Transportation in the Las Vegas Valley including the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson is a multi-faceted system. The street system is mostly laid out in a north-south/east-west system of roads. While most residents rely on cars, there is an extensive network of bus routes reaching many areas of the county. The Las Vegas Valley, being the one of the largest tourist destinations in the world, has a mass transportation system which favors the Las Vegas Strip. Many proposals have been made to expand the transportation system in the Las Vegas Valley including commuter rail and rapid transit. History Before Las Vegas became a tourist destination, railroads were a major industry in southern Nevada. The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was the first to lay track in the Las Vegas Valley. By 1905 the Los Angeles and Salt Lake had connected Salt Lake City to Southern California through Las Vegas. The railroad provided freight and passenger service to Las Vegas until it was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1921. The Union Pacific Railroad began the City of Los Angeles between Chicago and Los Angeles in 1936. This train ran until it was combined with the City of San Francisco in 1960. In 1956 the City of Las Vegas began between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The train was renamed the Las Vegas Holiday Special and ran until it was discontinued in 1968. Amtrak operated the Las Vegas Limited between Las Vegas and Los Angeles for three months in 1976. A new service, the Desert Wind, began in 1979. The Desert Wind operated on Union Pacific tracks between Salt Lake City Denver & Rio Grande Depot and Los Angeles Union Station with a stop at the Las Vegas Amtrak station. The Desert Wind faced fierce competition from airlines and the interstate highway system. This, along with frequent delays caused by UP freight trains, made the Desert Wind unpopular. It was discontinued in 1997 and replaced by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach. Current service and future plans Currently, Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach serves Las Vegas with a bus stop at Harry Reid International and a bus stop in Downtown Las Vegas. There has been no commercial passenger rail service since the discontinuation of the Desert Wind in 1997. The Southern Nevada Railway operates excursion trips on former UP tracks in Boulder City. Amtrak plans for restoration of Las Vegas