Phoenix opens light rail extension

On 27 January Valley Metro (the Phoenix, Arizona, light rail system) opened its Northwest Phase II extension 2.6km (1.6-mile) from 19th Avenue/Dunlop to Metro Parkway (Thelma Williams Transit Center). 

 

The USD 401M project saw a number of firsts; the first elevated station, the first rail-only bridge across freeway I-17, and the first multi-modal transit centre (named after a former Phoenix mayor who championed regional transit). The federal government contributed USD 158M towards the cost. 

 

FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said, ‘This was the first project funded by FTA under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law, and the city and Valley Metro have done incredible work building it on budget, and delivering the project earlier than expected’.  

 

The new extension has three stations and is expected to attract 1400 new passengers/day to light rail. Metro Parkway has a four-storey P+R facility with solar panels and is served by five bus lines as well as the light rail. 

 

Valley Metro started service in December 2008 and has expanded to 48km (29.8 miles). The original 50 Kinki Sharyo LRVs have been supplemented by 25 Siemens S700 since 2022, a year when over 9.1M passengers were carried. A further extension at the south end of the line is under construction. Phoenix had a first-generation streetcar system from 1887 to 1948.