company in Wisconsin. My concern is the company's lack of experience in the transportation field and the aforementioned AMTRAK/host railroad cooperation.
Comments ?
NAVYBLUE
johnny.menhennet
Conductor
Okay, while I have only been to Vegas once, and it was 5 and a half years ago, I clearly remember the Plaza being DOWNTOWN and not on the Strip. For those of you who haven't been to Vegas, they are actually two very different neighborhoods, with the Plaza likely being a good 2-4 miles north of the Strip, depending on where you are staying. The strip hosts the majority of Vegas' hotels/casinos popular with tourists. While someone booking a ticket wouldn't know that they would need a $20 cab ride once they got there, especially if it was their first trip, I am surprised that X-Train would not want an entirely new, purpose-built station that is 1) better able to suit the needs of the service , being NEW and all, 2) being closer to almost every major hotel by multiple miles, and 3) while not as important, it is near the airport as well. It looks as if there is land about 1000 feet south of Tropicana that could be used, which opens up and becomes definitely wide enough for 2 stub tracks should they want that, to hold 2 trains. Stubs will almost certainly be required by UP, and there is room. Empty land will also give room for taxis and amenities. Another smaller likely overlooked benefit is that by being so much closer to the popular hotels, you could have the journey take 5 minutes less. The public would expect a certain time from Fullerton to Vegas, but they don't really care where it is in Vegas, it's more of a perception thing. If you can have the same scheduled time but a faster run time, it allows for more "free" padding that won't hurt the schedule at all. Or if you are sure that the run will be efficient without delays, then you can take 5 minutes off!
Of course, the counterpoint is that a $15-20 cab ride is necessary from McCarran to most resorts as it is, so you're probably at a wash either way. But I do know what you're saying on the "free padding". With that noted, though, I think the key is that even if they renovate the station at the Plaza, it's still a relatively "turnkey" station, while Fullerton is an active train station. That basically saves them the hassle (and cost) of building new stations at either end (which would probably add another 6-12 months to startup time).
If the operation is successful and ridership meets or exceeds projections, I could see a lot of things potentially happening (more trains, closer-to-daily service, adding a "Strip Station" [if the TSA checks your bag at such a place, would that make it a Strip Search? ], and so forth). However, those are all big "ifs" at this point.
If the operation is successful and ridership meets or exceeds projections, I could see a lot of things potentially happening (more trains, closer-to-daily service, adding a "Strip Station" [if the TSA checks your bag at such a place, would that make it a Strip Search?
], and so forth). However, those are all big "ifs" at this point.The article makes the plans sound sketchy as they have appeared to be all along. Making public comments in 2010 about how the service could start in 2011 w/o having had in-depth discussions with UP on track access does not make Mr. Barron nor the company look reliable.
On the other hand, if the X-trains are to be run by Amtrak under contract, that would provide assurance that the trains are being run by qualified professionals. However, it might be a good idea for Amtrak to demand to be paid much of the start-up staffing and first month of operation costs in advance - and make sure the check clears.
If the company is willing and able to pay competitive trackage rights fees to have priority over freight trains, that would be a big step to making it a viable service. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, there are track upgrade projects underway by UP and BSNF in So Cal that should address some of the choke-points that were an issue in the most recent LA to Las Vegas Amtrak corridor service study.
As for getting to the casinos in Vegas, the company can arrange for shuttle buses to meet the arriving train and take passengers to their particular casino destination and then pick them up on Sunday to take them to the station. With only 2 arrivals and 2 departures per week, that should be pretty simple to do.
calwatch
Lead Service Attendant
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2010
- Messages
- 428
Here's something cut and pasted from another board to their investors:
Dear X Train Shareholders and fans:Well, the long hot summer here in Las Vegas is over finally. And although the heat was turned up pretty high here, we had it turned up even higher on our project. We began our actual construction project on the station at the Plaza Hotel by hiring on our civil engineers, Walker Engineering, our General Contractor – R&O Construction, our Architects, Carpenter, Sellers, DelGatto, our rail engineers DeBerg & Associates as well as a host of ancillary professional staff with the City of Las Vegas. The civil engineering report was completed by Walker engineering and now identifies all infrastructure constraints on the site
We are now working with DeBerg to lay in the rail location and to orient the platform for speedy unloading. Approvals will take about 6 months before we can begin construction.We acquired 10 railcars outright and have them parked in a rail yard in Wisconsin. The cars are bi-level designs which we will refurbish into our Vegas Class club lounge cars. The designs for the interiors are being done by Carpenter Sellers DelGatto, architects, and are very spiffy.This is a working sample of one configuration which has a self-contained bar/lounge and food service area in each car and holds 40 people in complete comfort. (Photo not included)
Other designs are in the works as well and we will show them to you as they are available.
