METRO Light Rail (Phoenix)

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METRO Light Rail
Passengers disembarking a train at the Loop 101/Price Station during the grand opening of METRO Light Rail on December 27, 2008
Info
Type	Light rail
System	METRO Light Rail
Locale	Phoenix-Tempe-Mesa, Arizona
Termini	Christown Station (19th Ave./Montebello) Tri-City, Mesa (Sycamore/Main)
Stations	32 (28 if eastbound- and westbound-only stations are combined)
Services	1
Daily ridership	33,554 (May 2009)[1]
Operation
Opened	December 27, 2008
Owner	Valley Metro (Phoenix)
Operator(s)	Valley Metro
Rolling stock	Kinki Sharyo
Technical
Line length	20 mi (32 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
Electrification	Overhead catenary
Route map

v • d • e METRO System Diagram

Legend Min Station In Phoenix: Metrocenter Planned, 2017 Dunlap Avenue Planned, 2012 Northern Avenue Glendale Avenue 0 Christown / Bethany Home ("19th Avenue & Montebello") On Camelback Road: 2 19th Avenue 5 Melrose District / 7th Avenue 7 Uptown Phoenix On Central Avenue: 9 Central High / Campbell 11 Indian School 13 Park Central / Osborn 15 Thomas Road 17 Heard Museum / Encanto 19 Cultural District / McDowell Interstate 10 21 Roosevelt Arts District 23 ASU Downtown Campus On Central Avenue: 25 City Hall ("Central/Washington;First/Jefferson") On Jefferson Street (eastbound) and Washington Street (westbound): 27 Convention Center (3rd Street) 30 Eastlake Park (12th Street) Interstate 10 34 24th Street On Washington Street: 38 Gateway Community College Sky Harbor Airport Proposed Sky Train 40 Airport / 44th Street Operations & Maintenance Center State Route 143 State Route 202 In Tempe: 44 Priest Drive/Papago Park Center 46 Center Parkway State Route 202 Tempe Town Lake 50 Mill Avenue Downtown Tempe 52 Sun Devil Stadium ("Veterans Avenue & College Way") 55 University (ASU; Rural Road) On Apache Boulevard: 58 Dorsey Lane 60 McClintock 62 Smith - Martin State Route 101 64 Loop 101 (Price Freeway) On Main Street in Mesa: 66 Tri-City / Dobson ("Sycamore & Main") Alma School Planned, 2013 Country Club Planned, 2013 Center Street Planned, 2013 Mesa Drive Planned, 2013

METRO Light Rail is a 20-mile (32 km) light rail line operating in the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa, Arizona and is part of the Valley Metro public transit system. Construction began in March 2005; operation started December 27, 2008.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History 3 Future extensions and improvements 3.1 Commuter rail 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Overview

The expected construction cost for the initial 32 km (20 mi.) is $1.4 billion, or $70 million per mile.^[2] Metro estimates the train will cost the city $184 million to operate over the next five years with fares covering $44 million of the operation costs and tax subsidies covering the remaining costs.^[3] Trains operate on city streets in a "center reservation," similar to the Red Line of the METRO light rail system in Houston, the surface sections of the Green Line in Boston, and some surface sections of the Muni Metro in San Francisco. Some parts of the line, such as the bridge over Tempe Town Lake (near State Route 202,) have no contact with vehicle traffic. The vehicles used are rated for a maximum speed of 89 km/h (55 mi./h), and are expected to have an average speed of 40 km/h (25 mi./h) during rush hour over the 32 km (20 mi.) route, completing it in approximately 50 minutes.^[2] An equivalent section of the Red Line bus route that the rail line replaced took 80 minutes.^[4]

[edit] History

Various plans preceded the current implementation of light rail. The Phoenix Street Railway provided streetcar service from 1887 to 1948. Historic vehicles may be seen at the Arizona Street Railway Museum, with Car #116 celebrating her 80th birthday on 25 December 2008, just days before the opening of modern rail service. In 1989, the ValTrans elevated rail proposal,^[5] was turned down by voters in a referendum due to cost and feasibility concerns. Other subsequent initiatives during the 1990s failed over similar reasons.

METRO was created by the Transit 2000 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which involved a 0.4 per cent sales tax and was approved by voters in Phoenix in 2000. Transit 2000 aimed at improving the local bus service (considered unacceptably inadequate compared to other major US cities) and the formation of bus rapid transit and light rail, among other things, which was seen as a more affordable approach. It used the route placing and color designations from the 1989 plan.

