Why is there no passenger service by train in and out of las vegas, nevada?

Question

Why is there no passenger service by train in and out of las vegas, nevada?

Answer 1

Because McCarran Airport is much more profitable !!  Amtrak DOES service Las Vegas via "Thru-Way" bus.

Until 1997, the Amtrak Desert Wind train service ran through Las Vegas using the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) rails that run through the city; Amtrak service to Las Vegas has since been replaced by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach bus service. Plans to restore Los Angeles to Las Vegas Amtrak service using a Talgo train have been discussed since the Desert Wind was discontinued. As of 2006, however, no such service has been established.

Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is the only class one railroad to provide rail freight service to the city.

Some groups have proposed the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in order to ease the incoming and outgoing traffic congestion on I-15. Another proposal, the Desert Xpress, would involve the privately-financed construction of a train from Victorville, California, to Las Vegas, using off-the-shelf high speed rail technology.

Answer 2

Actually, a rail line has been serving Las Vegas since the 1880s.  Since the early 20th Century, the line was controlled by the Union Pacific (and still is today).

UP used to run passenger trains through Vegas, until the freeways were built.  After the 1970s when Amtrak took over all intercity passenger rail in the U.S., they deemed the LA-to-Vegas route unprofitable and decided not to continue the service in 1997.  The name of the Amtrak train was "the Desert Wind."

UP's line through Las Vegas is presently very active and handles large numbers of freight trains per day.

Answer 3

There are no railroad tracks in or near Las Vegas.  When train routes were plotted, LV was middle of nowhere desert and there was no reason to lay tracks.  When Las Vegas was developed after WWII, air travel was cheaper than rail service and freight was being shipped by trucks. None of the rail companies thought it was profitable to lay track.

Answer 4

Union Pacific runs right though Las Vegas and Amtrak runs on this track.