Arizona Rail Passenger Association

ARPA’s March 2008 newsletter is now available for download.

The Autumn 2006 Arizona Rail Passenger Review is now available for free download!

Now available for download:

spring-2006.pdf

Speaking of Dallas, here is their Summer, 1999 ridership report:

Total ridership for FY 98 was 85.7 million, a 15.8 million (28%) increase over FY 97 and 37.2 million (76.6%) increase over FY96.

Bus ridership during the second quarter of FY99 was 11.6 million–a 6.7% gain over the second quarter of FY98.

The increasing accessibility of DART’s fixed route services is helping to reduce demand for more costly paratransit curb-to-curb service. During the second quarter of FY99, paratransit passenger trips decreased nearly 13.7% compared to the second quarter of FY98.

Light rail ridership during the second quarter of FY99 was 2.8 million – up 8.3% over the first quarter of FY98; total light rail ridership for FY98 was 11 million – a 37% increase over FY 97.

Commuter rail ridership on the Trinity Railway Express during the second quarter of FY99 was 143,000 – up 26.2% over the first quarter of FY98. Total commuter rail ridership for FY98 was 503,000 – up 162% percent over FY97. Don’t forget, the Dallas commuter rail system has ONLY THREE STATIONS.

San Francisco Bay: The Altamont Commuter Express is carrying in excess of 1,000 passengers daily as of September 8, when it hit 1077. ACE reports 79% of their passengers previously drove alone in their cars, meaning “there were 850 fewer cars on the highway” that morning, relieving the congested I-580. A celebration is planned for October 16 marking ACE’s first year of “overwhelming success,” which will start in Stockton at 5:00AM, and at 12:00 Noon at the newly rebuilt Centerville station.

Los Angeles Metrolink has ordered 28 new bilevel cars from Bombardier. A $47 million contract was announced October 5 detailing this order, which is for all coaches, but no cab cars. These new cars will be used to expand capacity on existing trains, not to add new service. Bill Davis, Metrolink Board Chairman and Simi Valley Mayor, said, “We are literally running out of seats on some routes during the rush hour.” Deliveries, however, are not scheduled to begin until January, 2001, and will be spread out over five months. Metrolink is now carrying 28,000 average daily riders on its 130 trains serving 46 stations over its 416-mile network.

The new SOUNDER commuter rail service in between Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, according to the South County Journal, will commence on September 18th next year. Initially there will be three trains every weekday, with up to eighteen daily trips introduced over the next several years. Sound Transit has been working with BNSF to finish $250 million in track and signal upgrades, but the work has taken longer than expected; service was formerly expected to begin late this year. The September 18th date was chosen to coincide with the fall bus schedule change.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Bob Hart, a longtime active ARPA member, for his role in the inaugural session of the Silver Hair Legislature, a group which hopes to influence action in the State House. Under Bob’s guidance, the Silver Hair Legislature adopted a resolution that the Governor’s Office should, as its first priority, consider the creation of an Arizona Public Transportation Authority. The Transportation Authority Resolution was sent with four other resolutions to the Governor’s office for consideration in next year’s legislative session.

The City of Phoenix is expected to ask for a public vote in support of bus and light rail in March of 2000. The amount of sales tax that is to be asked for the twenty-year initiative has yet to be determined by the City Council. The full Steering Committee’s plan is expected to be unveiled the at the City of Phoenix Council Chambers on the morning of Saturday, 20 November 1999 (10 AM to Noon.)

Also on November 20th will be the Third Annual ARPA Awards Dinner, at Bashas’ Corporate Art Museum in Chandler. Please join in extending our warmest thanks to Eddie Basha for his generous sponsorship and making his unique museum available for this evening of dinner and recognition. Awardees this year will be Jack Tevlin, Phoenix Deputy City Manager; and Max Biegert, C.E.O. of Grand Canyon Railway. We certainly hope to see you there. - Sam Morse