Arizona Rail Passenger Association

At a time when transit advocates in Fort Worth and other areas of North Texas are struggling to pay for and build new rail lines, officials in Denton County have managed to get the A-train up and running quickly — and without federal funding.

On the first day of revenue service, commuters will be able to catch trains at any of five Denton County stations for a ride to Trinity Mills in Carrollton. There, they can transfer to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit light-rail system and connect to the extensive Dallas-area transit network…

Full story at: A-train commuter line is set for its first run between Denton and Carrollton, in the Star-Telegram, 11 June 2011.

State Transportation Board
c/o Arizona Department of Transportation
206 South 17th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85007

RE: Arizona State Rail Plan

Dear State Transportation Board Members:

The Arizona Rail Passenger Association fully supports ADOT’s plan to improve the infrastructure of our state, and we respectfully request your support of the State Rail Plan.

ARPA educates the public — from individuals to civic groups to public officials — about the benefits of passenger rail specifically, and balanced multimodal transportation in general. We have been long-time rail advocates in Arizona and it is exciting to see that concrete steps are being taken to bring passenger rail to our state. We know that a modern transportation system — one that includes a comprehensive network of passenger rail services — will bring enormous benefits to Arizona.

Arizona has experienced a dramatic growth in population in a relatively short time period — our rate of growth has been one of the nation’s highest over the past decade. We need a transportation system that supports the renewed economic vitality of our state by providing both mode choice and mobility to all our citizens and visitors — not just those with access to automobiles.

Passenger rail provides travelers with a transportation option that will get them to their destination safely, quickly, and comfortably. With the price of gasoline rising dramatically in recent weeks, it is all the more critical that we build Arizona the modern, multimodal transportation system our citizens and visitors deserve.

Please support the State Rail Plan.

Sincerely,
[signed]
Robert H. Bohannan, AICP, President

DALLAS, 8 March 2011 — One of the streetcars being considered by the City of Dallas took a test drive on DART Rail tracks March 8, transporting DART officials and news media between Akard, Victory and Baylor University Medical Center stations.

The ameriTRAMâ„¢ prototype is manufactured by Kinkisharyo, the maker of DART’s [and Phoenix's] light rail vehicles. The ameriTRAMâ„¢ is electric and is powered by either overhead catenary, like DART Rail, or on-board lithium-ion batteries. The vehicle can travel up to five miles on a full charge. It is 100% low floor and fully accessible. DART is working as a technical advisor with the City of Dallas on a number of streetcar projects, including the planned connection to Oak Cliff, a connection with the McKinney Avenue Trolley and a future downtown streetcar network.

Video and rest of the story here.

A year after bus use followed gasoline prices to record highs, ridership has fallen by the millions on the Valley’s most extensive mode of public transit…

While bus ridership was down, more and more commuters climbed aboard light-rail trains in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, sending ridership numbers above 12 million for fiscal year 2010. The system had 5.6 million riders for the first six months of its operation, which began in January 2009…

Rest of the story in the Arizona Republic

by Jahna Berry – May. 26, 2010
The Arizona Republic

Phoenix revealed the design of the train cars that will transport millions of passengers around Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Under a $260 million contract with a Canadian firm, Bombardier Transportation Holdings USA, Bombardier will design and build 18 train cars
and a maintenance facility…

Each car is 36.5 feet long, 9.5 feet wide and 11 feet high… Each car can hold about 53 people and each train will have three cars. The first test car will arrive in August 2011…

[The first stage of Sky Train, between Terminal 4, the east economy parking lot and, METRO, will open in 2013.]