Las Vegas Monorail shoots down rumors of operations coming to an end

Amid rumors of an upcoming closure, Las Vegas Monorail has publicly said that it is not planning to end operations. The statement came in response to posts across social media platforms that sparked claims about services coming to an end.

“The report that the Las Vegas Monorail is winding down operations is 100% inaccurate,” Las Vegas Monorail said in an X post this month, adding: “The Monorail is operating very successfully and the LVCVA has no plans to cease operations.”

Posts sharing the false narrative earlier in the month said that the Las Vegas Monorail was ending operations, with unnamed sources adding that the alleged closure and dismantling would start "as early as 2028."

The rumors were sparked by an April 6 X post by Las Vegas Issues (@VegasIssues), reports Reuters. Screenshots of this post were later shared on other social media platforms, further adding to the speculation.

Las Vegas Issues was deemed an unreliable source by fact-checkers, with the account's bio describing its topics of coverage as "Vegas news, memes, and things." The account's content on X includes updates and jokes about the city of Las Vegas, and Vegas Issues has yet to show evidence to support its claims regarding the Monorail ceasing operations.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) acquired the assets of the Las Vegas Monorail Company in December 2020. In an email to Reuters, the LVCVA confirmed it "does not have plans to cease operations." The state further added that the Authority is "committed to keeping the Monorail in service until is no longer operationally or financially feasible to do so.”

The Monorail has generated more than $8 million in net revenue since resuming operations in May 2021, according to officials. However, the statement notes that "at some point in the future," replacement trains will be needed "if operations are to continue."

If train replacement is not feasible at that point, “the LVCVA hopes to repurpose, rather than dismantle, the system," the Authority further told Reuters, whose Fact Check team gave a "False" verdict to the online claims that the Las Vegas Monorail is shutting down.