An excerpt from an LA TIMES article with Joseph Boardman:

As for restoring rail service to Las Vegas, which ended in 1997 with the demise of Amtrak’s Desert Wind route between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, Boardman said his company has no current plans to do so.

Although not shy about criticizing potential competitors (“A lot of people think they can run a railroad”), the president was vague about why Amtrak is reluctant to pursue service to Sin City.

“If there was enough investment … it might work,” he said, with improvements such as double-tracking and upgraded track. The question is: Who would fund and construct it?

Apparently not Amtrak.

“We are not a builder of railroads,” he said. “We’re an operator.”

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Okay. Let's cut through the B.S. and get to the REAL reason why Amtrak isn't interested in restoring service to Las Vegas. My personal theory is because it's the same reason you don't see Amtrak expressing any desire to restore service between, say, L.A. and Bakersfield ... or ... Chicago and Florida ... or New Orleans and Jacksonville. It's because, once the specific line has become freight-only, the Class Ones DICTATE to Amtrak not to ever dream of restoring service over the line again. And, like a whipped puppy scurrying away with its tail between its legs, Amtrak simply goes along with that dictate. Would you ever see Amtrak challenge the Class Ones in court over this issue? Not hardly. The Class Ones have more competent lawyers and more of them than Amtrak does.

As for "double tracking and upgraded track" being a stumbling block? Has anyone informed Boardman that the Daggett-to-Salt Lake City segment of the line has seen traffic DECREASE since the UP-SP merger? More traffic is now channeling over the ex-SP Sunset route. Has he been advised that BNSF's Cajon Sub can now handle more traffic since a third track has been added on Cajon Pass? Lack of capacity is not the problem, Mr. Boardman. Foot dragging and non-cooperation from the Class Ones IS the problem. YOUR job SHOULD BE to remove those roadblocks instead of making fictitious reasons for their existence.

The service could start next week --- on all three of the routes I mentioned above -- IF Amtrak had the "juevos" to take on the Class Ones.

But, it doesn't. Consequently, we continue to witness the Amtrak map gradually growing smaller and smaller.

This song and dance routine that Amtrak has been using over the last few years, where they want the individual states along the desired route to cough up subsidy money is, in my opinion, merely a smokescreen or another convenient avenue to be used by them so they'll never have to operate the trains. Me thinks the REAL reason is that Amtrak merely marches to whatever tune the Class One(s) happen to be playing at the time. And, at the present time, UP doesn't want a daily passenger train on its LA&SL line.

Reading Boardman's interview in the LA TIMES, you'd think he was on UP's payroll. In the case of the New Orleans-to-Jacksonville service, that would be CSX's payroll.