Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

RTC to Las Vegas Monorail: You’re on your own

Officials at the Regional Transportation Commission said Thursday they aren’t interested in helping out the troubled Las Vegas Monorail.

The RTC has been mentioned as a potential savior for the monorail, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings.

Since the monorail is a private company, it would need support from the commission to get federal transit funds, RTC General Manager Jacob Snow told the commission’s board at its monthly meeting Thursday.

But supporting the monorail could create competition for funds the RTC uses for its own transit system, Snow said.

The board didn’t take any formal action, but Snow said the RTC staff recommends the two organizations stay separate. Board members said they agreed and would look into taking formal action if necessary.

Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said she has been a skeptic of the monorail, saying the company needs to work its problems out on its own.

Commissioner Larry Brown, who is the RTC chairman, said the monorail offers a good service that complements the RTC, but “it’s very important we remain independent and separate.”

Monorail board member Bruce Woodbury told the Sun last month that he has had informal discussions with the RTC about merging the monorail with its mass-transit bus system. The monorail would still be owned and operated by the nonprofit company, but it would integrate with RTC transit systems in the resort corridor.

Woodbury, a former county commissioner, previously served as the RTC chairman and said monorail President and CEO Curtis Myles, who used to be the RTC assistant general manager, speaks regularly with Snow. Ingrid Reisman, monorail vice president of corporate communications, is a former RTC employee.

However, the RTC has been pushing its own mass transit system on the Strip, which would compete with the monorail. The commission’s new ACE Gold line will offer a rapid bus service along Las Vegas Boulevard designed to resemble a light-rail train system.

Snow said he still thinks the monorail provides a valuable public service by offering another transit option, and said, “they are good people, we wish them well,” but they shouldn’t plan on the RTC’s help.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy