Valley Metro Light Rail
In the years since it opened in 2008, the system has undergone six expansions (including the infill station at 50th Street/Washington and the Tempe Streetcar), with at least three more scheduled. Furthermore, extensions are underway into West Phoenix at Desert Sky Mall and to South Phoenix at Baseline Road, all of which were expanded as a direct result of obtaining funding under the Proposition 104 sales tax increase.
History
Background
Numerous plans preceded the implementation of light rail. The Phoenix Street Railway provided streetcar service from 1887 to 1948. Historic vehicles may be seen at the Phoenix Trolley Museum, with Car #116 celebrating her 80th birthday on December 25, 2008, just days before the opening of modern rail service. In 1989, the ValTrans elevated rail proposal was turned down by voters in a referendum due to cost and feasibility concerns. Subsequent initiatives during the 1990s failed over similar reasons.
Valley Metro was created by the Transit 2000 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), also called the Transit 2000 plan, which involved a half-cent sales tax, and was approved by Phoenix voters in 2000. Transit 2000 aimed at improving the local bus service (considered unacceptably inadequate compared to other major US cities) and adding new bus rapid transit routes. It used the route placing and color designations from the 1989 ValTrans plan. The plan also called for a new light rail line to be built throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area, resuming rail transit service that was absent since the 1940s. Additional funding for the new rail line was secured in 2004 when residents approved Proposition 400, extending the half-cent countywide sales tax.
Initial light rail segment
Construction on the new light rail line began in March 2005. The expected construction cost for the line was $1.4 billion, or $70 million per mile. The line's initial twenty-mile (32 km) segment consisted of 28 stations running between Phoenix and Mesa. In March 2008, cracks in the system's rails were discovered. The cause of the cracks was determined to be improper use of plasma cutting torches by contractors. The affected track was repaired by May for $600,000 with still no word on which parties will be held financially responsible. The last of the concrete and rail for the system was installed in the end of April, with the CEO declaring the system to be on time and on budget.
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The line celebrated its grand opening on December 27, 2008, with official ribbon-cutting ceremonies and community celebrations throughout Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. The event was produced by Arizona's Entertainment Solutions, Inc. and was attended by thousands of local residents who waited as long as an hour or more to ride the vehicles. The stations have been designed to complement their immediate surroundings. Station platform areas are approximately 16 feet (4.9 m) wide by 300 feet (91 m) long.
As of early 2014, income has exceeded Metro's stated goal with 44.6% farebox recovery, partially due to the light rail ridership far exceeding original projections. The light rail has also led to rapid urban development in downtown Phoenix and Tempe, generating additional revenue through taxes.
Valley Metro had its busiest month in April 2017, with a total passenger count of 1,514,456 and an average weekday ridership of 52,910. On the weekend of March 31, 2017, through April 2, 2017, the light rail system saw 275,615 passengers board the train due to several large events including Final Four Fan Fest, March Madness Music Festival, Arizona Diamondbacks home opener, Phoenix Pride Festival, Phoenix Suns game, and Tempe Festival of the Arts. That Sunday, April 2, 2017, they saw 80,210 passengers board the train due to those large events.
Central Mesa Extension
The Central Mesa Extension extended rail service 3.1 miles (5.0 km) from the line's original eastern terminus at Sycamore/Main Street to Mesa Drive/Main Street. It added four new stations in the median of Main Street at Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, Center Street, and Mesa Drive, bringing rail service directly to Downtown Mesa. In March 2012, Valley Metro selected a design-build joint venture between Kiewit Corporation and Mass. Electric to construct the extension.
Construction began in July 2012 and passenger service started on August 22, 2015. Mesa held a summit in early 2012 to have urban developers give their ideas on how to revitalize downtown. The extension cost $200 million, paid for from a combination of Proposition 400 sales tax revenues, federal air quality, and New Starts grants. It is estimated to have added 5,000 daily riders.
Northwest Extension Phase I
In 2016, the system was extended north from the previous western terminus at 19th Avenue/Montebello along the median of 19th Avenue to a new terminus and park and ride at 19th Avenue/Dunlap in Phoenix. The extension features 3.2 miles of track, three additional stations, and before opening was predicted to serve 5,000 riders per day in its first full year of operation.
