Wednesday, April 10, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
From atop the Stratosphere Tower, downtown Las Vegas looks so close.
But on the ground, stuck in traffic on one of the clogged surface streets, it seems like it could take forever to get there.
That's why the Stratosphere and Boyd Gaming Corp. commissioned a study that backs building a monorail between the tower and downtown.
Ferrying passengers above the streets, most likely along Main Street, would get potential gamblers over the hurdle of industrial buildings, offices and homes that separate the downtown gaming district from the Stratosphere and the Strip, the study concluded.
In addition, Jakes Associates Inc., authors of the study, predict that monorails could be used to connect McCarran International Airport, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Showboat, Sam's Town and Strip casinos, as well as the proposed domed stadium slated for the Union Pacific Railroad property downtown and UNLV.
Costs for the project depend on whether operators decide to refurbish two used monorail cars from Disney, which would cost $5.9 million to buy and between $2.1 million and $4.2 million to upgrade, according to the study.
Newer cars are more expensive and would require an expensive central control system, the study says.
Designing and building the guideway and stations, depending on the route, varies from $47.3 million to $64.2 million. The study identifies the Main Street line as the most feasible, at $52 million. That would buy two elevated tracks, one to run in each direction, and elevated stations.
Stations at the Main Street Station casino and the Stratosphere should be incorporated into the buildings, the study recommended.
Other possible routes identified in the study were Las Vegas Boulevard and Fourth Street, both of which would see stations built at the Fremont Street Experience parking garage.
Annual revenue from the monorail would range from $718,000 if the ride were free to $6.3 million with a $3 ticket charge, depending on the route, according to the study.
The study says the costs of the monorail could be borne by casinos that benefit from having stops at or near their properties, but does not rule out the city taking a role in a "public-private" partnership.
The study noted that the $25 million monorail between Bally's and the MGM Grand has been wildly successful, ferrying 498,612 people from June 14, 1995, to July 11, 1995.
Monorails have long been popular proposals in Las Vegas, but have failed more often than they have succeeded. Stalled proposals to build magnetically levitated trains between Las Vegas and Los Angeles have recently been revived, and the Raytheon Co. has proposed a Personal Rapid Transit system that would take riders to destinations in small, four-person cars.
But monorails between casinos sometimes face opposition from gamers unwilling to let potential tourist dollars go elsewhere, or from poorer casinos that can't afford to pony up the money to get a monorail stop at their property. Casino dollars are generally thought to be necessary to build big monorail projects because of the expense involved.
The next step, the study recommends, is for the city, Stratosphere and Boyd Gaming to join forces, meet with monorail companies and put out a request for proposals to build the monorail.
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