In March 2008, cracks in the system's rails were discovered. The cause of the cracks was determined to be improper use of plasma cutting torches by contractors.^[6] The affected track was repaired by May at a cost of $600,000 with still no word on which parties will be held financially responsible.^[7] The last of the concrete and rail for the system was installed in the end of April, with CEO declaring the system to be on time and on budget.^[8]

There are 28 stations on the initial twenty-mile (32 km) starter segment which celebrated its grand opening on 27 December 2008, with thousands of local residents waiting as long as an hour or more to ride the vehicles.^[9][10] The stations have been designed to complement their immediate surroundings.^[11] Station platform areas are approximately 16 feet (4.9 m) wide by 300 feet (91 m) long.

[edit] Future extensions and improvements

The Valley Metro Rail Northwest Extension is one of the first extensions planned. Engineering has already begun on this 4-mile (6.4 km) route from Christown Spectrum Mall (Formerly called Christown Mall) station to Metrocenter Mall. Utility relocation, right-of-way acquisition, and construction will be from Spring 2009-2011. The project should be ready by late 2012.^[12]

Proposition 400 was approved in the 2004 elections allowing for possible construction along:

• West to Glendale from the current terminus at Montebello,
• West from Central Station to the Arizona State Capitol complex, then north, and then west and adjacent to Interstate 10 and the communities of Avondale and Tolleson,
• North along SR 51 to Paradise Valley Mall in northeast Phoenix,
• South from the Tempe campus of Arizona State University to southern Tempe,
• East from the Mesa terminus, and
• North to Scottsdale, running along Scottsdale Road past the new ASU "Skysong" Center, a high-tech research area.

The plan also identifies several "eligible high capacity corridors" (Figure 8-4) for added service within a few decades:

• North on Tatum Blvd. past Paradise Valley Mall,
• West to suburbs such as Goodyear and Buckeye,
• North on I-17 to the Anthem community,
• Northwest along Grand Avenue in Phoenix to the West Valley cities of Glendale, Youngtown, El Mirage, and Surprise,
• Southeast to Gilbert, Chandler, Ahwatukee, and southern Phoenix proper, using a separate new rail line starting in downtown Phoenix, and
• North on Scottsdale Road as mentioned above.

The above projects all have completion dates ranging from the 2010s to 2020s, since studies and consultations must take place well before construction. Future increasing cost, especially in relation to right-of-way acquisition where land values are rising, is another issue.

[edit] Commuter rail

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and the Arizona Department of Transportation are studying suburban commuter rail as a complement to light rail.^[13] The MAG Commuter Rail Strategic Plan was released in March 2008.^[14][15] In April 2008, a coalition of Arizona business and political leaders, including Governor Janet Napolitano, proposed a $42 billion state transit plan which would include commuter rail.^[16] Commuter rail generally uses upgraded existing freight rail lines, with stations every three to five miles (8 km). In Phoenix, as in other areas that have implemented commuter rail, track speeds would be increased, signals updated, and additional sidings and double-track added. Proposals for constructing entirely new rail rights-of-way in the middle of urban highways have largely been eliminated due to their expense and their location far beyond walking distance from downtowns and activity centers.

Contemporary discussion of commuter rail in Phoenix began with the "Hattie B." flood relief train of 1980,^[17][18] and was first widely promoted in 1991 by the Arizona Rail Passenger Association.^[19]

Daily rail service had existed until the 1960s between Phoenix, Glendale, and Wickenburg as well as Tempe and Mesa. A single short commuter rail line was also part of the ValTrans proposal.

[edit] See also

• PHX Sky Train

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• METRO Light Rail official website
• Interactive (Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa) Light Rail Map
• Article on Valley Metro Rail and preemptive urban revitalization
• Article on commuter rail (Phoenix area) and regional rail (Phoenix-Tucson) proposals
• Slideshow of photos on light rail construction and progress -- from azcentral.com

v • d • e Currently operating light rail and streetcar systems in the United States AR River Rail Streetcar AZ Old Pueblo Trolley · METRO Light Rail CA Muni Cable Car, F Market & Wharves, and Metro lines · LACMTA Metro Blue, Metro Green and Metro Gold lines · San Pedro Waterfront Red Car Line · Sacramento RT · San Diego Trolley · Santa Clara VTA CO Platte Valley Trolley · RTD Light Rail FL TECO Line Streetcar System GA River Street Streetcar LA New Orleans Streetcars MA Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line · MBTA Green Line MD Baltimore Light Rail MN Como-Harriet Streetcar Line · Hiawatha Line MO /  IL St. Louis MetroLink NJ Hudson–Bergen Light Rail · Newark Light Rail · River Line NY Buffalo Metro Rail NC LYNX Rapid Transit Services · Charlotte Trolley OH RTA Blue and Green Lines OR MAX Light Rail · Portland Streetcar · Portland Vintage Trolley PA Pittsburgh Light Rail · SEPTA Routes 15, 101, 102, and Subway–Surface Lines TN Memphis MATA Trolley TX DART Light Rail · Galveston Island Trolley · METRORail · M-Line UT UTA TRAX WA South Lake Union Streetcar · Tacoma Link WI Kenosha Transit