taquitos.net > travel guide > Las Vegas > Transportation > Las Vegas Monorail

At top, a view of the fabulous monorail train in action. Below, the Star Trek-themed monorail station at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Las Vegas Monorail (Las Vegas)

More Las Vegas Transportation

Location: From MGM Grand to Sahara Hotel (sort of)

Our thoughts: One of the more interesting boondoggles in recent memory is the Las Vegas Monorail. Depending on whom you talk to, the monorail in Vegas is either the best thing for mass transit for a growing city, or a complete waste of money. (Usually the cab drivers take the "waste of money" argument.)

We've seen the construction process up close on several visits, and wondered whether the thing was ever going to open. We've also heard several stories, like how Steve Wynn didn't want the monorail to go on his property, so that's why the track curves around his properties on its way to the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton and eventually the Sahara Hotel.

Other stories we've heard (we can't say whether they are true or not) was that parts of the track and/or monorail cars have fallen off, and one person told me they heard that the train didn't stop at the stations correctly at one point, leaving the passengers stranded on the train until they could stop it. That sounds suspiciously like the Simpsons Monorail episode, but we just nod and laugh.

So imagine our disappointment when we actually got to jump onto the monorail and try it out. After all those stories, secretly we were hoping to get stranded on the train. But alas, it did not. It took us from the MGM Grand up to our stop at the Imperial Palace/Harrah's, with a few stops along the way. We also took it back to the MGM Grand once from the Hilton, a longer ride but still no accidents or mishaps. Darn.

The current price is $3 for a one-way trip, although technically you could ride the monorail several times up and down (as long as you don't leave the monorail station). It's a very reasonable and inexpensive way to get up the strip quickly. Be careful if there's a big convention going on at the convention center — you might not be able to get a seat. If you're at the convention center, try to catch the monorail at the Hilton station (next to the Star Trek Experience).

Tip: While you're riding, sing the Monorail Song from the Simpsons.

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