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  • X-Train: Las Vegas Railway Express / United Rail

  • General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.
General discussion of passenger rail systems not otherwise covered in the specific forums in this category, including high speed rail.

Moderators: mtuandrew, gprimr1

 #1473096  by Jeff Smith
 
https://globenewswire.com/news-release/ ... ering.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Press Release:

Reg A to provide funding for acquisition of short line railroads and passenger excursions

LAS VEGAS, NV, May 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. (OTCPK: XTRN), dba United Rail Inc., owner of the X Train brand and brand licensor, today announced that it has filed a Reg A with the SEC for a fixed price offering of $5 million.

“We have filed this offering with the SEC in order to provide sufficient capital to acquire several short line railroad targets that the Company has identified. Our plan is to consolidate the smaller and sometimes overlooked short lines and passenger excursions and consolidate them under the United Rail Inc. banner,” said Michael Barron, CEO of United Rail Inc.

Mr. Barron continued, “With the inclusion of United Short Line Insurance Services (USIS) under the United Rail Inc. umbrella, we now have a pathway to effectively reach those small railroad companies who wish to sell.”

Lou Schillinger, President of USIS and the new President of United Rail Inc. added, “Our insurance products are tailored to the short line railroad industry and many of the smaller companies in this space are already clients of USIS. This will give us a leg up on contacting and closing these rail properties and afford the sellers a path to liquidity. We are very pleased to be part of the exciting program United Rail Inc. has planned.”

About Las Vegas Railway Express

Las Vegas railway Express, Inc. is in the business of acquiring short line railroads in both the passenger operations sector as well as freight operations. The company has been active in this space for five years. It has operated both passenger rail excursions and short line freight operations and plans to develop rail infrastructure projects and terminal operations. It also has licensed X Rail Entertainment, Inc. to use the X Train brand on its planned LA to Vegas X Train service. Revenues from the licensing are calculated at 5% of the operating revenue of X Rail's revenue derived from the deployment of the X Train brand on X Rail's operating trains.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding Las Vegas Railway, Express, Inc. (the “Company”) within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are “forward-looking statements”, including statements regarding: the financial outlook of the Company, the general ability of the Company to achieve its commercial objectives; the business strategy, plans and objectives of the Company and its subsidiaries; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “seeks,” “should,” “could,” “intends,” or “projects” or similar expressions, and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, and may be beyond the Company’s ability to foresee or control. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, and all forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof.
 #1474337  by John_Perkowski
 
The sheer buffoonery...

You can puddle jump to LV from any airport from Santa Barbara to San Diego. You can do it during any hour of daylight at the summer solstice.

Unless X-Train is going to be open bar with Internet slots and gaming table cars, this train will fail as the City of Las Vegas did before it, over 50 years ago.
 #1474375  by John_Perkowski
 
So, they have two coaches, a dome, an a MILW obs?

Anyone know where they are stored?

You're telling me they can turn a profit with that few seats?

What's safety inspection standard is UP going to use to allow these cars on the line?

Is UP going to run them at passenger 79 MPH? While the Class Is are doing more work than ever to keep their track in first class condition, is this trackage passenger smooth?

Do you still hold that position, Jeff?
 #1474609  by mtuandrew
 
There are plenty of used lightweight (granted, ~75 year old) cars available on the market, and a good number of newer gallery cars. There are plenty of F40s around, and plenty of baggage cars to house HEP generators if they just lease freight power. There’s even outfits that will lease an entire turnkey train, including Amtrak, or sell you one for the right price like Iowa Pacific (and their bankruptcy trustee.)

X Train doesn’t have insurmountable equipment problems. They have insurmountable Union Pacific problems, investment problems, and demand problems.
 #1494848  by Jeff Smith
 
Guess who's coming to dinner (or Vegas, anyway) whilst Brightline ponders XpressWest: https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20181 ... -next-year" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
‘X Train’ to Vegas set to roll next year
...
The X Train will start in Los Angeles and use existing railroad tracks with “the possibility of utilizing the [San Bernardino Santa Fe] depot as an origination point for operations,” according to presentation documents with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.

“This project has been under development for eight years and we have invested $50 million in order to secure access to operate. We have assembled the consist of cars, the insurance requirements, haulage company, and selected the train station location in Las Vegas,” said Michael Barron, CEO of the parent company, United Rail, Inc., in a news release.

Initially, the train will run as a conventional service along Union Pacific and BNSF-owned lines, hiring Amtrak to haul their private rail cars, while construction takes place to convert sections of the route to high-speed.
...
 #1495011  by electricron
 
From the link you provided:
"For now, the proposed schedule is a round trip that departs Friday and returns Sunday. The service is expected to begin mid-year 2019."
That's worse than Denver's Ski Train for service.

They also suggest the travel time will be 4.5 hours initially, and over a distance of around 270 rail miles, the X Train will be averaging around 60 mph.
Math = 270 / 4.5 = 60
 #1495054  by mtuandrew
 
On the one hand, hey, superluxe service to Las Vegas is appealing.

On the other, is it appealing enough to drive out across the mountains first? Part of the problem is escaping the Basin to begin with. Virgin Brightline whatever they are now will have trouble competing for the same reason, since flights are still nearly as short when you add in transit time from Los Angeles to Victorville.

Since Amtrak is involved as the X-Train hauler now, does that allow them to enter Los Angeles via San Bernardino?
 #1495091  by RRspatch
 
Access charges maybe? I recently read that Amtrak has jacked up the charges for storing private cars at LAUPT. Who exactly owns LAUPT? Is it Amtrak or the LA MTA? If it's Amtrak then MTA might offer them a lower rate at San Bernardino. Also where will the equipment be maintained at? Doesn't Metrolink have a yard just west of San Bernardino at Rana?