Arizona Rail Passenger Association

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.

Click above to see how METRO on Thomas Road would complement the existing line (shown as the Red Line, for the bus it replaced).

These are example stations only, but are representative of the areas the train would serve.

For complete detail, see John Gale’s article, “METRO should be on Thomas, not I-10″.

The issues here are:

1. Light Rail along I-10 is a bad idea.
2. Light Rail should, whenever possible, follow arterial streets.
3. In lieu of I-10 and in light of #2 we propose Thomas Road.
4. Light Rail could follow Thomas Road all the way, or an alternative route to Glendale, or both.
5. Getting across I-17 and Grand/BNSF are challenging, and will probably be quite expensive, but must be addressed sooner or later.

Read the rest of this entry »

Phoenix activist opposes proposed route for western extension

Arizona Republic, 2010-12-09

A Phoenix man is hoping to derail Metro light rail’s plans to lay track through his neighborhood as part of an 11-mile extension to the city’s west side.

John Maurin, who has lived in the St. Matthew neighborhood north of the state Capitol for all of his 61 years, has attended several public meetings about Metro’s proposal to build the extension on Jefferson Street from Central Avenue, past the Capitol and state buildings, through his neighborhood to Interstate 17, then north to Interstate 10 and west into Tolleson.

…[H]e’s collecting petition signatures to fight the plans….

The current line runs 19 miles through west Mesa, Tempe and central Phoenix. The proposed western extension would connect to the rail at Central Avenue near Jefferson Street, near the CityScape retail and office complex.

Metro wants the western extension to be finished by 2021. Construction would begin in 2015…

Metro plans to hold one or more public hearings about the extension in February. Starting in March, it plans to seek the endorsement of the Phoenix City Council, the Maricopa Association of Governments Management Committee and the Metro light-rail board. The Regional Council for the Maricopa Association of Governments will have the final say.

Rest of the story: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/12/09/20101209phoenix-light-rail-neighborhood-petition.html

COMMENTARY:

Other advocates have called for Metro’s next line to be on Thomas Road, which has the highest ridership bus line in the Valley. Metro is only planning two or three stops along Highway 10 between downtown Phoenix and Route 101 in the west Valley.