Phoenix-Tucson Trains would likely begin theirjourneys at historic Phoenix Union Station, the site of the May 6 Transpo 2000 exhibition, that was built in 1923. On game days, trains could serve Bank One Ballpark.
After leaving the Ballpark, which may also serve as the commuter rail stop for the new convention center, Tucson- bound trains first travel past Union Pacific's Phoenix Yard, and later pastSky Harbor International Airport before crossing the Tempe Town Lake to enter Tempe. Shortly after leaving the south end of the bridge, trains pass the Tempe passenger rail station at Third and Ash Streets, a few blocks from the Mill Avenue shops and a short bus ride from ASU.
A number of important destinations are located on or near the Phoenix-Tucson rail corridor including the Bank One Ballpark, America West Arena, Arizona Center, Sky Harbor Airport, Downtown Tempe, Downtown Mesa, Williams Gateway Airport and Community College, and the pre-Columbian Casa Grande ruins at Coolidge.
Shortly after leaving Coolidge, the Phoenix Line joins the Union Pacific main line at Picacho. From here to Tucson trains will be traveling along Union Pacific's principal southern transcontinental rail freight corridor, which handles an average of over 60 trains daily. Eight miles south of Picacho, scenic Picacho Pass, the site of Arizona's only Civil War skirmish, is traversed.
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Tucson's Amtrak Station will soon be undergoing restoration. It is convenient to the new Ronstadt Transit Center and the Central Business District, and will one day be served by Old Pueblo Trolley with a connection to the University of Arizona.