Monorail shut down for repair

Stephen Curran

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.

The Las Vegas Monorail was closed this morning as engineers were investigating what caused a 30-foot rail that powers the train to short-circuit this morning.

Technicians for Bombardier Inc., the Canadian firm that built and is contracted to operate the trains, worked this morning to replace the metal rail that runs alongside the elevated track and were expected to have the repair completed later today, monorail spokesman Todd Walker said.

Engineers had initially predicted the system would reopen by 9 this morning, although crews were still working to determine what caused the problem at 10:30 a.m. today, he said.

"They're reading off a laundry list," Walker said. "It could have been a problem with the power rail itself or it could have been a number of different things. It could have been weather-related or it could have been something installed improperly. We're expecting to know later today."

Workers preparing to open the $650 million system noticed the problem about 6:30 a.m., roughly half an hour before the day's first passengers were expected to board the trains, Walker said. The monorail normally runs from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

While engineers had not pinned down what caused the short circuit, Walker said it could have been caused by wind or debris falling nearby. He said he did not know when the incident occurred or whether trains were running at the time.

Ron Lynn, the county building official, said the problem may have stemmed from misaligned "collector shoes," a coupling mechanism that guides the train along the power rail, grinding against the power rail.

It was too early to say what may have knocked the shoes out of alignment, although weather or something hitting them could be to blame, he said.

As required, monorail officials notified the Clark County Building Division, which has direct oversight of the system, shortly after the malfunction, Lynn said. County engineers are expected to continue investigating the problem this afternoon.

Recorded announcements at the system's seven stations alerted would-be passengers lined up outside the platforms to the delay, Walker said.

Walker and Lynn said the problem was unlikely to present a major setback for the system.

"Basically it's just a delay and a minor repair," Walker said. "If there was a problem that caused a safety risk, we'll keep it closed. It doesn't appear to be that right now."

The system reopened Dec. 24, after a 107-day closure prompted by a string of six-inch-wide washers falling from a moving train Sept. 8. That closure came less than a day after the monorail reopened from a six-day closure that began when a 60-pound wheel assembly fell from another moving train.

On Jan. 5, the system did not run for about 20 minutes after a Bombardier technician apparently failed to adequately reset a door mechanism that had been interrupted when a passenger block a door leading from the elevated train to the platform outside the Sahara hotel.