Valley Metro Rail, sometimes referred to as METRO, is a light rail system that serves the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa in Arizona, USA. The network, which is part of the Valley Metro public transit system, began operations on December 27, 2008. The line is 28.2 miles (45 km) and has a ridership of about 9,108,600 as of 2022. The light rail system carried 49,416 passengers per day in 2016, making it the country's 14th busiest light rail system.
Lines[]
Valley Metro Rail currently has one light rail line that has 38 stops over 28.2 miles (45 km) of track. The line starts at the intersection of Gilbert Road and Main Street in Mesa and ends at the intersection of 19th Avenue and Dunlap Road in Phoenix. The line began service on December 27, 2008.
History[]
In Phoenix in 1989, a proposal for an elevated metro system was turned down by voters due to cost and feasibility concerns. The Transit 2000 Regional Transportation Plan sought light rail as a cheaper alternative, and so it was approved by voters. Initially, the line was built at a length of 20 miles (32 km). Construction started in March 2005, and the line officially opened with 28 stations on December 27, 2008.
The original line's termini were at Sycamore Street in Mesa and at Montebello Avenue in Phoenix. The Central Mesa extension extended the line 3.1 miles east into Mesa, with the new terminus being at Mesa Dr/Main St. Construction of this extension began in July 2012 and it opened on August 22, 2015.
The other terminus was extended from Montebello Avenue to Dunlap Avenue with the first phase of the Northwest Extension. Construction of this extension began in January 2013 and officially opened on March 19, 2016. An infill station was added at 50th St/Central, with construction starting in June 2017. The new station officially opened on April 15, 2019. The line was later extended by 1.9 miles from Mesa Drive in Mesa to Gilbert Road, with construction beginning in October 2016. The extension opened on May 18, 2019.
There are currently two extensions under construction in Phoenix. The first of which extends the current terminus from 19th/Dunlap to the former Metrocenter mall as part of Phase II of the Northwest Extension. The other attempts to connect South Phoenix all the way to Central/Baseline, adding seven stations, with two park-and-ride locations. The line will create a two-line system, with an east-west line ending in Downtown Phoenix, and a North-South line going from Metrocenter Mall in North Phoenix to Baseline Road in South Phoenix.
Additionally, there are two light rail extensions currently in the planning stages, running from Downtown Phoenix to the State Capitol, and later the Desert Sky Mall in West Phoenix.
Rolling Stock[]
As of 2023, the Valley Metro light rail system operates a fleet of 50 Kinki Sharyo Low Floor Light Rail Vehicles with a seating capacity of 66. Each vehicle is accessible with space for four wheelchairs and four bicycles and has a maximum speed of 58 mph (93 km/h).
The system also operates a fleet of 25 Siemens S700 vehicles, which began service in January 2022.