We will be acquiring additional rail cars to add to this set and expect to begin renovation after the first of the year 2013.Our marketing efforts have gone into high gear with the addition of our COO- Passenger Services – Penny Stegeman. Penny comes from the Vegas ticketing business and the airline services business. In her first two calls to major properties here in town, both customers indicated they could fill a train all year with just their own clients. Pretty good start for us on that. We have a lot more to talk about with these folks, but both are extremely excited about being part of the project. No names as yet. That is still confidential, but we will make it public when it’s all done.
On the technology side, Bob Gottesman has come on board as our EVP/CIO and has two jobs he is responsible for. First he is the project manager for our development projects. This is like building the trip from the Earth to the Moon. Each project from station construction to car acquisition and build-out to logistics planning to IT systems is like a business of its own. I have attached Bob’s dashboard from the project management system so you can see what I’m talking about. It’s complicated, to say the least. We currently have about 400 tasks we manage. By the time the train runs, it will be 4,000.
We completed an offering of $2.28 million for the company. This capital allows us to proceed with the development of the station, electronics infrastructure and to acquire the railset for the first train. Our next mission is to organize for our larger offering later this year. We have moved the ball forward with the railroads and expect final logistics to be completed by November for both railroads. Amtrak was selected as our haulage partner and we are now working on the marketing and technical interface with their existing train network. You will be able to buy an X Train ticket at any one of the thousands of Amtrak kiosks nationwide. We will be carried on their national timetable as well.
Dear X Train Shareholders and fans:Well, the long hot summer here in Las Vegas is over finally. And although the heat was turned up pretty high here, we had it turned up even higher on our project. We began our actual construction project on the station at the Plaza Hotel by hiring on our civil engineers, Walker Engineering, our General Contractor – R&O Construction, our Architects, Carpenter, Sellers, DelGatto, our rail engineers DeBerg & Associates as well as a host of ancillary professional staff with the City of Las Vegas. The civil engineering report was completed by Walker engineering and now identifies all infrastructure constraints on the site
We are now working with DeBerg to lay in the rail location and to orient the platform for speedy unloading. Approvals will take about 6 months before we can begin construction.We acquired 10 railcars outright and have them parked in a rail yard in Wisconsin. The cars are bi-level designs which we will refurbish into our Vegas Class club lounge cars. The designs for the interiors are being done by Carpenter Sellers DelGatto, architects, and are very spiffy.This is a working sample of one configuration which has a self-contained bar/lounge and food service area in each car and holds 40 people in complete comfort. (Photo not included)
Other designs are in the works as well and we will show them to you as they are available.
We will be acquiring additional rail cars to add to this set and expect to begin renovation after the first of the year 2013.Our marketing efforts have gone into high gear with the addition of our COO- Passenger Services – Penny Stegeman. Penny comes from the Vegas ticketing business and the airline services business. In her first two calls to major properties here in town, both customers indicated they could fill a train all year with just their own clients. Pretty good start for us on that. We have a lot more to talk about with these folks, but both are extremely excited about being part of the project. No names as yet. That is still confidential, but we will make it public when it’s all done.
On the technology side, Bob Gottesman has come on board as our EVP/CIO and has two jobs he is responsible for. First he is the project manager for our development projects. This is like building the trip from the Earth to the Moon. Each project from station construction to car acquisition and build-out to logistics planning to IT systems is like a business of its own. I have attached Bob’s dashboard from the project management system so you can see what I’m talking about. It’s complicated, to say the least. We currently have about 400 tasks we manage. By the time the train runs, it will be 4,000.
