Many of Maricopa and Pima County Mayors, including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods attended Arizona’s Statewide Railway Conference on April 11 and 12, 2022.
The main goal of the conference: to lay the groundwork for creating an Amtrak railway line between Phoenix and Tucson.
This goal has been supported by these same mayors in a letter to Arizona’s Congressional Delegation last July.
Among the social media postings from the conference, Mayor Gallego put forth:
Let’s bring @Amtrak to Phoenix! Bi-partisan mayors support expansion of frequent, reliable rail service. Builds on @POTUS infrastructure bill, and will be good for climate. @TucsonRomero @coreywoodstempe @GilbertAZMayor pic.twitter.com/oFvUrAIA2D
— Mayor Kate Gallego (@MayorGallego) April 13, 2022
Mayor Romero posted:
The two largest cities in #Arizona are not connected by rail: We need to change that.
We have an opportunity to decongest I-10 from #Tucson to #Phoenix and connect to the West Valley and into #LA. It is in our best interest as a city, as a region, and as a state. @Amtrak pic.twitter.com/f7yfZwfVby
— Regina Romero (@TucsonRomero) April 13, 2022
After the conference, both Mayors issued statements:
Mayor Gallego wrote:
“Regional and intercity transit solutions exist with Amtrak, and a bi-partisan group of mayors supports expansion of frequent, reliable rail service,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “The focus on passenger rail builds on the foundation created by President Biden’s infrastructure bill, and the investment aligns with our climate goals for Phoenix. It makes great sense for Arizona and the broader southwest region.”
Mayor Romero relayed:
“The two largest cities in Arizona are not connected by rail and we have an opportunity to change that.
We gathered at yesterday’s Arizona Statewide Rail Conference to build upon the momentum from our letter to Arizona’s Congressional Delegation last year.
With more than $36 billion set aside in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Intercity-Passenger rail, we have an opportunity to promote economic development and decrease our carbon footprint through investing in passenger rail. We expect the Federal Rail Administration to release guidelines for this competitive grant some time in May. I look forward to working with our fellow cities, towns, regional MPOs, and the State of Arizona on this exciting project.”
Mayor Woods of Tempe offered:
“Tempe has been actively engaged in the commuter rail study between Tucson and Phoenix and the benefits this development would have on the City of Tempe. We have examined items such as line alignment, neighborhood preservation and operating and maintenance costs. Tempe supports the advance of the commuter rail project and the return of passenger service. These rail services exemplify a strong commitment to sustainable transportation, as well as support of a diverse and strong local economy.”
A railway line that connects Phoenix to Tucson makes sense and it is astounding that it has not been done sooner.
With the infusion of funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law (please see link below on guidelines for railway construction) that goal, shared by both Republican and Democratic Mayors in the route areas, will now become a reality.
BUILDING-A-BETTER-AMERICA_FINAL (1)
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I suppose if we had all kinds of extra money this might be a good idea, but given the shortage of local, intracity transportation it’s the wrong project to push for now. A single run of a high speed rail train from Tucson to Phoenix might replace about ten minutes of the car traffic that currently travels that route. Then there’s the “last mile” problem to be addressed. I suggest the mayors take a look at what the Denver area has done and adopt that model.