Transportation in the Las Vegas Valley serves the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson. The street grid is primarily arranged along north–south and east–west axes. While most residents rely on cars, there is a network of bus routes serving much of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley public transportation system favors the Las Vegas Strip.
History
Railroad industry The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was the first to lay track in the Las Vegas Valley. By 1905, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad had connected Salt Lake City to Southern California through Las Vegas. The railroad provided freight and passenger service to Las Vegas until it was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1921.Malmquist, The First 100 Years, p. 209.
In 1936, the Union Pacific Railroad built the City of Los Angeles between Chicago and Los Angeles. This train ran until it was combined with the City of San Francisco in 1960. In 1956, the City of Las Vegas connected Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The train was renamed the Las Vegas Holiday Special and ran until it was discontinued in 1968. Amtrak operated the Las Vegas Limited between Las Vegas and Los Angeles for three months in 1976. A new service, the Desert Wind, was built in 1979.
The Desert Wind operated on Union Pacific tracks between Salt Lake City Denver & Rio Grande Depot and Los Angeles Union Station with a stop at the Las Vegas Amtrak station. The Desert Wind faced fierce competition from airlines and the interstate highway system. This, along with frequent delays caused by UP freight trains, made the Desert Wind unpopular. It was discontinued in 1997 and replaced by Amtrak Thruway.
Current service and future plans Amtrak Thruway serves Las Vegas with a bus stop at Harry Reid International and a bus stop in Downtown Las Vegas. Las Vegas is one of 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. They officially released their plan to construct a high-speed route to SoCal later that year. In 2009, after years of environmental reports determining right of way and debating which federal agency would have regulatory authority, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced the official recognition of DesertXpress as a high-speed route.
In 2018, the project was taken over by the Fortress Investment Group and renamed as the Brightline West project. The planned high-speed route will be 185 mi (298 km) long, connecting Las Vegas to Southern California near Los Angeles.
Airports
The Harry Reid International Airport is five miles from downtown Las Vegas, and is the only commercial airport serving the Las Vegas Valley. It consists of two active terminals and services both domestic and international flights. In January 2026, Clark County officials announced plans to go ahead with a previously approved plan to modernize and reorganize the airport. The plans aim to streamline passenger navigation and increase capacity throughout the airport.
Transportation to and from the airport is limited to automobiles, taxis, shuttles, and buses. In late 2007, Clark County commissioners permitted the Las Vegas Monorail Company for an extension to Harry Reid International Terminal One, although funding had yet to be determined. The extension was met with negativity by limousine and taxi companies that had previously been the major transportation providers for arriving tourists. By 2011, funding was in doubt and the Las Vegas Monorail Company had yet to begin construction.
The airport operates a free shuttle service between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 on Level 0.
Harry Reid International Airport Automated People Movers are three separate lines: the Green Line connecting the Main Terminal to the C Gate Concourse, the Blue Line connecting the Main Terminal to the D Gate Concourse, and the Red Line connecting the D Gates Concourse to Terminal 3.
A consolidated rental car facility opened in April 2007, located roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) from the airport. Courtesy shuttles run between the airport and the rental car facility. South of the airport is the bus center, South Strip Transit Terminal (SSTT), on Gilespie Street.Airport Rental Cars, harryreidairport.com
Non-commercial airports Other airports in the Las Vegas Valley include the North Las Vegas Airport, a non-commercial airport used mostly by hobbyist pilots and small charter airlines, and Henderson Executive Airport, a non-commercial airport used mostly by business jets and small charter airlines.
Helicopters Las Vegas has a number of heliports and helicopter tour operators. There are tours to the Las Vegas Strip, Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Fortification Hill, and Las Vegas Valley. Some have landings at the Grand Canyon Helicopter Eagle Point Rim. Eagle Point is on the Hualapai Reservation, not in the Grand Canyon National Park.Helicopter Tours, viator.comHelicopter Tours, tripadvisor.com Maverick Helicopters and Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters each have terminals on the west side of Harry Reid Airport. There are other terminals on the Strip, at the North Las Vegas Airport, Boulder City Municipal Airport, in Henderson, and at the Henderson Executive Airport.
Planned A second, larger commercial airport is planned. Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport, also called Ivanpah Valley Airport, is a developing relief airport between Primm and Sloan. It will be constructed on of undeveloped land previously owned by the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management. However, as of August 2011, due to the economic downturn and lack of demand increase, the airport has been put on temporary hold and is still in the design phase. Completion is expected by 2037.
