My last full day in the Arizona was spent enjoying Phoenix's new light rail system. The Grand Opening was Dec 27-28, 20008.

 

The lines were long, the trains were packed, and everyone had a smile on their face. There was a lot of buzz.

 

Phoenix certainly has a few desolate places DT (last few stops in PHX before Tempe), so it will be interesting to see how these areas develop. I'll be back in March for what I would think will be a more route ride experience.

 

Here's some pics and short video clips:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green means go.

 

Dos & Don’ts

 

 

 

About five trains went by before we could board. People were very nice, but no one was squeezing onto this one.

 

It was standing room only for our entire ride.

 

We saw several new developments, but there were also plenty of empty lots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving

 

Leaving

Ten minutes quickly became 20+ minutes . . .

 

 

 

Moving

 

Even the sprawliest of cities are getting light rail and leaving Ohio in the dust.

 

I know this sounds bad but it's nice to see so many white people using mass transit lol

That's completely amazing to me. My only visit to Phoenix was in 1979, and then the buses ran hourly with rather sparse coverage, and the system appeared to be barely hanging on financially.

 

One of the things that caught my attention then was that on the big articulated buses they had air conditioning powered by its own separate 4-cylinder diesel engine to cope with summer heat.

So this means that Columbus is the only Major Capital City in the country that does not have light rail?

PS.  Hopefully a lot of neysayers here in Columbus are going to the OSU Bowl Game in the area and will get bitten by the light rail bug.

How long is this new line, and is this transit-oriented development that was constructed _prior_ to the light rail line being completed?

These are great photos and videos.  It really is amazing to see this, but then again these fast growing cities are finally starting to get it.  The fortunate thing for those cities is not only their growth rate, but the influence of young people.  In the Midwest and Ohio this influence just isn't there and as a result "progress" is harder to come by as older generations just don't see the need or desire for such systems.

I know I've posted this elsewhere, but the CEO in charge of the Phoenix LRT system is former Central Ohio Transit Authority CEO Rick Simonetta.... who had fought unsuccessfully to get light rail or commuter rail going here in Columbus back in the 90's. 

 

Imagine where we would be today if he had succeeded here?  Good to see him vindicated in Phoenix, although I'm sure the Columbus "connection" will be lost on most Fiesta Bowl goers from Columbus.

How long is this new line, and is this transit-oriented development that was constructed _prior_ to the light rail line being completed?

 

The starter line is 20 miles long. I can't answer the TOD question however.

So this means that Columbus is the only Major Capital City in the country that does not have light rail?

 

Columbus is now the largest city in America, and perhaps the world, with neither intercity nor transit rail service.

So this means that Columbus is the only Major Capital City in the country that does not have light rail?

 

Columbus is now the largest city in America, and perhaps the world, with neither intercity nor transit rail service.

 

Isn't Indianapolis up there?  You can't count that stupid medical connector thingy as transit rail.

PS - Jesus I'm depressed.  I'm sitting here in Denver, looking out the window at a light rail train that comes every 5 minutes, a 15(ish) block long pedestrian mall with a free hybrid shuttle van that runs literally every minute which terminates at either Union Station (in the heart of a vibrant warehouse district) or at an underground city bus terminal under the state capital that gives departure times and delays for almost all local bus routes. 

 

Then here comes Phoenix, a city with the density of a cream puff, with their new light rail line.  Charlotte's got a successful one, Pittsburgh's is growing, even little old Kenosha's streetcar line has been a success. 

 

Meanwhile, my two favorite cities, Milwaukee and Cincinnati, are going nowhere with transit.  LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY OF SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES IN AMERICAN CITIES BUILT IN ALL SORTS OF ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OVER THE LAST CENTURY AND PLEASE TELL ME WHY IT'S STILL A DEBATE.

 

 

 

***I'm good now

 

^ because people are stupid. They rather drive downtown from Mt Washington than take a train.

No...people aren't stupid...they will drive when they have no other options. 

 

BTW: Careful in saying that Columbus is the only major capital city without light rail..... I could name several states with capital cities without light rail.

 

Columbus IS, however, the largest state capital and the 2nd largest city overall in the U.S. without intercity passenger rail service.  That, I'm happy to say, looks like it will change in the next couple of years.

 

Cheers for Phoenix on getting LRT up and running! :clap: :clap: :clap:

How come it doesn't connect directly to Sky Harbor Airport?

So this means that Columbus is the only Major Capital City in the country that does not have light rail?

Columbus is now the largest city in America, and perhaps the world, with neither intercity nor transit rail service.

 

Isn't Indianapolis up there?  You can't count that stupid medical connector thingy as transit rail.

 

No, I don't count the Indianapolis monorail as transit, but the city has limited Amtrak service. Columbus is the largest place where passengers cannot get on any kind of train that willtake them anywhere.

How come it doesn't connect directly to Sky Harbor Airport?

 

To quote Angela Bassett from 'Waiting to Exhale': "It's not 'how come', it's 'why'". :-)

No...people aren't stupid...they will drive when they have no other options.

 

BTW: Careful in saying that Columbus is the only major capital city without light rail..... I could name several states with capital cities without light rail.

 

Columbus IS, however, the largest state capital and the 2nd largest city overall in the U.S. without intercity passenger rail service. That, I'm happy to say, looks like it will change in the next couple of years.

 

Cheers for Phoenix on getting LRT up and running! :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

You are right, Phoenix and Columbus are the only two major cities that don't have intercity rail.  I knew it was something like that.  Okay, so maybe we will by pass Phoenix in something.

 

No, I don't count the Indianapolis monorail as transit, but the city has limited Amtrak service. Columbus is the largest place where passengers cannot get on any kind of train that willtake them anywhere.

 

 

Louisville?

How come it doesn't connect directly to Sky Harbor Airport?

 

It will eventually maybe by 2012, but it will be a separate system that will connect to this one. There is an "airport" stop . . then you take a bus from there to the airport.

 

I didn't have the nerve to try it on my flight home Sunday. I may attempt it next time I'm there.

From the chatter on skyscraperpage.com, it sounds like the shuttle from the train to Sky Harbor is being well-utilized.

 

No, I don't count the Indianapolis monorail as transit, but the city has limited Amtrak service. Columbus is the largest place where passengers cannot get on any kind of train that willtake them anywhere.

 

 

Louisville?

 

Does Louisville have Amtrak service? And I keep forgetting about its population increase after the county merger, but I believe it's still smaller than Columbus.

Not currently.  It did have an extension of Amtrak Cardinal for a short time until a few years ago.  Poor track conditions pretty much killed it.  But Louisville would be a great market for passenger rail.  The bad news: Kentucky's DOT is all about roads and does not seem to have en interest in rail at all.