FULLERTON – City officials have jumped on board with a proposal to run regular train service between Southern California and Las Vegas.

Fullerton’s downtown station is one of the few stops on the proposed service’s route, and city officials see an opportunity to hit the jackpot with Vegas-bound travelers taking advantage of downtown businesses.

The service has been dubbed the “X Train” by Las Vegas Railway Express Inc., the private company looking to start trains rolling in late 2012.

The ride would take about 4½ hours from Fullerton to the train’s arrival in downtown Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Railway Express Chief Executive Officer Michael Barron said his company has made Fullerton its starting point because of the city’s historic Santa Fe Railway station, downtown’s cafés and bars, and most importantly, its central location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

“We selected Fullerton because it’s a nexus of all the transportation hubs in Southern California – Amtrak, Metrolink, and other commuter systems cross through Fullerton,” Barron said. “It’s the perfect staging area for us.”

Earlier this week, the City Council voted unanimously to begin formal negotiations to have the X Train service anchored in Fullerton. Among the considerations, city economic development officials would like the train’s arrival and departure times to coincide with business hours, as well as respecting the city’s noise laws.

“It’s going to be a nice economic boost for all concerned,” Mayor F. Richard Jones said before voting to move ahead.

While the council welcomed the prospective partnership, some residents expressed worries about more travellers downtown.

One woman said she welcomed business in Fullerton, but was concerned about the train service attracting more drunk people downtown.

Once the service is under way, trains could carry up to 1,100 passengers, who would pay $99 each way, Barron said.

Twelve million people drive from Southern California to Las Vegas each year, he said, and he’s confident that, once the X Train has been established, it will carry about 2 million passengers annually.

National rail service Amtrak stopped its train route to Las Vegas in the late 1990s, though Amtrak busses currently run from downtown Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

Plans call for several X Trains a week to make the trip, with the highest concentration of them from Friday through Tuesday, typically heavy traffic days along the I-15 corridor.

The flashy trains will offer amenities such as a sports bar and a lounge car with drinks and food included, and private cars that can be rented for parties or meetings.

“What we want to have happen is people boarding that train saying, ‘Wow, we’re in Vegas already,'” Barron said.

The X Trains will run on existing track between Fullerton and Las Vegas. Barron said his company will pay a premium to the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.

“We get priority dispatch, so we can stay ahead of the freight trains and run non-stop,” Barron said.

On the web: xtrainvegas.com

Contact the writer: 714-704-3796 or mmello@ocregister.com