Amtrak will never compete in the Vegas or Phoenix markets because they don't have the capacity to match the airlines.

Southwest Airlines has the majority of the Vegas and Phoenix flights. They use Boeing 737-700's configured for 137 or 143 seats, the equivalent of two Superliner coaches.

So it wouldn't matter if Amtrak restored the Desert Wind or made the Sunset Limited a daily train. They would have to run about 10 sections of trains 1/2 and 35/36 each direction everyday (with several coaches, I might add) for the airlines to notice Amtrak's presence, much less care.


Holly Gibson Wrote:
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> Maybe one day the SUNSET will go daily and UP will
> re-open the line between Wellton and Phoenix so
> the train can once again serve Phoenix.
>
> Maybe one day pigs will fly.
>
> As the other respondent mentioned, the LA-Phoenix
> market is one that the airlines have pretty much
> smothered with service and Amtrak doesn't take
> seriously. That doesn't necessarily mean that
> Amtrak should be scrapped. There are other
> situations where the tables are turned. Amtrak
> does better on, say, the LA-San Diego market. How
> many people fly between purely between LA and San
> Diego -- i.e., not part of a connection from
> somewhere else?
>
> I'd say, "not many." Same holds true for the
> Santa Barbara - LA market.
>
> As much of a joke the Amtrak LA-Phoenix service
> is, the LA-Las Vegas market is even more of a
> joke.