Question of the Day - 15 July 2024

We saved this question for a few extra weeks in order to run it on the Las Vegas Monorail's official 20th anniversary. The Monorail opened on this day, July 15, in the year 2004. 

Since then, the Monorail has survived two bankruptcies. The first was in 2010 and though the line emerged intact, it was on life support for many years. It was just coming into its own again when it was struck, hard, by the pandemic; the Monorail had to shut down operations, had no money coming in, and was ultimately purchased by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which now owns and operates the line.

Believe it or not, the Monorail transported its 100-millionth paying passenger in November 2023 over Formula 1 weekend. F1 also accounted for its highest ridership ever and the LVCVA looks forward to the upcoming race to do the same. The Monorail should surpass 105 million passengers by the end of the year. 

Every so often, rumors surface that the Monorail's days are numbered. The main reason is that the nine Bombardier Innovia 200 trains were custom built for this system and have been discontinued. But according to the LVCVA, Monorail engineers and mechanics have been able to maintain the cars and run the line far beyond initial expectations. In fact, the Convention Authority's CFO recently told a meeting of the Board that the Monorail can operate "deep into the next decade and beyond."

He also said that though no plans exist to extend the system, even when the Monorail is no longer operational, it can be repurposed. The tracks could host other forms of vehicle traffic or be tied into the subterranean Las Vegas Loop under construction by the Boring Company.

So it appears that the Las Vegas Monorail as we know it will remain a fixture near the Strip for the foreseeable future and could eventually morph into something different, maybe even better.