As an original part of the Transit 2000 plan, this extension was originally scheduled to open by 2012. However, due to lower-than-expected sales tax revenues and uncertainty regarding the availability of federal funds to support the project, the opening date was delayed. Initially, it was pushed back to 2014, and then it was rescheduled again by 9 years, to the fiscal year 2023, by the Phoenix City Council in June 2009. In July 2012, a vote was held to reschedule this extension to open in 2016. Under this plan, the city of Phoenix advanced $60 million of local funds to Valley Metro Rail, who would then fund the remaining cost of the project (approximately $267 million) with both Transit 2000 and Proposition 400 funds, thereby allowing work on the project to begin.
The design-build contract was awarded to a joint venture of Sundt and Stacy and Witbeck, for the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) extension. Construction began in January 2013, with a celebration to mark the laying of the first track section being held in July 2014. Construction work continued until December 2015, when it was announced that testing along the new stretch would begin. The extension opened on March 19, 2016.
50th Street infill station
The 50th Street infill station project added a new station to the existing alignment at 50th Street and Washington, the first and only infill station added in the Valley Metro Rail system. The project aimed to enable better connectivity with nearby businesses, and recent commercial and residential development projects in the area. The project, funded entirely by the city of Phoenix, began construction in June 2017. Although all Valley Metro stations are ADA accessible, the new station had more accessible features including wider platforms and gentle entrance slopes. The station opened on April 25, 2019.
Gilbert Road Extension
An extension further eastward, 1.9 miles (3.1 km) past the terminus at Mesa Drive/Main Street to Gilbert Road/Main Street, began construction in October 2016, and began operating on May 18, 2019. The line, budgeted at approximately $184 million, travels in the median of Main Street and has one intermediate stop at Stapley Drive. The design-build contract for this project was awarded to Sundt/Stacy and Witbeck, with Jacobs Engineering providing design services for the project. Service to the new stations started on May 18, 2019.
Tempe Streetcar
Tempe Streetcar consist of 14 stations, running from Dorsey Lane west on Apache Boulevard, then north on Mill Avenue. From there, it loops around Downtown Tempe along Mill and Ash avenues. The route continues along Rio Salado Parkway to Marina Heights, with a possible extension to Mesa to connect with the Chicago Cubs’ new spring training facility, as well as Tempe Marketplace. Service began on May 20, 2022.
Northwest Extension Phase II
Upon completion of Northwest Phase I, the focus shifted to Phase II of the project. This extension continues west on Dunlap Avenue before turning to head north along 25th Avenue. From there, the system heads west on Mountain View Road, before crossing Interstate 17 and terminating on the east side of the Metrocenter shopping mall. The extension includes three new stations, one in the vicinity of 25th Avenue and Dunlap, another adjacent to the Rose Mofford Sports Complex, and a relocated transit center (Thelda Williams Transit Center) on the east side of Metrocenter Mall.
The extension was originally planned to open in 2026, but it was accelerated to 2024 after the Phoenix City Council passed the Proposition 104 sales tax increase in 2015. In October 2017, the project had entered the environmental assessment (EA) phase. The construction contract was awarded to Kiewit-McCarthy in July 2020 and was scheduled to break ground that Fall. Service began on January 27, 2024.
Proposition 105 and South Extension
Like the Northwest Extension, the funding from Proposition 104 moved the timeline of the light rail extension to South Phoenix up by a decade. Outreach to the residents and business owners of South Phoenix became strained when the extension called for the reduction of lanes from four to two along Central Avenue. In February 2019, opponents were able to gather enough signatures to require the city to hold a referendum on future light rail expansion. The referendum to stop light rail expansion, known as Proposition 105, failed to pass in a special election on August 27, 2019. Construction on the South Central extension began in October 2019, and it is expected to be operational by 2025.
