September 1999: The Valley Connections light rail proposal includes a station listed as "Tempe Depot" which presumably would permit an interface between the light rail and Amtrak, commuter rail, or high-speed rail, should any of those serve Tempe in the future.
17 March 1998: According to the article "Bus passes let newcomers see Tempe" in today's The Arizona Republic (page EV1), "A new transit center... will be recommended... to be built on a city-owned parking lot along Fifth Street west of College Avenue... The parking lot [site] has the best proximity to activity centers, is most convenient for passengers, is the best site for safety and is the most accessible for rail, bike, and walking traffic..."
This transit center would be on the "Creamery Branch" just southwest of the ASU stadium, and about half a mile east of the Tempe depot. Proposed light-rail service using this rail alignment would serve the center. It is not yet clear how intercity or regional rail might interface.
Regional RailWith all these just steps away from Tempe's Depot, this station is well suited to a regional rail role:
In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks sponsored the Diamondback Express, which carried over a thousand baseball fans between Tempe and Phoenix on 18 and 19 April.
