Phoenix light rail early figures

[desertdog]

MP57313

Here are a couple of pics, from February 2009.  These are near the ASU campus in Tempe.

The disconnected track in the foreground is ex-Southern Pacific and goes back even farther to its predecessor. Long ago it served a creamery and later on a nearby flour mill and an Arizona Public Service power plant. APS stopped burning fuel oil and the mill closed in the last decade. Much of the old track and even a set of crossing signals with gates remained right up to the time of light rail construction. Metro follows much of the ROW through campus and on down to Apache Blvd. before heading over to Mesa. John Timm

[Phoebe Vet]

Blue Streak:

Charlotte is expecting a small drop in the March numbers because Wells Fargo (which bought Wachovia which was headquartered in Charlotte) and Bank of America (which is headquartered right across the steet from them in Charlotte) have eliminated hundreds of high end jobs in Charlotte City Center.  However, Lynx is still running way above the planners' estimates and the design phase of the next light rail line and the commuter rail line are proceeding on schedule.

City after city is learning that the system works well.

 

[MP57313]

Here are a couple of pics, from February 2009.  These are near the ASU campus in Tempe.

[videomaker]

Do you have any pix of this new train?

[desertdog]

The naysayers on Phoenix light rail have been abundant from the start. And there has been some justification for their criticism, especially during the construction phase. Nonetheless, the general public has really taken to the Metro which is good to see. Crowded urban areas need alternative modes of transit and Phoenix has finally realized that more freeways are not the complete answer. As to the effect of the summer heat, the trains run on a frequent headway most of the day. John Timm

[blue streak 1]

Quote from Railway Age:

Phoenix warms to light rail

Add Phoenix to the growing list of cities with a successful light rail launch. The 20-mile LRT line, which debuted late last December, averaged 30,600 riders per weekday, significantly above the 26,000 boardings per weekday anticipated by Metro. Total January ridership was nearly 912,000,which was higher than the monthly total anticipated after one year of service, according to Metro Chief Executive Officer Rick Simonetta. Simonetta noted that Saturday ridership contributed to the overall number, with 10,000 more riders than expected. “We are very pleased with these numbers,” Simonetta told Metro’s governing board, noting that trains often were near capacity even outside rush hour peak loads. Metro nevertheless is preparing for a ridership falloff when warmer weather arrives, though the authority is not certain how severe the impact might be.  .bl {background: url(http://www.railwayage.com//components/com_magazine/layouts/images/bl.gif) 0 100% no-repeat #eeeeee; } .br {background: url(http://www.railwayage.com//components/com_magazine/layouts/images/br.gif) 100% 100% no-repeat} .tl {background: url(http://www.railwayage.com//components/com_magazine/layouts/images/tl.gif) 0 0 no-repeat} .tr {background: url(http://www.railwayage.com//components/com_magazine/layouts/images/tr.gif) 100% 0 no-repeat; padding:10px} .clear {font-size: 1px; height: 1px} Phoebee Vet:  Here is possibly another Charlotte result!!