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Still want to wait for the "hurry-up" of the high-speed rail line to Vegas? The Las Vegas Railway Express says they can have trains running from Southern California to Vegas as soon as mid-2011, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Their X-Train will run from Los Angeles' Union Station to an as-yet unspecified terminus in Sin City.The company's CEO, Michael Barron, claims their 5 and 1/2 hour train to Vegas will have a "party atmosphere on wheels," rolling revelers aboard the bi-level commuter cars they have recently acquired, with plans to enhance at least one of the train's cars for more fun. "We're getting some special cars that we’ll trick up to become a gaming car or a sports and entertainment car," noted Barron. Passengers could even buy show tickets onboard, and check luggage into their booked hotel rooms during the trip.
The X-Train would be in service at least three years ahead of the high-speed rail projects in the works between California and Las Vegas.
Barron believes the appeal of his X-Train comes from the fact that it uses "existing technology that won’t take billions of dollars or even hundreds of millions of dollars to develop," and will run on existing tracks. Unlike previous Amtrak service, the X-Train would run with a priority on the track; they hope to run 40 trains a week, Thursday-Mondays.
But what about that maglev train whisking passengers to Vegas? The DesertXpress, which would go from Victorville to Vegas, isn't something Barron sees as competition, because they will offer an entirely different experience for travelers. It's also several years and billions of dollars away from reality, and its start-point in Victorville is seen by many as a significant drawback.
