Monorail suffers communication breakdown

Monday, May 2, 2005 | 10:45 a.m.

The latest glitch for the Las Vegas Monorail began about 4 p.m. Sunday and lasted about three hours after the command center lost communications with six trains running at the time.

When communication to operating trains is disrupted, the power to the cars is cut off, stopping them to avoid an accident, monorail spokesman Todd Walker said.

Five of the six trains returned to their stations a couple minutes later and allowed passengers to leave the cars. But the sixth took from 35 minutes to 40 minutes to reach a station, Walker said.

Command center staff kept passengers on the stalled train informed and they were eventually delivered to a station and allowed to leave the monorail safely, Walker said.

The Clark County Fire Department was also notified of the situation, but there were no evacuations.

Monorail staff had the trains running and accepting passengers again by 7 p.m., Walker said. There was no cause given for the glitch. Monorail staff are investigating why communications broke down.

The system has nine trains and the number of those operating depends on demand, Walker said.

It was not the first time monorail service has been disrupted.

The monorail system opened July 15, 2004, but closed in September after a string of problems that included a 60-pound wheel falling from a moving train that prompted a 107-day inspection of the $650 million system. It reopened for service to the public on Dec. 24.

Parts fell off trains during the testing phase before the July opening, which was six months behind schedule.

In February a couple of lightweight metal power rail strips fell off and landed in the Las Vegas Hilton's parking lot, and forced the system's closure.

Walker said that the monorail system has a 98 percent rate of success for trains running on schedule.

Any time there is a 30-minute or more delay, however, monorail riders may ask for a refund, Walker said. Instructions for getting a refund are printed on the back of the ticket, he said.