New Years on the Monorail

We were in the news again, and again it was bad. We had some down time during the day on New Years Eve, a little over 2 hours. While that sounds bad, it is really only a fraction of our 20 hour schedule. We ran the rest of the day without incident, and with 8 trains in the system. Fun was had by all, as is the norm in Vegas.

Maintenance facility

Here is a look at our maintenance facility, you can see the beam that the vehicles ride on and the Vegas.com vehicle in the background. We perform all of our heavy and light maintenance on the vehicles from these beams (there are 4). Keep in mind that this is the third story of the facility.

Las Vegas has a Monorail?

It is not common knowledge that Las Vegas has a Monorail. It travels from MGM to the Sahara Hotels with 5 stops in between and can get you within walking distance of most of the hotels on the strip.

The best time to ride the monorail? During conventions and on New Years Eve (or anytime there is an event at MGM). If you are just going to look around and see where it goes you should ride it during the day when you can see the sights. At night everyone wants to see the lights of Vegas and if that is what you want you should take a ride on the Deuce that goes right down the strip.

How much does it cost? You can check out the official monorail site at http://www.lvmonorail.com for the prices. We will tell you this, travel in groups. The more rides you purchase at one time the lower the price overall, kind of like a warehouse store buy in bulk.

Is the monorail open 24 hours? No. Currently the monorail is open on weekdays from 7:00 am to 2:00 am and on weekends from 7:00 am to 3:00 am. Tip: If you get on the platform before the gates close you will get to where you want to go the last run starts at closing time.

How safe is the monorail? Safety is always a concern when travelling. The most serious injury that we have heard of was from someone wearing flip-flops mashing their toe on the escalator. The monorail owners take safety very seriously.

How secure is travelling on the monorail? The monorail owners have been very diligent at keeping the system secure for the passengers. They have personnel at every station, and some roaming the system at all times and visibility is a big factor. They also have some plain-clothes personnel that roam the system for added security.

How long can I ride the system? Once you enter the system through the fare gates, you can ride until they close. The trick is that there are no restroom facilities on the system, you would have to exit for a break.

Can I take food and drinks with me? Currently the policy is that you can take either. Since it is a privately owned system that can change at any time. If you do take food or drinks with you, please be courteous and do not make a big mess they try very hard to keep the trains tidy for a pleasant experience.

Can I get a map of the system? Sure! You can get one on-line at www.lvmonorail.com or you can get one at any station (its in the front of the monorail magazine they are free).

If you want to walk the strip, feel free. Keep in mind though that it is 4 miles from the MGM to the Sahara and the walk back is a killer.