September 2000
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The Arizona Rail Passenger Association has been a vocal supporter of multi-modal transportation options since 1978. While Valley cities are currently in the midst of investing in new Light Rail Transit, Express Bus Rapid Transit and increased fixed route bus services, this particular brief will detail the option of Commuter Rail service for the East Valley. ARPA wholeheartedly supports a multi-modal approach in educating the public on transportation choices, as each community is unique and may require one or a mix of options. Buses, light-rail, neighborhood shuttles, commuter-rail, express buses and inter-city rail are all modes that will work together to provide citizens the mobility choices they need. ADOT is now planning a construction implementation schedule for the widening of U.S. Highway 60 from I-10 Jct. east to Power Road in Maricopa County. The construction will include one HOV lane from the I-10 Jct. east to Power Road and one general-purpose lane will be built from the Loop 101 interchange east to Power Road. Construction will commence sometime in 2000/2001. Currently the City of Tempe, the RPTA and other East Valley cities are tentatively planning the funding and creation of four new Rapid-Express Bus commuter routes. These buses will act as a relief mode for commuters who choose to use an alternative to their automobiles. These new routes would traverse Highway 60, Loop 101 and Loop 202 and are planned to link passengers from the Power Road/Highway 60 area with various employment centers in Tempe and Phoenix. It is projected that congestion, traffic delays and auto-related accidents will rise during the construction phase, so the need to provide alternatives to auto-travel is a chief concern for East Valley transportation officials. Where-as Light Rail will be a prime travel choice for commuters by 2006, the need for immediate relief during highway construction deems commuter rail a viable solution by 2002. Now is the opportune time for the Arizona Rail Passenger Association and concerned parties to approach the Arizona Department of Transportation with the concept of using the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way as a corridor for new complementary commuter trains. ADOT had established an emergency rail shuttle during the Spring 1980 Salt River Floods to help assist commuter travel from Mesa-Tempe-Phoenix, until the roads and bridges were repaired. The trains were very successful over the three weeks they operated, carrying over 5000 riders a day. These “complementary trains” could provide comparable running times from Mesa through Tempe to Sky Harbor (44th St) and Downtown Phoenix while the highway construction proceeds throughout the coming years. A fleet of 2-3 train-sets, running 30 minutes apart could depart the East Valley for Phoenix in the morning rush hour, and then return as a fleet to the East Valley during the evening rush hour. Connections with local-city bus service or park’n’rides at stations will provide commuters with convenient options between work and home. An additional benefit of the commuter rail option is that the trains would be able to run over 18 miles of dedicated, unobstructed railroad right-of-way, ensuring a one-way trip could be made in just about 30 minutes. Lastly, Rapid-Express buses may have the burden of competing with increasingly congested auto-traffic conditions due to the absence of HOV lanes during the construction-widening phase of Highway 60. (NOTE: The State of Florida’s Dept of Transportation along with four partnered counties implemented a similar plan in late 1989 to assist with the widening of I-95. Tri-rail was created to help commuters along the 71-mile corridor between Miami and West Palm Beach during construction. Originally the service was designed to be a ‘temporary reliever’, but as construction progressed, more people chose Tri-rail as a travel option. Today after 11 years of service, the line reports over 2.5 million trips annually. FDOT even credits Tri-rail with increasing auto capacity on its newly widened I-95.) While identifying a funding source for this East Valley-Phoenix Commuter Rail plan will be a challenge, the benefits would outweigh the costs on many levels. A private transit contractor or the host railroad could be employed to run the service for the duration of the program. The train equipment could be short-term leased from other transit agencies and the host Union Pacific could grant the commuter service “shared use/trackage rights” in order to run trains on a user fee system. The user fee could be used to help fund upgrading the tracks to a maximum 59mph for passenger service, as well as help fund the construction of station facilities, platforms and temporary park’n’rides.  Stations could be located at suggested locations such as: Mesa/ Gilbert (Baseline/Hwy 60), Downtown Mesa (Broadway & Center), Tempe (McClintock overpass), Downtown Tempe (Macayo’s Depot Cantina), Sky Harbor link (24th St.), and Downtown Phoenix (Union Station or Arena/Ballpark area). The East Valley is now at a crossroads. The need to provide residents with viable and convenient transportation choices should be key to any future planning process. The addition of commuter rail to Express Bus and Light Rail options would ensure that roadways and existing highway corridors would have additional capacity for future growth, while providing a pollution, congestion and stress free alternative to road-weary Highway 60 commuters. Arizona Rail Passenger Association
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