First Phase of Privately-Funded Public Transit System Opens

LOS ANGELES, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Gensler ... Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide, as part of the Las Vegas Monorail Team, is designer of a new monorail system which opened its first phase today -- a 4.2 mile segment connecting seven resort properties along the Strip and the Las Vegas Convention Center. The first privately funded public transportation system in the U.S., the Las Vegas Monorail was financed with a Revenue Bond being repaid by advertising and fare collection.


Gensler designed the five new and two renovated monorail stations, plus all support structures and graphics. The project is owned and operated on a not-for-profit basis by the Las Vegas Monorail Company; Bombardier Transportation is train supplier; and Granite Construction is general contractor.


"There is no other transportation system as innovative as the Las Vegas Monorail in terms of financing, development, and the solution it provides to the nation's fastest-growing city," said JF Finn, Gensler's lead designer on the project. "By alleviating the Strip's traffic gridlock and bringing access to underserved areas of the city, the Monorail will enhance air quality and mobility within the city while stimulating redevelopment."


The first phase of the Monorail is designed to jump-start a comprehensive public transit system that will serve the entire Las Vegas community. Already under construction, phase two extends the system downtown, with a third phase connecting to McCarran Airport.


Open-air platforms maximize vistas of the Las Vegas Strip and bowed station roofs provide ventilation and complement the trains' curved-roofs. "The stations were an opportunity to create a feeling of dynamism and to give riders another way to experience the city," said Finn.


Corporate sponsorship opportunities offer unique branding opportunities for each station. Gensler is designing the soon to open Nextel-sponsored Las Vegas Convention Center station, which includes a business center, retail, a theater, lounge and video displays.


Gensler ... Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide is a leading global design, planning and strategic consulting firm, with 1,700 people and offices in 25 cities. Gensler's multi-textured expertise drives a focused exploration of how people experience the world around them and creates design solutions that give clients a fresh, competitive edge. For more information visit http://www.gensler.com/


Source: Gensler

CONTACT: Jan Lakin of Gensler, +1-212-468-4476, jan_lakin@gensler.com


Web site: http://www.gensler.com/

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