Chapter 4: Getting
around the city
4.5
Monorails and
Trams
Las
Vegas Monorail - (702)
699-8200
The
futuristic Las Vegas
Monorail
opened
on December 24, 2004 ...its seven
stations connecting the major Strip resorts.
(Previously the monorail only stopped at
Bally’s and the MGM Grand.) It was
supposed to open early in 2004 but mechanical
problems caused a delay of several months. The
privately-funded monorail system is owned and
operated by the non-profit Las Vegas Monorail
Company.
The 3.9-mile Z-shaped route stops at the (South
Strip) MGM Grand; (Center
Strip) Bally’s/Paris;
Flamingo/Caesars Palace;
Harrah’s/Imperial Palace and the
(North Strip) Las Vegas Convention
Center; Las Vegas Hilton; and the
Sahara. (Even though the
Sahara closed on May 16, 2011, the monorail
station remains open.)
A route map of the monorail can be found
here. The
new trains operate every 5 to 10 minutes
(depending on the number of
trains in operation) 7 days a week
from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. (3:a.m. in Fri., Sat.
& Sun.) and make the entire run in
about 15 minutes. It is by
far the fastest way to travel up
and down the strip. The "Deuce" bus and
"Arrow" trolley can take an hour due to
their many stops and traffic.
Hint! Take the Deuce strip bus
or Arrow trolley – rather than the
monorail – if you want to go to
the downtown area. The
monorail does not go downtown.
The
high-tech $650 million transportation
system consists of up to
nine air-conditioned trains of four cars
...each running on a single rail. Each train
will seat 72 passengers with standing room for
an additional 152 riders. It travels at a top
speed of 50 mph and travels behind the hotels
parallel to the east Las Vegas Strip corridor.
Plans are to eventually extend the monorail
into downtown on the North and to the airport
on the South.
There are 3
types of
tickets available to visitors. A one ride
fare costs: $5; a one day unlimited ride
pass costs $12.00 and a three day pass costs:
$28.00. Children 5 and under ride
free! All tickets may be
purchased at ticket vending machines
(TVM) located inside each monorail
station or online.
The Unlimited
Three-Day Pass expires 72 hours from first use
during operational hours. TVMs accept cash and all major credit
cards.
This
map not only
shows the Las Vegas Monorail route, but also
the other trams that operate in Las
Vegas.
Las Vegas
Trams
There
are three other trams in Las Vegas that run on
the west side of the strip. Unlike the
Monorail, these trams are
free.
(1.) The
Bellagio Hotel to City Center to Monte
Carlo Hotel tram links the
center and South Strip.
It makes a run every ten minutes,
twenty hours a day (8 a.m. to 4 a.m.) At
the Bellagio, you’ll find the indoor
boarding platform near the front desk (hotel
lobby) and Conservatory (botanical garden).
It's near the "Street of Dreams" shops at the
Monte Carlo. It is located at Crystal's
Shopping, Dining and Nightlife area at City
Center near the Aria
hotel.
(2.) The
Mirage Hotel to Treasure
Island Hotel tram runs
every 10 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00
a.m. (Sunday thru Thursday; until 3 a.m. Friday
& Saturday) in the Center Strip.
It can be boarded outside of the Mirage
Hotel (near the entrance on the right) or at
the rear of Treasure Island. (Go in the front
door and take the main corridor to the rear of
the hotel.)
(3.) The
Excalibur Hotel to Luxor
Hotel to Mandalay Bay Hotel
tram runs in the South
Strip every 5 minutes. Operates Monday to
Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. (And 7:00 a.m.
to 3:00 a.m. Friday to Sunday) from
stations in front of these hotels. It
runs non-stop thec vbetween Excalibur and
Mandalay Bay southbound, but stops at all three
hotels northbound.
Monorail runs from
MGM to Sahara Hotel