Las Vegas station (Nevada)


Las Vegas station was a passenger railroad station in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is connected to the rear of the Plaza Hotel & Casino and was in service from 1971 until the demise of the Desert Wind in 1997.

Las Vegas Union Pacific Station

Prior to the construction of the casino, part of the site was used for a Streamline Moderne train station. Constructed in 1940, the station was upgraded with neon lights in 1946. This station was demolished in 1971 and replaced by the Union Plaza Hotel, which included a small waiting room to be used as a station for Amtrak trains.

Union Plaza Hotel and Casino station

The Union Plaza Hotel and Casino, originally called the Union Plaza in reference to the Union Pacific railroad station that stood at the site, opened on July 2, 1971. Its original owners included local business people Sam Boyd, Howard Cannon, Jackie Gaughan, and Frank Scott.
From 1990 to 1992, the red neon object was installed at the top of the neon sign.
Before the discontinuation of the Desert Wind train route on May 10, 1997, Amtrak's Las Vegas, Nevada station was located at the Plaza. The station and ticket windows were directly connected to the hotel. It was the only train station in the U.S. located in a casino. The Las Vegas Limited also served the station during the service's short existence.
Today, Las Vegas is served by Greyhound bus from the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its two Las Vegas bus stops are located at McCarran International Airport and in Downtown Las Vegas, near Union Plaza station.

Future plans

Amtrak plans for restoration of Las Vegas rail service surfaced almost immediately after the discontinuation of the Desert Wind. These plans recommended using Talgo trains between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, similar to Amtrak's Cascades route in the Pacific Northwest. This plan was never implemented and Las Vegas went without passenger rail service. Las Vegas is the largest metro areas in the US without passenger rail service.
In 2005 DesertXpress Enterprises LLC was formed in an attempt to restore passenger rail service to Las Vegas, though their Las Vegas terminal is planned to be a newly-constructed station.
A competing company, Las Vegas Railway Express, also plans to begin passenger rail service between Las Vegas and Southern California, though at lower speeds.