Arizona Rail Passenger Association

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

Lily Leung reports in May 29, 2009’s Arizona Republic –

Surprise’s strategic placement of a park-and-ride lot near a railway stretching from downtown Phoenix to Wickenburg is the first heartbeat in an ongoing effort to bring commuter-rail service to the Valley…

The Surprise City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to pay… for land on the southeastern corner of Grand Avenue and Bell Road. The 3.27-acre lot is near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and will be used for a 500-space park-and-ride facility… [initially express buses] to downtown Phoenix and Scottsdale. But city officials also see securing the property as a “good positioning exercise” if a commuter railway does come in within the next 5 to 10 years, said Randy Overmyer, city senior transportation planner.

Grand Avenue and Bell Road is a heavily traveled intersection that could be a possible commuter-rail stop, according to a Maricopa Association of Governments feasibility study slated to come out by year’s end…

Rest of the story at: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/29/20090529parkandride0529.html

(Regarding current discussions of Phoenix-Tucson regional rail)

Adopted by the Board of Directors, 2009-1-17.

RESOLVED THAT,

ARPA believes

• That the current UPRR alignment via Coolidge represents the most expeditious route to early implementation, and should be implemented and built first; and
• That the former Maricopa to Tempe alignment, to supplement future growth, should additionally be planned, but built after operations on the Coolidge alignment commence.

A proposal for commuter rail service that would carry passengers between downtown Phoenix and Wickenburg is picking up steam.

The Maricopa Association of Governments Executive Committee this week hired URS to come up with detailed options to implement commuter service along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway line on the Grand Avenue corridor. The firm, which is based in San Francisco and has an office in Phoenix, also will look at such components as cost and potential ridership…

Rest of the story in the Arizona Republic

…Although Metro’s passenger service isn’t set to begin until late December, earlier this week the rail line through Tempe into Mesa saw its first train. It was a test run, one of many scheduled over the coming months…Hallman, while touting light rail as part of an integrated transportation system, took the opportunity to voice support for commuter rail.

Commuter rail is a transit alternative that would be part of a $42 billion transportation ballot initiative that may go before Arizona voters in November…

Rest of the story in the East Valley Tribune