Rail Study from Tucson to Phoenix Prefers Eloy and Coolidge

PHOENIX — State transportation planners who studied multiple options for proposed passenger train service between Phoenix and Tucson are recommending one rail study that would go near Eloy and follow largely existing freight railroad tracks.

The proposed rail system would serve both Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix and downtown Tucson.

A draft environmental impact statement released by the Arizona Department of Transportation last week recommends routing passenger trains generally along existing Union Pacific tracks north of Eloy through Coolidge in Pinal County and along UP tracks and Interstate 10 between Eloy and Tucson.

It also envisions possible future extensions from downtown Tucson to Tucson International Airport and from central Phoenix to locations west and northwest of downtown.

Other options studied by the transportation department at various times during a planning process that has already lasted four years included routing the proposed passenger service through the city of Maricopa or the Gila River Indian Community, both south of Phoenix, or along the Superstition Freeway in the Tempe-Mesa area.

The recommended option had cost and performance advantages, the document said.

Passenger rail service would help provide reliable travel times “in an increasingly congested region that currently affords few transportation alternatives to the automobile,” according to the transportation department document.

The department said the recommended option calls for a blend of express service with few stops between Phoenix and Tucson and local service with stops in several additional communities along the way.

Apart from continuation of the formal planning process, the long-term future of the project is uncertain.

The department noted that there currently is no construction timetable and that no funding has been identified for the recommended option’s projected $4.5 billion cost.

“It will be up to the public and policymakers to decide if the project is feasible and how to generate the funding to pay for the project,” the transportation department said in a statement announcing the release of the draft statement.

The department said it will hold public hearings on the document in Phoenix, Tucson and Signal Peak and accept written comments.

Passenger rail service in Arizona is currently limited in the state’s largest metro areas.

Plans call for extensions to a light rail system that extends from northwest Phoenix through downtown to Tempe and Mesa, while Tucson has a trolley system that links downtown with the University of Arizona campus.

Amtrak, the federal government’s passenger rail system, currently only provides limited service in southern and central Arizona, with an interstate route that includes stops in Tucson, Maricopa and Yuma but not Phoenix.

A different Amtrak route serves Flagstaff, Kingman and Winslow in northern Arizona.

Last year, a proposed in-state route through Casa Grande was eliminated from consideration because it had the lowest predicted ridership. At 113 miles, it would have been the shortest of the three potential routes being studied.

It was also not the route most favored by more than 10,000 survey takers. Concerns over historic and cultural sites along the route and potential problems with the acquisition of tribal lands further complicated it as an option.

If the passenger rail service is built, proponents expect 3 to 5 million people would ride it every day. About 90 percent of riders are expected to be commuters.

The objective of a Draft Tier 1 EIS (Final Alternatives) is to obtain comments from the public on matters pertaining to the conduct and recommendations of the Draft Tier 1 EIS. The document is available for review here. ADOT has scheduled three public hearings for community members to attend and provide comments. Public hearings will be held:

• Sept. 15: 5:30 to 7 p.m. – Phoenix Public Library, Burton Barr (1st Floor Pulliam Auditorium); 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 85004
• Sept. 16: 5:30 to 7 p.m. – Tucson Convention Center (Leo Rich Theater); 260 S. Church Ave., Tucson, 85701
• Sept. 17: 5:30 to 7 p.m. – Central Arizona College, Signal Peak Campus (Room M101); 8470 N. Overfield Road, Coolidge, 85128

The deadline for all public comments is Oct. 30, 2015. Comments may be provided at one of the hearings, submitted using the comment form, emailed to projects@azdot.gov, or mailed or faxed to:

ADOT Passenger Rail Study Team
c/o Central Creative
24 W. Camelback Rd #479
Phoenix, AZ 85013
FAX: 602.368.9645

Final Alternatives / Common Corridor Map