Bus RTC Transit
RTC Transit operates the following bus services, in addition to numerous local routes: The Deuce – primary Las Vegas Strip services Boulder Highway Express (BHX)Boulder Highway Express (BHX), rtcsnv.com Sahara Express (SX)Sahara Express (SX), rtcsnv.com Centennial Express (CX) Downtown & Veterans Medical Center Express (DVX)RTC DVX, rtcsnv.com
Other regional operators Silver Rider Transit, which operates in southern and rural portions of Clark County Gray Line Worldwide sightseeing tours
Transit Stations
South Strip Transit Terminal South Strip Transit Terminal (SSTT) is a major bus depot south of the Harry Reid Airport. RTC Transit Centennial Express, Deuce, and other buses have a terminal at the SSTT, including Greyhound Bus. South Strip Transit Terminal also has a park and ride facility.RTC Transit, rtcsnv.comSouth Strip Transit Terminal park and ride rtcsnv.comSouth Strip Transit Terminal park and ride form, rtcsnv.com
Centennial Hills Transit Center and Park & Ride Centennial Hills Transit Center and Park & Ride is in the northwest of the Las Vegas Valley. The Centennial Express bus stops there.Centennial Hills Transit Center, rtcsnv.comCX Centennial Express bus , rtcsnv.com
Westcliff Transit Center and Park & Ride Westcliff Transit Center and Park & Ride has 140 parking spaces and a ticket vending machine.Westcliff Transit Center, rtcsnv.com
Bonneville Transit Center
Bonneville Transit Center (BTC) is in Downtown Las Vegas. The Centennial Express, Deuce, and RTC DVX stop at the Bonneville Transit Center. The Bonneville Transit Center also has a large bike rack center and a self-service bike repair station.Bonneville Transit Center, rtcsnv.com
UNLV Transit Center UNLV Transit Center is on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The outdoor UNLV Transit Center was built by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the RTC, and features bicycle racks.UNLV Transit Center, rtcsnv.comUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas RTC stop, unlv.edu
Downtown Summerlin Transit Center Downtown Summerlin Transit Center is located in Downtown Summerlin. Buses include Charleston and the Sahara Express (SX).Downtown Summerlin Transit Center, rtcsnv.com
Greyhound Bus Greyhound Bus has stations in Las Vegas, including South Strip Transit Terminal and Harry Reid International Airport.Greyhound Bus Las Vegas,greyhound.comGreyhound Bus Las Vegas South Strip Transit Terminal, greyhound.com
Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a bus service that has stations at South Strip Transit Terminal, Airport Terminal One, and downtown. To the east, the Amtrak train, Southwest Chief, picks up at Kingman station in Kingman, Arizona, 107 miles (172 km) to the southeast. There is also a Laughlin to Kingman Amtrak Station at the Tropicana Express Hotel in Laughlin, Nevada, a 34-mile (54.7 km) trip.Amtrak Las Vegas, vegasairporter.comLaughlin to Kingman Amtrak Station, amtrak.comc
Self-driving shuttle
In January 2017, the city of Las Vegas' fleet logistics provider, Keolis North America, and the shuttle manufacturer Navya SAS partnered to test a driverless shuttle in Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street between Las Vegas Boulevard and Eighth Street. The Navya shuttle comes equipped with LiDAR technology, GPS, cameras and odometry. Keolis is the transportation operator for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and has been operating fixed route local and express transit routes in the region since 2013.
The pilot test, which ran in January 2017, was part of Las Vegas' broader efforts to create a designated area in the city's urban center for testing autonomous and connected cars. The City of Las Vegas received a Smart 50 Award for this initiative.Smart 50 Award smartcitiesconnect.org
The shuttle was further sponsored for one year, from November 2017 to November 2018. This second pilot program gained international notoriety on launch day, not only for the first connected infrastructure, but also because an 18-wheeler delivery truck backed into the shuttle within hours of its launch. The official City of Las Vegas statement:
Rail Monorail
Unlike other monorails, which traditionally serve as short-line people movers (such as the Mexico City International Airport Monorail or the Walt Disney World Monorail System), the Las Vegas Monorail is the primary rapid transit system in Las Vegas. It is operated by the Regional Transit Corporation of Southern Nevada (RTC Transit). It was built primarily as a tourist transit system, and exclusively serves the Las Vegas Strip. The system served more than five million people in 2010. Although ridership has declined due to Sahara closing in 2011 and the COVID pandemic, the monorail remains a key piece of the Las Vegas transportation system.
The system was conceived in 1993 as a connection between the MGM Grand and Bally's Las Vegas. It was completed, after many delays, in the summer of 2004 with the completion of what is known as "Phase One" of the monorail. The monorail runs between the MGM Grand and the SLS, which opened in August 2014, replacing the Sahara Casino.
Resort trams Resort trams are used to connect different resorts along the strip. The lines all run along the west side of the strip, and all are free of fare payment.
Amtrak
Amtrak does not offer rail service to or from Las Vegas, but does provide bus service through its Thruway motor coach buses.
Desert Wind was an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that ran from 1979 to 1997.
Planned high-speed rail
Brightline West is a privately run high-speed rail under construction.
Vegas Loop
The Vegas Loop, also known as the LVCC Loop, is an underground transit tunnel opened in June 2021 to move Las Vegas Convention Center attendees by Tesla taxi around the vast complex. The loop also has a station in the Resorts World Las Vegas hotel and a connection to the Monorail. The loop connects to local RTC bus routes and The Deuce. The system was built to reduce the walking time for attendees of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Walking