Operations
Route description
As of 2024, the Valley Metro Rail system consists of one single line serving all 41 stations on 29.8 miles (48.0 km) of tracks within the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. The light rail line starts in Phoenix on the east side of the former Metrocenter shopping mall at the Metro Parkway station. The rail line runs east on an elevated viaduct, crossing over Interstate 17. After the crossing, the line's alignment parallels Mountain View Road before turning south on 25th Street. The line runs south on 25th Street, crossing the Arizona Canal and passing by the Rose Mofford Sports Complex. It continues until it reaches Dunlap Avenue where it swerves east on Dunlap, before turning south again on 19th Avenue for 4 miles (6.4 km). After three stops, it turns eastward again on Camelback Road for 2.5 miles (4.0 km), then turns south onto Central Avenue where it continues into Downtown Phoenix. At Roosevelt Street, the line splits into one-way segments: eastbound service runs on First Avenue south before turning east on Jefferson Street; likewise, westbound one-way service starts at 26th Street on Washington Street before turning north on Central Avenue.
Both tracks rejoin east of 24th Street on Washington Street. Continuing east on Washington, the rail line passes Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, which is connected by the PHX Sky Train at 44th Street/Washington, and then turns southeast towards Tempe. After Center Parkway/Washington station, the line leaves the median of Washington Street and runs south on a bridge that crosses Tempe Town Lake, parallel to the Union Pacific Railroad. It then turns east along Mill Avenue and connects to the Tempe Streetcar at Mill Avenue/3rd St before proceeding via its own right-of-way near Arizona State University. Going southward, it joins Apache Boulevard headed eastward, which becomes Main Street in Mesa. The light rail line ends at an intersection with Gilbert Road at Gilbert Road/Main Street station.
Trains mostly operate on city streets in a "center reservation", similar to the Red Line of the METRORail light rail system in Houston and the surface sections of the MBTA subway's Green Line in Boston. Some parts of the line, such as the bridge over Tempe Town Lake, have no contact with other traffic.
Hours and frequency
Full rail service (serving all stops between Metro Parkway and Gilbert Road/Main Street) begins Monday through Friday at approximately 4:30 a.m., while Saturday and Sunday service begins at approximately 4:50 a.m. Full rail service ends at approximately 11 p.m. daily. Since a complete light rail trip takes about 110 minutes from end to end, full rail service does not run earlier or later than those times. Instead, in the early morning and late night hours, limited rail service operates service from Priest Drive/Washington to Gilbert Road/Main Street and from 50th Street/Washington to Metro Parkway. This limited service extends the line's operating hours to as early as 3:30 a.m. and as late as 1 a.m.
Throughout the day, trains run every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, and every 20 minutes on Sundays. All trains run every 20 minutes from 8 p.m. until the end of service.
Rolling stock
As of 2020, Valley Metro Rail operates a fleet of 50 Kinki Sharyo Low Floor Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs), which were built exclusive to VMR. Each vehicle has a seated capacity of 66. Due to the desert climate of the Phoenix area the units were designed with more insulation and solar reflective windows as well as larger air conditioner units. The vehicles are accessible with space for four wheelchairs and four bicycles, per vehicle with addition to a hydraulic leveling system to remove potential vertical gap, to ease loading. Up to three vehicles may operate together in a single train set but are typically in sets of two. The vehicles have a maximum speed of 58 mph (93 km/h). The LF-LRVs are also equipped with energy absorbent bumpers to reduce the effects of road vehicle collision, measures warranted due to the light rail mostly running in the center of streets.
In 2017, Valley Metro contracted Brookville Equipment Corporation and Siemens Mobility for six and eleven light rail vehicles, respectively, with the Brookville fleet planned to be used for Tempe Streetcar service. The first Siemens car arrived in March 2020 and the first Brookville car for Tempe in March 2021.
| Manufacturer | Model | Quantity | Fleet numbers | Years in service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinki Sharyo | Low Floor Light Rail Vehicle | 50 | 101–150 | 2008–present |
| Brookville | Liberty Streetcar | 6 | 180–185 | 2022–present |
| Siemens | S700 | 25 (53 options) | 201–225 | 2022–present |
Fares
Valley Metro Rail shares its fare system with the Valley Metro Bus system but uses a proof-of-payment system to allow for simplified boarding and platform access. Passes can be purchased from ticket vending machines at the entrance to all stations, or purchased in the Valley Metro App, but must be validated or scanned before boarding the train. Passes can also be purchased on board buses, or in select retailers.
