Titus talks of renewing passenger rail in Southern Nevada

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus has opened the door — just a tiny crack at this point — to restoring passenger rail service to Southern Nevada.

Titus, D-Nev., announced Wednesday that she will meet with Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman and ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee after a bill markup session on the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act.

Titus testified before the committee that Las Vegas has changed dramatically since May 1997 when Amtrak’s Desert Wind passenger rail service made its last run between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“Over the last 17 years, Las Vegas has continued its transformation into the premier tourist destination for people from around the world,” Titus said. “Since the trains stopped running, nearly a million more residents now call Southern Nevada home and 10 million more people come to Las Vegas for work and for play every year. This growth has put enormous strain on our highways and our airport.”

The bill, introduced by Shuster, would accelerate work on intercity rail transportation networks nationwide.