<P> XpressWest (formerly known as DesertXpress) is a private venture proposal backed by Las Vegas, Nevada hotel developer Marnell to build a privately funded high - speed rail passenger train in the Western United States to connect Palmdale, Los Angeles and Victorville, California to Las Vegas and later to Phoenix, Arizona, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado . </P> <P> The original plan under the name DesertXpress was to provide an alternative to automobile travel between the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas along Interstate 15 as well as an alternative to airline travel . This highway is a direct automobile route between the two regions and carries heavy traffic . Greyhound buses cover the route in between five and seven hours, while automobiles take around four hours . Las Vegas lost its last passenger train service in 1997 when Amtrak cancelled its Desert Wind . </P>

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