Phoenix Loses Rail Passenger Service

6th Largest City in United States, Largest In World with No Passenger Trains. Amtrak trains ceased operations over the Phoenix West Line on June 2nd, 1996.

Status and News

• Latest Events and History
• The Southwest Rail Corridor Coalition -- ARPA, TRAC, RailPAC, and NARP -- seeks to revitalize the "West Line" and restore through passenger train service directly to Valley cities and towns

Population

• Phoenix is Sixth Largest City in U.S. with population over 1 million; Maricopa County's is 2.5 million

Newspaper Coverage

• Media Watch (bibliography)

ARPA Newsletter Coverage

• ARPA UPDATE, March 1997
• TIMETABLE, June 1996

Future Plans

• The proposed Arizona Rail System would see Phoenix Union Station as a hub of Regional Rail transportation

Commentary

• "Requiem for the railway: Valley's major metropolitan-area status knocked down a notch by loss of Amtrak Sunset Limited"by Lloyd Clark
• "Radical Concept: Visionary leadership can make efficient public transit reality" by Karen Peters
• Letter to the Editor [of Phoenix newspapers], 5 March 1996

Questions and Answers

• Amtrak President Tom Downs Addresses Phoenix Line at 1996 NARP Convention
• Background and Importance of the West Line

Photos

• Phoenix West Line photos, June 1998
• Ride the Last Train To Tempe

Events Leading To June 2nd, 1996, Loss of Service

• Status, 3 March 1996
• Status, 28 February 1996
• Press Release, 16 June 1995

Maps

• Where is the proposed Maricopa station?
• System Map in the Union Pacific Annual Report
• Union Pacific, Southern Arizona map
• West Line -- Before and After Proposes Abandonment
• More Arizona rail maps

Phoenix Union Station

• About the Station with links to photos
• History of Phoenix Union Station, by Rob Bohannan
• Other Rail Stations in Arizona and the Southwest

ARPA Home Page