September 17, 2014

Today Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District advocated for the restoration of intercity passenger rail service to Las Vegas, Nevada. At a markup of  H.R. 5449, the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act, in the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, the Congresswoman spoke about the growth in population and number of visitors to Southern Nevada since Amtrak service ceased operation of the Desert Wind route in May of 1997.

“I want to thank the Committee for their hard work on this legislation…Passenger rail service is critical for so many communities across the country. I represent Las Vegas, a major tourist destination, which welcomes more than 41 million people from around the world to our world-class resorts, casinos, restaurants, shopping and shows. So the ability for people to travel by whichever mode they chose is very important to our economy. Unfortunately, the last Amtrak train to service Las Vegas departed from the backside of the Plaza Hotel and Casino at the foot of the world famous Glitter Gulch in Downtown Las Vegas in May of 1997. Over the last 17 years, Las Vegas has continued its transformation into the premiere tourist destination for people from around the world. Since the trains stopped running, nearly a million more residents now call Southern Nevada home, and 10 million more people come to Las Vegas for work and for play every year. This growth has put enormous strain on our highways and our airport. As this legislation moves forward in the coming months, I would like to work with you (Chairman) and the Ranking Member on an initiative to study restoration of passenger rail service in the Southwest, especially between Southern California and Las Vegas, one of only two major metropolitan areas in the West without intercity passenger rail. The infrastructure remains in place, and the need is there.”

Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) agreed to sit down with Congresswoman Titus to discuss ideas about restoration of service.