Sensible METRO Station Names   February 25th, 2010

Proposed METRO Rail Station Name Changes.

Transit systems across the world all have stations named for landmarks, to help visitors and residents find their way. If Washington DC named their stations the way the Phoenix stations are named, they would have a station called “12th Street and Independence Avenue SW” instead of “Smithsonian.”

I served as a volunteer on opening day. On that day and ever since, tourists have asked me what station the Airport is at, and does the train go to Sun Devil Stadium? Even Congressman and former Tempe Mayor Harry Mitchell didn’t know what “Veterans Way and College Avenue” was – it needs to be the Sun Devil Transit Center.

Short, simple station names help riders find their destinations quickly. They help tourists know what is along the line. They make maps easier to read. Stations become sources of neighborhood identity. Naming stations after street addresses is cold, confusing and unhelpful. When riding the #17 bus, the announcements say, “Approaching 16th Street” and “Approaching 24th Street” — not “Approaching 16th Street and McDowell” and then “Approaching 24th Street and McDowell” — the McDowell part is obvious because that’s the bus you are on. Repeatedly saying “…and Central” on the train is silly and pedantic.

Furthermore, the stations with two platforms need to be named as one station. Signs there should be updated to, for example, “For Dobson, use platform on 1st Avenue.” Boston eliminated confusing one-way station names (Milk one way, Water the other) in the 1960s.

These station names must be changed as soon as possible.

The entire line should then resume the Red Line name, as it replaced the (pre-metro) Red Line bus… and before that, the Washington Street #1 streetcars which carried red marker lights since the 1920s at least… giving the Red Line an eighty-plus year history. As other lines are built, they should resume the color line names (Green Line on Thomas — not Highway 10!, Blue Line northeast on Highway 51, etc.)

– William Lindley, Arizona Rail Passenger Association. 2010-02-25.

Easy Name Current, Long, Unhelpful Name
Chris-Town / Bethany Home Montebello & 19th Avenue (Montebello not on most maps)
19th Ave & Camelback (No change yet, pending neighborhood development)
Melrose 7th Ave & Camelback Road (Melrose District)
Uptown Central & Camelback Road (Uptown Plaza)
Central High Campbell & Central Avenue (also for Brophy, Xavier, etc.)
Indian School Indian School & Central (Indian School Steele Park)
Park Central Osborn & Central Avenue (Park Central Mall)
Thomas Thomas & Central Avenue
Heard Museum Encanto & Central Avenue (Encanto not on most maps)
Library McDowell & Central Avenue (Central Library)
Cathedral / Roosevelt Roosevelt & Central Avenue (historic Trinity Cathedral, Roosevelt Arts District)
Van Buren Van Buren & Central & 1st Avenue
City Hall Jefferson St. & Central Avenue and Washington St. & & 1st Avenue (whew!)
Convention Center 3d St. & Washington and 3d St. & Jefferson (Needs easy tourist name)
Eastlake / 12th Street 12th St. & Washington and 12th St. & Jefferson
24th Street 24th St. & Washington and 24th St. & Jefferson
GateWay / 38th Street 38th St. & Washington & Jefferson (Gateway C.C.)
Airport / 44th Street 44th St. & Washington & Jefferson (Airport buses/tram)
Papago / Priest Priest Drive & Washington (Papago Park, Phoenix Zoo)
Mill Mill Ave & 3d Street (3d Street is only one block long!)
Sun Devil Veterans Way & College Avenue (Stadium is on all maps)
University University Drive & Rural Road (ASU main campus)
Dorsey Dorsey & Apache Boulevard
McClintock McClintock & Apache Boulevard
Smith-Martin Smith-Martin & Apache Boulevard
Loop 101-Price Rd. Price-”101 Freeway” & Apache (“[Highway] 101 Freeway”? Current name is incorrectly and awkwardly worded – it is “Loop 101″ and “Price Freeway” )
Tri-City / Dobson Longmore & Main Street (Longmore not on most maps)
Posted in Light Rail

2010 Membership Breakfasts   February 4th, 2010

March 6, 2010
9:00 amto11:00 am

First Saturday morning of each month…

Join fellow ARPA members and friends for informal train talk and fun.

Cooked-to-order American breakfasts available at great prices.

At the Athenian Express, 814 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004… one block south of the Roosevelt METRO station.

Posted in Events

2010 Membership Picnic   January 16th, 2010

POSTPONED – Check back for new date.

Join us at the Aste ramada in Scottsdale’s McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park for a cookout picnic!  Free for members and guests.

Please confirm at 480.947.5710 so we have an estimate of attendance.  See you there!

Posted in Events

Enough people would board a train in the Valley’s suburbs that a future commuter-rail system would be as popular as some of the busiest lines in the West, new studies have found.

A trio of yearlong rail studies, in nearly final form, indicates commuter rail could carry almost 18,000 passengers a day by 2030. Planners at the Maricopa Association of Governments say, based on the findings, they favor a 105-mile, X-shaped system that could feature 33 stations and cost roughly $1.5 billion. That’s a little more than the Valley’s 20-mile, light-rail starter line.

The commuter-rail network would use existing freight track through downtown Phoenix
, with lines from Queen Creek to Buckeye and from Chandler to Wittmann…

Rest of the story in the Arizona Republic

Posted in News, Regional Rail

(Sent November 2009)

The Honorable Thomas C. Carper
Chairman, Board of Directors
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
60 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Re: Restructuring of Sunset Limited service

Dear Sir:

Since our inception in 1984, the Arizona Rail Passenger Association has recognized the need for daily Sunset Limited operation and has worked to educate Arizona government and business leaders and other regional stakeholders on the importance of improved intercity passenger rail service. We understand that the restructuring of the Sunset may be on the agenda for this month’s Amtrak Board meeting and we urge the implementation of daily operation as soon as is practicable.

This past year, there has been some discussion—both within Amtrak and among passenger rail advocates—of restructuring the Sunset Limited by combining it with the Texas Eagle and operating a through Chicago-Los Angeles train via Texas and Southern Arizona. We support this concept. Historically, leisure travel between Arizona and the Midwest has far out-paced that between Arizona and the Southeast, and current highway and airline data suggest that this trend continues.

Of course, we would also like to see the train re-routed back through Phoenix. Phoenix-Los Angeles is the 15th most heavily traveled airline corridor in North America. Moreover, returning the Sunset to Phoenix would set the stage for future Phoenix-Tucson regional rail service—fulfilling another vital unmet need.

We are eager to provide you with any additional input you may need as you plan the restructuring of the Sunset Limited and appreciate your consideration.

Yours sincerely,

/s/
Robert H. Bohannan, AICP, President

Posted in Intercity Rail