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.

According to an article on ‘Political Insider’ Norfolk-Southern says: If voters approve, we’re ready to negotiate Macon-Atlanta passenger rail.

Published in Opinion, The Arizona Republic, 2011-04-04
Robert H. Bohannan, Phoenix

In his Wednesday letter “Rail-system plan makes no sense here,” Roy Miller asserts that “socialist central planners” want to “force us out of our cars and on to mass transit.”

Who, if not planners, does Miller think is responsible for the freeways? A society without planning is like a government without a constitution.

Transportation planning enables an orderly and fiscally responsible programming of infrastructure improvements as needed. Besides, I don’t recall any of our light-rail-system users claiming they were forced to ride it.

Miller states that “not a rail system in the United States” pays for itself. Roads don’t, either. Seventy percent of the Proposition 400 tax enacted by Maricopa County voters in 2004 is earmarked for freeways and streets, and only 30 percent for transit.

Rail systems foster economic growth and development. Phoenix’s Metro light-rail system cost $1.5 billion to build, but over $5 billion in investment has taken place along the rail corridor – half of it private-sector development. A regional rail network would provide similar benefits.

Miller asserts that “Arizona is one of the least dense states.” In fact, Arizona has a few large urban corridors where forecasted population densities rival those of urban areas where regional and local rail transit has been successfully implemented.

I applaud the efforts of the Arizona Department of Transportation in seeking a more balanced transportation system for Arizona.

- Robert H. Bohannan, Phoenix

The writer, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, is president of the Arizona Rail Passenger Association.

The Phoenix trolley (“light rail”) system had a good March even as weekday ridership declined slightly. Saturdays now see as many riders as weekdays did at the system’s opening, and Sunday ridership is nearly at the originally-projected weekday levels.

Phoenicians are using the trolleys not just as “commuter trains” but as all-day-long trolleys for school, shopping, and fun.

Can there be a clearer reason not to build the second line along Highway 10, but rather west on Thomas Road from Midtown Station (Thomas and Central) to 35th Avenue and out to Downtown Glendale? See How a METRO Green Line Might Look.

From: METRO

Adjacent Union Station may still be idle (other than being used by SPRINT maintenance vehicles) but the Santa Fe freight depot is alive again:

After remaining vacant for more than 40 years, a historic Phoenix rail depot opened its doors this week with a new identity as a county office space.

About 70 employees of the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office moved in Friday at the old Santa Fe Freight Depot at Fifth Avenue and Jackson Street. The building, once a hub of railroad activity where goods were shipped in and out of Phoenix, will open in May for a different group of visitors: county residents appealing property valuations.

Maricopa County spent $4 million renovating the county-owned building to house employees… The county bought the building in 1999…

Rest of the story:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/03/31/20110331santa-fe-depot.html