We completed an offering of $2.28 million for the company. This capital allows us to proceed with the development of the station, electronics infrastructure and to acquire the railset for the first train. Our next mission is to organize for our larger offering later this year. We have moved the ball forward with the railroads and expect final logistics to be completed by November for both railroads. Amtrak was selected as our haulage partner and we are now working on the marketing and technical interface with their existing train network. You will be able to buy an X Train ticket at any one of the thousands of Amtrak kiosks nationwide. We will be carried on their national timetable as well.
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johnny.menhennet
Conductor
I was hoping this would be the case. Will make a much easier job of selling tickets on a national scale, IMO.
I'd note that the article gives a bit of discredit where it isn't entirely due. There was another proposal at the same time (the Z-Train) that was also the object of the memo killing off the casino car(s), something that I don't think was entirely expected...and to be fair, at that stage I'd suggest that it was little more than an idea and a webpage. The fact that the X-Train has managed to round up several million dollars in investment income and actually seems to be working out operating agreements and the like strikes me as comparatively positive.
This is still, in many ways, a couple of people and a dream...but from what I can tell:
1) The market does seem to be there, it was just never served well by Amtrak on the one hand, and gas prices weren't quite there to make it work as well before on the other; and
2) The pieces seem to slowly be coming together.
That these guys are engaged in a bit of puffery isn't really a shock...but a lot of the nuances come down to arguments over a line or two of copy somewhere, nothing more. I've seen far worse from numerous campaigns over the years (heck, you often see worse at earnings time on Wall Street). Granted, it's clear that they've been learning on the job, but at the same time I do suspect that there have been some parts of the plan that have fallen through (such as the previous car acquisition...it's entirely possible, for example, that they had a line on a set of cars and couldn't round up the financing at the time).
With all of that said, I'd like to see some confirmation on Amtrak agreeing to handle their tickets and stick them in the timetable from Amtrak.
(Also, a challenge: If they are buyable through Amtrak and can be interlined, find a way to force a cash value ticket out of them!)
This is still, in many ways, a couple of people and a dream...but from what I can tell:
1) The market does seem to be there, it was just never served well by Amtrak on the one hand, and gas prices weren't quite there to make it work as well before on the other; and
2) The pieces seem to slowly be coming together.
That these guys are engaged in a bit of puffery isn't really a shock...but a lot of the nuances come down to arguments over a line or two of copy somewhere, nothing more. I've seen far worse from numerous campaigns over the years (heck, you often see worse at earnings time on Wall Street). Granted, it's clear that they've been learning on the job, but at the same time I do suspect that there have been some parts of the plan that have fallen through (such as the previous car acquisition...it's entirely possible, for example, that they had a line on a set of cars and couldn't round up the financing at the time).
With all of that said, I'd like to see some confirmation on Amtrak agreeing to handle their tickets and stick them in the timetable from Amtrak.
(Also, a challenge: If they are buyable through Amtrak and can be interlined, find a way to force a cash value ticket out of them!)
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cirdan
Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2011
- Messages
- 3,874
I wouldn't attach too much importance to that photo. To me it looks as if somebody had some fun doodling on a stock photo with Photoshop paint.
It doesn't necessarily need to have anything to do with what's really going to happen.
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cirdan
Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2011
- Messages
- 3,874
True, but they're hardly going to be restored to their previous condition. It's more likely they will have everything ripped out and be reduced to a mere bodyshell and then refitted with some attractive Vegas-style modern interior. As such there will be modern bathrooms with retention tanks and modern AC systems and thus spare parts won't be a problem either.
NAVYBLUE
Lead Service Attendant
Johnny,
The "Old Strip" (everything north of the Stratosphere) wants the X Train to debark at the Plaza. Th old strip is undergoing a renaissance (driven a lot by Zappos CEO). They WANT the debark point to be in the old strip area.
From the Plaza they can get to the center of the "New Strip" by taxi ($10), Monorail from Sahara-MGM Grand ($7 one way) or use the Duece double decker bus for 24 hours for $8 which runs by every 15 minutes and goes from Fremont street to Mandalay Bay (southern end of the 'New Strip)
A spar off Tropicana would be too cost prohibitive at $1,000,000/acre, red tape nightmare and also the UP tracks veer sharply southwest after crossing Spring Mountain road. Plus at that area there is technically no way to get the tracks to Las Vegas Blvd without them blowing up at least one casino
Las Vegas trivia. The old and new strip is NOT in Las Vegas. They are in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester which is SOUTH of the Las Vegas city limits. This was done because the original developers could not "massage" the Las Vegas city officials as well as the Clark County officials if you get my drift. The (2) towns, Las Vegas, Henderson, Mesquite, NORTH Las Vegas (where I live) are presently part of Clark County.
