Arizona Rail Passenger Association

I have entered a large number of field observations into the new wikipedia article, Passenger_Train_Stations_in_Arizona — please help by seeing if you can spot any errors or omissions.  If you haven’t signed up with Wikipedia, it’s free to contribute, and together we can all help spread our knowledge.

by Slim Smith, Scottsdale Tribune.

About 25 folks showed up Saturday morning for the groundbreaking ceremonies at Sycamore Transit Center on Main Street in Mesa. Depending on your orientation, the station will either be the end of the Valley’s 20-mile stretch of light-rail line or the beginning…

I was pretty skeptical. But as I listened to the speakers and asked a few questions, my attitude about light rail began to soften. Like most projects, light rail won’t be the disaster that its critics suggest nor will it be the success its proponents proclaim. It will take a long time for the jury to return a verdict, and it’s likely to be a mixed ruling at that…

What I did not take into account is light rail’s impact on business. There’s reason to expect that the trains will enhance business opportunities, especially those businesses close to the tracks. As much as I am a fan of bus service, I can’t say improved bus service, even on a massive scale, would achieve that…

Rest of the story in the Tribune

Commuter line could link Valley, Tucson; tracks already in placeby Bruce Babbitt, My Turn, Arizona Republic, Jan. 26, 2007

Gov. Janet Napolitano is calling for more attention to mass transit – and none too soon.

Our state, now the fastest growing in the country, will increase to 14 million from 6 million residents by 2040. And more than 90 percent of these new residents will be living and working in the “Sun Corridor” that extends from Phoenix through Pinal County to Tucson.

We must plan now for commuter rail service across this Sun Corridor from Phoenix through Mesa and the East Valley and down to Tucson. The urgent task is to secure the necessary right of way. Fortunately, the tracks are already in place; all we need is the right to use them for passenger commuter service.

Rest of the story in the Arizona Republic

Twenty-three ARPA members and family members braved what passes for winter weather in southern Arizona yesterday (fifty-seven degrees and cloudy) to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Association’s founding over hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecue beans at Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. Our predecessor, the Rail Passenger Association of the Southwest, was organized 22 January 1977.

Spirits that might have been dulled by the weather, however, were energized by the morning Arizona Republic front-page lead article about Governor Napolitano calling for Commuter Rail, or regional rail really, as the mayors of both Phoenix and Tucson went on record as supporting the idea of passenger trains between Arizona’s two largest cities. The Department of Transportation is hiring consultants to report on possible rail plans, with the reports due back within ninety days. The cover photograph, of passengers boarding the 2000 demonstration of TALGO equipment at the Phoenix ballpark, was taken by former ARPA board member, and now ADOT employee Marc Pearsall.
Thirty years of relentless work by ARPA members has finally made Arizona Rail a matter of “where and when” rather than a “what if.”
Yet we’ve only just begun…

Target for Tucson, Phoenix link: 2012

Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, Jan. 20, 2007

Arizona is moving to play a major role in bringing commuter rail to the Valley and between Phoenix and Tucson.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is days away from asking bidders to plan a passenger rail line connecting Phoenix and Tucson by Centennial Day, Feb. 14, 2012.

This comes after Gov. Janet Napolitano gave ADOT 90 days to list the best potential rail projects and detail the best ways to pay for them.

The arrival of commuter rail in Arizona is not a guarantee because some lawmakers oppose rail, saying it isn’t worth the subsidy. But involvement by the state increases the chance that it could become a reality. The state’s role was a deciding factor in bringing commuter rail to Utah and New Mexico.
Full story in the Arizona Republic