Fare inspections are conducted throughout the system at random to ensure compliance. As of 2015, the system has a fare-compliance rate of 94%.
Future extensions and improvements
South Central Extension (2025)
The South Central Extension will run from Downtown Phoenix, south along Central Avenue to Baseline Road, adding 4.9 miles (7.9 km) and seven stations, while connecting with two park and ride locations. Additionally, this project will form a light rail hub in Downtown Phoenix, between Central and First avenues to the west and east, and Washington and Jefferson streets to the north and south. Also included are new tracks for turn-around / staging purposes at both Third Avenue and Fifth Street for enhanced flexibility during peak service. Trains along the segment are planned to operate as a new line, originating at Baseline Road and running to the Downtown Hub before interlining with the existing light rail system and continuing north to the terminus at Metro Parkway. Construction began in 2019, with completion expected in 2025.
Capitol Extension (2027)
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The Capitol Extension will run from Central Station and 1st Avenue/Jefferson in Downtown Phoenix west to 15th Avenue, adding 0.75 miles (1.21 km) and two stations. As of 2024 environmental assessment work is underway.
In March 2024, Valley Metro selected Jacobs Engineering for principal civil design and PGH Wong Engineering for principal system design.
In May 2024, the project entered the environmental assessment (EA) phase.
I-10 West Extension (2030)
The I-10 West Extension would run from 15th Avenue west to Interstate 17 before turning north to the interchange of Interstate 10 and I-17 ("The Stack"). Then the line will turn west and continue down I-10 in the median past 43rd Avenue. It will then go over the westbound lanes of I-10 to continue alongside the highway to Desert Sky Mall, adding 10 miles (16 km) and 8 stations to connect the West Valley and ease congestion on Interstate 10. The line will transfer over I-10 from the median to the shoulder to accommodate Loop 202, which will connect with I-10 around 51st Avenue. In fall 2021, the Phoenix City Council approved extending the project corridor to the Desert Sky Transit Center, adjacent to the Desert Sky Mall.
In May 2024, the project entered the preliminary engineering (PE) phase.
West Phoenix
Starting in 2013, Valley Metro along with the cities of Glendale and Phoenix approved a project to study the potential extension of light rail, bus rapid transit or streetcar to Glendale. Initially, three different route options were proposed, all heading west from the current light rail system and featuring a shared terminus in the Downtown Glendale area. Options included travel directly across Glendale Avenue, as well as routes that travel along Camelback Road and a combination of 43rd and 51st avenues, before entering the shared downtown terminus area.
In February 2016, a community working group recommend a route for this project, this route travels along Camelback Road until 43rd Avenue, at which point light rail would travel north along 43rd Avenue until Glendale Avenue, from there it would continue west until it reaches 56th Avenue, where the route is likely to shift approximately 500 feet (150 m) north to Glenn Drive, where it will continue to the downtown terminus. Light rail was selected as the preferred type of transit for the route, as opposed to bus rapid transit or streetcar.
On October 17, 2017, Glendale City Council directed staff against moving forward on a route into downtown Glendale, effectively killing the plans for the Glendale portion of the extension. At the beginning of 2019, Phoenix City Council voted to delay the remaining Phoenix portion of the project indefinitely.
Starting in 2022, Valley Metro opened talks again about the West Phoenix Extension. The West Phoenix Extension will run from 91st Avenue and Thomas Road to 75th Avenue and Thomas then turn north to Indian School Road and connect to the Indian School Road and Central Avenue station. As of 2023 the project is in the locally preferred alternative adoption process. The West Phoenix Extension will also connect with the I-10 Extension on 79th Avenue and Thomas Road and the Phoenix BRT on 35th Avenue and Indian School Road.
On May 30, 2024, Phoenix City Council approved the project.
Other
As of 2019, an extension was planned to occur to Arizona State University's West campus in 2044. Extensions of light rail in Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler were also being studied. A previous study into a Northeast light rail corridor has been suspended indefinitely, with Phoenix City Council directing funds towards street maintenance instead.
See also
- PHX Sky Train
- Phoenix Public Transportation
- Tempe Streetcar
- Light rail in North America
- List of tram and light rail transit systems
- List of rail transit systems in the United States