Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is completing an Alternative Analysis (AA) for a regional passenger rail system and an environmental analysis to obtain a Record of Decision (ROD) from FRA that will identify an intercity rail alignment between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. ADOT is completing a State Rail Plan that identifies an intercity rail connection between Phoenix and Tucson as one of the highest priorities for implementing a statewide passenger rail system.
Through May 31, Arizonans have the chance to provide feedback at public events and online about three proposed routes for high-speed rail between Phoenix and Tucson. Each plan includes the same options for connecting with the West Valley and traveling through the Grand Avenue corridor to northwest and would follow I-10 northwest out of Tucson through Eloy.
The alternatives analysis will include recommendations for transit connections with the intercity rail system, including commuter rail, light rail, and street car systems in both the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. Following the selection of a recommended alignment, the project will proceed with preliminary engineering on a segment of the corridor that represents the initial phase of implementation.
The Arizona Department of Transportation has already received more than 7,000 comments, said Laura Douglas, an agency spokeswoman. An environmental study will follow this summer, she said.
“Overall the comments are very positive,” Douglas said. “People are looking for an alternate mode of transportation between Phoenix and Tucson, something that can get them to metro areas quicker.”
The Phoenix-Tucson options would: follow I-10 into the Valley and then follow railroad right of way downtown; head north from I-10 at Eloy and pass through the East Valley along the Union Pacific right of way; and follow a planned freeway connecting I-10 at Eloy with the East Valley and traveling along a stretch of U.S. 60.
A total budget of $6.24 million is available for the study. The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $1 million of ARRA funds, matched with $1 million in state funding. A $3.45 million Federal Transit Administration grant has been authorized to study commuter rail from Phoenix to Tucson, with ADOT providing approximately $800K in matching funds.
The actual plans would not be inexpensive, ranging from $3.6 billion to $7.9 billion, and ADOT has yet to secure funding for the project.
Douglas said there are several potential sources of funding, including the state and federal governments or public-private partnerships.
According to ADOT, Arizona’s population is expected to double by 2050, with a majority of that growth along the Sun Corridor stretching through Phoenix and Tucson. A rail system would help prevent congestion on roads, Douglas said.
An express train traveling up to 150 mph would get commuters between Phoenix and Tucson in an average of 90 minutes, depending on which line is selected. A second option on the same line would stop in more cities.
Visit ADOT’s passenger rail study here: https://www.azdot.gov/planning/CurrentStudies/PassengerRail/overview
You can comment online. Read the complete informational-booklet.pdf on the alternative routes and then take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CY62JTX
Remember comments are due by May 31, 2014.