I spoke to a "reservationist" at the LV hilton yesterday and he said they were "hoping to have it up and running on New Year's Eve".

Frankly I think such a congested day to relaunch, with all those drunken revellers to cope with as well would be the poorest possible choice of date to restart.

Much better a limited soft service start during a quiet period.

he did say not to bank on it re-opening, but I thought I would post my updates - the website has not been updated in a while which does not bode well.

Sounds like the new Las Vegas monorail was built by Lyle Lanley of Springfield monorail fame. :D

From the LVRJ on December 10:

Obviously, they hope to open it to the public a couple of days before NYE, so they can have some experience with "normal" ridership. NYE and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early Jan will put the system to the real test.

Just came back from vegas. The train is running tests and not carrying anybody. Asked the cab drivers about the monorail and they say they don't know anything.

"I've sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook. And, by gum, it put them on the map!" ;)

Heads up!
The monorail has re-opened.

Full details here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=383343

Just Back From Vegas
 

Took the monorail from the MGM Grand station to the Caesar's Palace station on Saturday. The monorail was only 3 or 4 cars long, with not enough rails to hold on to for standing passengers. Although the crowds may have been because the rides were free, I had to press my hand against the ceiling to brace myself. For a shorter passenger, it would have been difficult. The stations were nice however, and I wish the monorail luck. It definitely beats $12 cabs up and down the strip, although for a party of 4 or 5, $3 each way is a lot.

Free rides are over. Est cost of shutdown was abt 10 million according to local LV TV report.

SNOW

Used the monorail over NYE weekend.

Was very impressed - it was not too busy and when you could get a seat they were very comfotable.

Stations are well designed, though after the heavy rains that week many of the external escalators were out of service which was not teribly good.

The trains to get are the ones which have been done up for the Star Trek Experience; did not get a ride on one but kids would love them.

Was particularly impressed with the service as I stayed at the LV Hilton off strip and it made the journey into town easy as pie. This will definately make this bargain hotel worth considering if off strip is what your budget will stand.

Another interesting side note - the monorail gives change in one dollar coins which are, I believe, relatively rare!

I waited (unintentionally) until the day after the free rides to try a ride on the monorail, and went in the daytime, when it's likely less crowded.

I got on at the MGM Grand. You practically have to go outside to catch the monorail -- it's out of the casino proper, down a side hall, through a shopping mall area, down a corner, and finally you're there. One ticket machine was downstairs, with a line. Upstairs were four more machines that no one was using, and I was able to walk up and get my ticket with no wait. (Note: first touch screen, then insert money when prompted.) There was a sign about this, but it was at least slightly vague, and most people seemed to be waiting downstairs.

Trains come every 7 minutes (or so they say). It looks like the platform's set up for a train longer than the 4 cars or so that were utilized -- maybe double the length, or perhaps less than that, but definitely longer. No slot machines while you wait for the monorail (or on it for that matter). :)

Not much to say about the ride. It seemed about equivalent to the tram that runs to Mandalay Bay for me, but I didn't pay much attention. It was a car like most every subway/monorail/tram car I've been on. The route takes you back behind the Strip, so you get to see lots of parking lots, cheap hotels, low-rent apartments, drainage runoffs, tennis courts, pools, and so forth. We stopped a few places and I got off near the north end, at the Las Vegas Hilton. Unlike MGM Grand (and the convention center stop) the exit for the monorail was VERY close to the casino, though the back end of the casino, not the main part.

So, that was it. Cost me $3 to get down there, and a whopping $16 to get back to Mandalay Bay, with all the traffic. Nothing thrilling, but hey, all the pieces stayed on and that's good!

I rode it Friday, Jan 7, during CES. It was very crowded. A monorail technician was on the train with us.

I didn't hear of any problems with it.

Rode the monorail this past week while in town for 8 days.

Thoughts:

- Buying a $20 card, $2 rides seemed fair.

- Location of monorail is such that from station casinos, the walk is really far. Gets old walking that far to get on and then back off. Although while staying at Paris (a station casino) it was close enough. If you are staying at a non-station hotel (say Excalibur) the walk across the strip and through the station casino can be realllllly long. (in that case, to MGM Grand).

- Not capable of handling a large show like CES. We walked over to the Hilton after and waited on line to get the monorail for an HOUR. And we already had tickets. People without tix had to wait on a previous line that looked about 45-60 mins. (one machine?!)

- Funny music :)

- Will be sweeter when it connects to airport and Freemont St.

When is the airport extension planned?

The airport extension is still under review. The airport authority has several concerns, including the ability of the existing monorail cars to handle both luggage and passengers effectivly. I'm not sure when, or if we will ever see a monorail link to McCarran.

Michael
http://www.biztrip.com