Las Vegas monorail to extend to airport

The Las Vegas Monorail Company (LVMC) plans to extend its service to McCarran International Airport beginning in 2011. The airport expansion marks the first of many planned solutions designed to enhance the experience of Las Vegas visitors by reducing travel time and traffic congestion. Approximately 70% of the estimated 44 million passengers arriving at airport head directly to the resort corridor, but increasing congestion on the roadways has made ground transportation challenging for visitors. The expansion plans to the airport include five proposed stations with two stops at McCarran – the first at Terminal 1, the existing main terminal, and a second at the soon-to-be-built Terminal 3. The airport extension will be 4.2 miles long — slightly longer than the existing stretch between the MGM Grand and Sahara hotels – and would run on concrete guideways up to 100 feet above street level. The expansion project will be funded by private investments, maintaining the monorail’s status as the first completely privately-funded system.