Latest Opening Date for Cali-to-Vegas Party Train: NYE 2013

Excuse us for being dubious, but we've heard so many announcements about openings and groundbreakings for various train proposals to Las Vegas, that we take every one with a grain of salt. With that said, the Associated Press does have some concrete news about the Las Vegas Railway Express, a proposed party-like train running from southern California to Vegas (and nicknamed the X Train). The backers of the project reached a deal with Union Pacific to utilize tracks currently used only for freight, and those trains will take off from Fullerton. Now X officials say they'll get the first train chugging along by New Year's Eve 2013, with the Sin City experience starting in the OC--they're planning for the $99 one-way fare to include a meal, a drink, and the opportunity to buy Vegas show tickets and make restaurant reservations. The trains will be able to accommodate nearly 600 passengers, so it'll be a major meat market scene. But there's still much work to be done before you're laying out money for your NYE ticket: 16 train cars need to be built and the downtown Vegas station needs to be renovated.
· Calif.-Vegas party train could hit tracks in 2013 [AP]