Las Vegas Railway Express

Las Vegas Railway Express
X-Train
Traded as OTCQB: XTRN
Industry Rail transportation
Headquarters Enterprise, Nevada
Area served
 Southwestern United States
Key people
 Michael Barron, President and CEO
Website www.vegasxtrain.com

Las Vegas Railway Express, branded as "X Train," is an American rail transport company that plans to operate passenger rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Company

Led by Michael Barron, an entrepreneur largely involved in real estate, the company was formed in January 2010 from a combination of two previous ventures, one working in promotional merchandising and one involved in buying defaulted mortgages, though involved executives had begun to publicly promote the idea as early as March 2009.[1] The company originally planned for service to begin in mid-2011;[2] however, at the time, the company was not close to establishing operating agreements with Amtrak, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, all of which operate trackage along the planned route from Los Angeles Union Station to Las Vegas, and the planned start date has been pushed back to late 2014.[1]

In March 2012, the state of Nevada issued final approval for the service to operate,[3] and in May, the company began issuing stock; by September, $2.3 million out of an estimated $35 million in start-up costs had been raised by stock sales.[1] In November, LVRE signed an agreement with Union Pacific allowing trains to operate over UP trackage from Daggett, California, to Las Vegas.[4] According to the terms of the agreement, LVRE will pay UP $56 million for track improvements, including additional capacity and relocating UP facilities in Las Vegas.[5] As of the end of November, LVRE had yet to sign its operating agreement with Amtrak, which also includes LVRE's rights to travel on BNSF trackage, though the company said the text has been drafted and it expected the agreement to be signed in the near future.[5]

By the end of November 2012, the company had spent about $12 million, with a further public offering of stock planned to raise the $100 million more necessary to begin operations.[5]

In January 2013, LVRE announced that it had selected Orlando, Florida-based company Rail Enterprises, Inc. to refurbish its rolling stock, including upgrading interiors, mechanical systems and furnishings.[6] At the time, it still planned to begin service to Las Vegas in early 2014.[6]

In November 2013, the company said that, due to an undisclosed "off balance sheet financing" agreement, it had terminated its operating agreement with Union Pacific, which would have required LVRE to have paid UP $66 million for track improvements before the UP would allow passenger service on its trackage.[7]

In December 2013, the company announced its intention to begin seeking public-private partnerships to operate upscale passenger train service on routes around the country, .[8] It said that deliveries of its refurbished passenger cars would begin later in the month.[8]

On April 24, 2014, LVRE announced that it had reached an agreement with the Santa Fe Southern Railway to jointly operate excursion passenger trains between Santa Fe and Lamy, New Mexico.[9] LVRE would provide the capital to restore the line to operating condition, while Santa Fe Southern would operate the trains.[9] On September 26, LVRE informed the Santa Fe Southern that they would be terminating the operation, effective on the 29th.[10]

In October 2014, the LVRE said that it had begun engineering a new route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, through Mojave and Barstow, California, which would avoid the congested rail crossing of the Cajon Pass.[11]

Service

Originally, the service was planned to operate five days a week between downtown Los Angeles and Las Vegas, making a daily round trip Thursday through Monday, with an increase to 40 trips weekly planned for five years after the start of operations.[2] As of late 2012, service had been planned to begin in late 2013, operating on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays, with a one-way trip time of about five and a half hours and a passenger capacity of 576.[4] On 28 November, the company announced that regular service will begin on 4 January 2014, following a single 31 December 2013 inaugural special trip.[5] Amtrak will provide operating crews.[5]

Trains will originate in Fullerton, California at the Fullerton Transportation Center (in order to utilize the existing Metrolink network as a feeder service), while the initial Las Vegas terminus will be at the Plaza Hotel & Casino.[4] A dedicated Las Vegas station is planned to be constructed at an undetermined point after the start of operations.[1] The service is intended to have a more upscale atmosphere than conventional Amtrak or airline service, and fares are planned to start at $99 one way.[1]

Rolling stock

By November 2012, the company had purchased twelve passenger cars from unidentified sellers, with refurbishment expected to begin by the end of the year,[12] though this was later pushed back to an undetermined date in early 2013.[5] Rebuilding work will take place in Las Vegas at a cost of about $1 million per car.[5] By the time operations begin, the railroad's trainset will consist of sixteen passenger cars, pulled by three EMD F59PH locomotives.[5] Twelve cars will be first-class passenger cars, with amenities including assigned seating, televisions and a bar area.[5] There will also be several dedicated lounge cars and a service car with crew quarters and additional supplies.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Company plans rail service from Las Vegas to Southern California in '13". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 "It's not as fast, but this train could hit the rails sooner". Las Vegas Sun. 14 April 2010. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Las Vegas "X Train" Gets Approval". CBS Las Vegas. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Party train from Calif. to Las Vegas could be on tracks next year". Vegas Inc. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "X Train plans January 2014 start-up". Trains Magazine. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. 1 2 "X Train selects company to overhaul cars for Las Vegas service". Trains Magazine. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Las Vegas "X Train" terminates deal with UP, promotes Amtrak service restart". Trains Magazine. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  8. 1 2 "X Train seeks public-private partnership to offer upscale passenger service". Trains Magazine. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 "X Train to operate Santa Fe Southern excursion trains". 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Santa Fe Southern Railway ceases passenger service". Albuquerque Business First. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "X Train re-routes to Western Alignment". Railway Track and Signal. 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "X Train acquires more rail cars for L.A.-Las Vegas service". Progressive Railroading. 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.

External links

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