The proposed, 4.2-mile extension would have up to six stations and follow a serpentine route that begins at Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane. A "transfer station" is posited for the east side of the existing MGM Grand parking garage, from whence the monorail would head north along Koval, past The Residences at MGM Grand, then make an eastward turn onto Harmon Avenue. From there, it would pass the planned W Resort Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the Hofbrauhaus. (Stations are proposed for both the W and HRH sites.) Upon reaching Swenson, the planned line swings to the southeast along Swenson Street, skirting the UNLV campus and stopping at the Thomas & Mack Center. It follows Swenson across Tropicana and Hacienda avenues, before swinging southwest into the airport.
Once inside McCarran, the monorail line would make a stop at the current McCarran Terminal One, roughly opposite the baggage-claim area. The line would then make another swing to the east, following the current line of Russell Road, and ending at the planned Terminal Three, just south of the parking garage that will be built at the present intersection of Russell and Maryland Parkway. (Russell will be re-routed to the north: see graphic below.)
McCarran officials say they're not keeping their own plans in abeyance pending the arrival of the monorail (projected for completion in early 2011). "That's not really our issue," Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker says of the Monorail Co.'s fiscal struggles. "We're hopeful that they can get their financial situation in order. We're certainly not going to defer or delay any decisions (depending) on whether they are going to come."
Walker said, however, that it would be less expensive for the Monorial Co. to build its infrastructure while Terminal Three is going up, noting "we've already got that (integration) problem with Terminal One." Either way, McCarran will not be under any capital obligation to the project. "Even if we wanted to — which we don't — it would not be allowable for us, under the federal system, to invest in a private train system," Walker explained.
The Las Vegas Monorail has drawn much criticism for its relationship with Bombardier, manufacturer of the trains that ply the Sahara-to-Tropicana route. Bombardier's trains have been faulted for, among other things, being unable to handle the sharpness of the curves in the current monorail route. In the Monorail Co.'s pitch to the Planning Commission, Bombardier is mentioned as one of three possible train suppliers, along with Hitachi and Mitsubishi. The latter's trains would have a top speed of 70 mph, compared to Bombardier's and Hitachi's 50 mph maximum.
Between leaving the door open to a non-Bombardier train and the mention of a "transfer station" at MGM Grand, the Monorail Co.'s proposal raises the implication of a non-continuguous (and possibly even incompatible) line that would compel McCarran passengers to disembark and change trains at MGM Grand.
"From a customer-service standpoint," Walker cautioned, "that could be a little problematic for customers to have to make a transfer. It's all about enticing people into taking a different mode of transportation," something that becomes more difficult whenever an additional step is added to the process.
Monorail Co. officials could not be enticed into commenting on the proposal, say it was "premature" to do so and "to speculate would be really wrong." MGM Mirage referred all queries to the Monorail Co. The proposal to the Planning Commission can be seen at the Clark County Web site.