How to tell if you are in Las Vegas or North Las Vegas. Las Vegas has green road signs, North Las Vegas has brown. Las Vegas is to the west, east and south of North Las Vegas. to the North of NORTH Las Vegas is Desert Wildlife National Refuge and National Security Test Site (Area 51 and aliens) LOL.
More trivia. Prostitution is illegal in Clark County. In Pahrump west of Las Vegas in Nye County it is legal. Law says it is legal in counties whose population is less than 600,000 people. It is legal to walk on the strip with a Colt 45 pistol holstered on each hip with an alcoholic drink. It is illegal for anyone in a car on the strip to have a open beer can or other alcoholic drink in the interior of the vehicle while cruising the strip. It is legal to drink(except driver) in a vehicle that is cruising the that has a limo license.
Las Vegas valley is 600 square miles. The Las Vegas strips (old and new) are (1) mile wide by (10) miles long. All the rest is "normal" people. (LOL)
It is actually and great place to live, work and retire. Only taxes are property taxes, non food sales tax and vehicle registration tax. They tax NO retirement income/pensions.
That being said I wait to see if this gets off the ground and whether there will be any NON party cars added for those wanting to be a tourist in California or to catch a LD train out of LAX/EMY
NAVYBLUE
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johnny.menhennet
Conductor
Thank you for the info. I knew most of it, but some was good to hear. I was not advocating an actual spur track basically to the MGM. Rather, I was saying that there is undeveloped land about 1000 feet south of Tropicana at the tracks that would be suitable for a station. By spur I meant stub-end tracks I guess, in the same manner as LAUS has tracks that end. Regardless of a renaissance in the traditional downtown area, I still feel most tourists and hotel/casinos would support the station nearer the REAL (frequented) strip. Just my opinion.
NAVYBLUE
Lead Service Attendant
Johnny,
What I see is that IF this gets off the ground, that after they've been stopping at the Plaza for a while and get some revenue, MGM (owns 8 casinos on strip), Wynn, Adelson (SANDS corp) will foot the bill to build (with X train/politicians approval) a station where UP tracks cross Flamingo (center of the New strip) and taxis then could have you to a new strip casino in (5) minutes. The (3) Amigos could also have courtesy vans (highly unlikely, taxi companies in Vegas powerful) but the "Duece) could go from strip to Flamingo station and then back to strip. Could be a "Duece" going north or south on the strip to divert to pick up passengers.
If it even flies, they will have to take baby steps. I agree in that I think most of the California low and high rollers are going to want the "New Strip"
NAVYBLUE
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The biggest obstacle to that happening might be the timeline on DX/XW. Of course, that caveat comes with a counter-caveat: Fullerton-Palmdale is two hours or so when traffic isn't /too/ bad while Fullerton-Victorville is 1:30-2:00. These numbers go downhill if you have to take Metrolink up to Palmdale from the LA area. Likewise, FUL is 15 minutes from Disneyland.
So, there might still be a market for the X-Train even post-DX/XW:
-If getting to the bullet train takes me two hours (or more) in traffic or requires me to change trains several times (and especially if it ends up costing any substantial amount more), I might just say "screw it" and take the slower train on my side of town, since the time savings would evaporate in the process of fighting my way across the metro area (not to mention that Palmdale-Victorville might well cost another 20-30 minutes in time on the bullet train...at that point, it's 30 minutes' time savings on the bullet train).
-As perhaps hinted at above, service into Fullerton offers some interesting "do both areas" tour options (including either Disney or San Diego as second destinations, or even putting all three on the same reservation) or allowing for targeting Vegas as a tourist market for the train as well. Moreover, until CAHSR gets going through the mountains (and/or unless DX/XW gets extended into LA proper, which may basically be the same thing), the X-Train might actually end up with BETTER connectivity vis-a-vis most of Metrolink and the Surfliners.
