Barbara Greenspun remembers 1973: Monorail, maglev part of LV future

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 11:32 a.m.

Twenty-seven years ago Hank's front-page editorial related the need for fast, pollution-free transportation systems; in this case, a monorail system from McCarran Airport to downtown Las Vegas and the Strip.

Although such a venture has not come to pass, ground was broken recently for a monorail system to serve the Strip, which leads one to believe the rest will come.

Meanwhile, an even more exciting concept is being considered for the valley. Las Vegas is one of several cities in competition for federal funds that have been allocated to build a demonstration train using magnetic levitation. The maglev project would be a natural for Las Vegas because of the wide-open desert area where the exploratory train would run.

There would be far less litigation needed to acquire land as the area in consideration is sparsely populated. The secretary of transportation will review proposals from several cities and will be the one to decide who gets the maglev. Nevada Congressional leaders say it will be six months to a year before the site is selected. The project would be of extreme importance to the future of Las Vegas. The city, county and state officials should do everything in their power to secure the maglev project.