The X Train, the luxury passenger train with planned rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas, announced the appointment of Jim Wilson, chief operations officer, rail operations.

Wilson comes to the X Train team bringing over 30 years of expertise in rail operations. His leadership in transportation, logistics, operations management, planning, and overall business and performance improvement make him the best choice for overseeing rail operations for the company, according to a statement.

Wilson has led all aspects of rail operations including train dispatching, service planning, locomotive and rolling stock allocation; terminal and network productivity; crew and fuel budgeting; mechanical service coordination; engineering operations planning; emergency preparedness; and integration of marketing requirements and pricing with operational capability for a $5 billion North American freight network. He led the consolidation of four regional train dispatching centers into one system operations center, integrating operations and coordination with customer service.

Las Vegas Railway Express Inc. has been planning for the establishment of a "Vegas Class" passenger train service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas since early 2009. Service departures are planned to be Thursday and Friday to Las Vegas with returns on Sunday back to Los Angeles. In addition, the "X" Train will also offer the ability for its passengers to book hotel rooms, transportation transfers, entertainment and show tickets, and other travel incidentals.