New Rail System Will Bring A Ton More Tourists To Las Vegas

A high-speed train connecting Las Vegas and Southern California is close to breaking ground. The bullet train, made and operated by Brightline West, has been in the planning phase for a long time. But now it's one step closer to becoming a reality.

The plan, that we reported on earlier this year, includes construction of a 218-mile track from Las Vegas to Southern California. Drastically reducing travel time between the two areas.

In fact, the train would travel at speeds over 200mph, and take only two hours and ten minutes to get from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas, fox5vegas reported. The time it takes to drive that same route, without considering traffic, is just under four hours, according to Google maps.

And speaking of traffic, imagine yourself stuck in your car in that weekend jam on the I-15. Well, this train could allow you to be the one whizzing by those people, waving with your latte in the other hand. The projected location for the tracks is on the median of the I-15. Right in between the Northbound and Southbound lanes.

Brightline already operates a high-speed train in Florida. And they are excited about the expansion Brightline West will bring (fox5vegas). As the next step in connecting many other major cities in the country.

Brightline expects to have the rail system from Las Vegas ready for travel by late 2027 or early 2028 (fox5vegas). That would be just in time for the summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Which would make it very easy for Las Vegas residents and visitors to travel to see the Olympic games.

And on the flip side, it would also make it much easier for Southern California residents to visit Las Vegas for the day, or the weekend. That means many more tourists could potentially be in our backyard at any given time. Good for our economy. Bad for locals who just want a quiet weekend out of the house.

The project is currently waiting for approval for funding, which will be close to the amount of $12 billion (fox5vegas). Once received, construction should begin.

Buckle up, Las Vegas. We’re about to get a major influx of tourists in 2023. And we're not just talking about the typical flow of Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. Or the seasonal events like the rodeo or EDC. We mean tourists running up and down the strip all day. Every day. All year long.

There are a lot of new casinos, entertainment venues and fun parks opening this year in Vegas. Some brand new. Others projects that have been long overdue to open. These added attractions will bring both first time and returning visitors to check out what’s new in Sin City.

And it won't just be adults looking to gamble either. With the opening of a few new kid-friendly attractions in Vegas, you can bet the kids are coming too. Inflation is here to stay, and places like Disneyland aren't lowering their prices to help families out. So parents will need a new family tradition for their summer adventures. And we've got a venue opening soon that will give them just that.

In fact, this might be a good year for Las Vegas residents to look into putting their house on AirBnb or turn it into a short term rental property. And if you plan to be in Las Vegas in February of 2024, stock your shelves and plan to go into full lockdown that second weekend.  Super Bowl LVIII coming to Allegiant Stadium will make Las Vegas crazier than ten Vegas New Year's Eves combined.

A lot of travel websites are pointing at Las Vegas as the place tourists need to see this year. And it's on the top of lists of places tourists are most excited to visit. So what exactly are the new attractions bringing people to our neighborhood this year? We've made a list of the ones tourists are already talking about. –Wendy Rush

One of the world's most technologically advanced entertainment venues is scheduled to open later this year. The Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation is currently fine-tuning their gigantic sphere at The Venetian. This thing will be unlike any other. Screens will surround the audience so they can see the show from all angles. Plus the seats are going to be programmable, which means patrons can control things like the wind and smells around them. It will attract music and technology lovers alike from all around the world.

The AFC vs NFC competition will be a weeklong celebration kicking off February 5. And of course this will be a preview for what's to come next February when we host the Super Bowl.

Germany's federal highway known for its high speeds will have a worthy rival in Las Vegas. At least for one weekend. The Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming November 16-18 and turning the strip into its personal racetrack. Many of the viewing packages are already sold out. And you can bet the rest of them will be fought over with tourists in the upcoming months.

Nevada's first pot-friendly hotel is about to debut this spring. The Lexi Las Vegas will offer accommodations for the cannabis enthusiast, including an entire fourth floor basically devoted to hot-boxing. If you missed the details about the new project, check it out here. You can bet it will bring marijuana-lovers from all over the country.

Universal is bringing a permanent theme park to Las Vegas this year. It is inspired by their wildly popular Halloween Horror Nights. It will be located at Area 15. Here's the details you might have missed. 

Jonas Brothers in February. Taylor Swift in March. Red Hot Chili Peppers in April. Garth Brooks and Miranda Lambert in May. Carrie Underwood in June. P!nk and Madonna in October. And that's just the tip of the music iceberg. With all these new venues opening, more and more musicians will follow.

Those crazy cats behind your favorite station casino is at it again. If you've driven around the Durango/215 bend lately, you've already seen it. The new Durango Casino & Resort is scheduled to open later this year with 200 new rooms for guests. It will also have gaming, a sportsbook, food court, four restaurants, convention space and a pool.

After years of being on hold, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas is finally looking to open their doors this year. The on-strip property will provide 3700 hotel rooms, gaming, shopping venues, restaurants and several pools for their many guests. There will also be a very large convention space for tourists and locals alike.

Remember when it was just Life Is Beautiful? Then EDC became an annual event. Well now it's also When We Were Young. And it's just going to keep growing. Las Vegas is becoming more and more on the radar of places to host a music festival. This year look for EDC in May, Life Is Beautiful in September and When We Were Young in October.

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