Las Vegas Review-Journal

Man in hospital after officer-involved shooting Knowing what isn't covered by Medicare Virgin Trains station to stand tall

Plans span 273K square feet of land

- By Mick Akers Las Vegas Review-journal

The proposed station that Virgin Trains Las Vegas will call home would span more than 273,000 square feet on land near the South Premium Outlets mall, according to documents submitted to Clark County.

Located off Las Vegas Boulevard between El Dorado Lane and Robindale Road, the Southern Nevada base for the proposed $4.8 billion high-speed rail link with Southern California would stand two stories tall, with a seven story-tall parking garage also slated for a portion of 110 acres of land, according to the plans.

The first floor of the terminal would include a self-ticketing area, departure lobby, retail space, baggage claim and office space. Plans call for the second floor to include retail and office space, passenger waiting areas and security.

Outdoor drinking and dining possibilit­ies were also noted in the plans.

The parking garage would connect to the train terminal via a 138-footlong pedestrian walkway.there are 2,680 parking spaces planned for the train station.

Plans call for the curbside arrival

and departure area to be located off El Dorado Lane, with access points also off Robindale.

With the station taking up only 14 of the 110 acres, future developmen­t is slated to follow.

“While the company hasn’t expanded on the plans beyond the station, we have 100 acres and we certainly will look to develop it over time in a way that would further the transporta­tion business,” a Virgin Trains representa­tive said.

Virgin Trains hails the project as an enhancemen­t to Las Vegas by providing easier access to California, while promoting economic stimulus by providing thousands of jobs and opportunit­ies in the area.

The Las Vegas station would send riders 170 miles to a planned Victor Valley station slated to be built off I-15 near Victorvill­e, California. A maintenanc­e facility would also be located in the Victor Valley.

Constructi­on on the project is scheduled to begin later this year, with operations planned to begin in 2023.

All plans are reliant upon tax-exempt, private activity bonds being approved for the project by Nevada and California officials. Both states are waiting for the Federal Railroad Administra­tion to guarantee them no additional environmen­tal impact work would be required for the project, which was first approved as Xpresswest in 2011. The project’s plans were adjusted last year when Virgin Trains came into the fold.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@ reviewjour­nal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States