-Fullerton offers a (clunky) cross-platform connection to the SWC...if timekeeping is good, you could transfer from the early Sunday X-Train to the EB Chief without /too/ much trouble. Sadly, the WB Chief to the X-Train is likely a non-starter for most folks, though with timekeeping there...a 5-hour hold can sadly be more "realistic" than "annoying".
-Finally, direct service into the southern part of the LA Metro area is, well, a separate market from direct service into the northern part of the area. The LA area is just so blasted big that it can viably merit two different services into different ends of the area.
So, there might still be a market for the X-Train even post-DX/XW:
-If getting to the bullet train takes me two hours (or more) in traffic or requires me to change trains several times (and especially if it ends up costing any substantial amount more), I might just say "screw it" and take the slower train on my side of town, since the time savings would evaporate in the process of fighting my way across the metro area (not to mention that Palmdale-Victorville might well cost another 20-30 minutes in time on the bullet train...at that point, it's 30 minutes' time savings on the bullet train).
-As perhaps hinted at above, service into Fullerton offers some interesting "do both areas" tour options (including either Disney or San Diego as second destinations, or even putting all three on the same reservation) or allowing for targeting Vegas as a tourist market for the train as well. Moreover, until CAHSR gets going through the mountains (and/or unless DX/XW gets extended into LA proper, which may basically be the same thing), the X-Train might actually end up with BETTER connectivity vis-a-vis most of Metrolink and the Surfliners.
-Fullerton offers a (clunky) cross-platform connection to the SWC...if timekeeping is good, you could transfer from the early Sunday X-Train to the EB Chief without /too/ much trouble. Sadly, the WB Chief to the X-Train is likely a non-starter for most folks, though with timekeeping there...a 5-hour hold can sadly be more "realistic" than "annoying".
-Finally, direct service into the southern part of the LA Metro area is, well, a separate market from direct service into the northern part of the area. The LA area is just so blasted big that it can viably merit two different services into different ends of the area.
Aloha from Las Vegas
Some of the stories and comments here are over the top. The most recent from LVRJ quoted above make me concerned tha the X-train will ever start. And getting from Downtown to Fullerton will make visits with my kids so convenient
Not sure how much is BNSF and UP track but I question the terminal being Fullerton. There is only track 1 in Fullerton that accesses the track to Vegas, so how to the prep store the trains at that end? At the Vegas end behind the Plaza there are 3 tracks.
Downtown has a number of good hotels at great rates, most walkable from the Plaza station, The Plaza Station is in good shape, currently serving as a break room for Plaza employees. I go into the area every couple of months. The distance to the strip seems to be about 6 miles and the area between is not the best. Public transportation between Downtown and the Strip exist but is not very good. The Stratosphere and Sahara while technically the north end of the strip they are disconnected from the main strip hotels.
I really hope we get this service up, but some of these stories make me wonder if the participants are serious. I really believe that a month after agreements are made the train could run.
If you want to see pictures of the Plaza end go to RBBB Gallery as that was where it was stored.
Some of the stories and comments here are over the top. The most recent from LVRJ quoted above make me concerned tha the X-train will ever start. And getting from Downtown to Fullerton will make visits with my kids so convenient
Not sure how much is BNSF and UP track but I question the terminal being Fullerton. There is only track 1 in Fullerton that accesses the track to Vegas, so how to the prep store the trains at that end? At the Vegas end behind the Plaza there are 3 tracks.
Downtown has a number of good hotels at great rates, most walkable from the Plaza station, The Plaza Station is in good shape, currently serving as a break room for Plaza employees. I go into the area every couple of months. The distance to the strip seems to be about 6 miles and the area between is not the best. Public transportation between Downtown and the Strip exist but is not very good. The Stratosphere and Sahara while technically the north end of the strip they are disconnected from the main strip hotels.
I really hope we get this service up, but some of these stories make me wonder if the participants are serious. I really believe that a month after agreements are made the train could run.
If you want to see pictures of the Plaza end go to RBBB Gallery as that was where it was stored.
johnny.menhennet
Conductor
Tracks 1 and 3 (1 being the closest to the station buildings) at Fullerton can both access the mainline toward the Transcon and Vegas. The only track without access to the Transcon is the stub track recently built by Metrolink and OCTA.
Aloha
Johny I believe you are mistaken as when the Southwest Chief departs LAX it crosses to track 1 before the Fullerton station as the turn to the east (Riverside) is just south of the station.
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