ADOT forms panel to guide study of potential Phoenix-Tucson rail line

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has formed an executive leadership team to guide a continued study of potential passenger-rail service between Phoenix and Tucson.

The group includes officials from Gov. Kate Hobb’s office, ADOT and metropolitan planning organizations for Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties, ADOT officials announced last week in a press release.

The proposed Phoenix-Tucson passenger-rail corridor extends160 miles between Tucson and Buckeye with an anticipated three daily round trips.

ADOT applied for grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program; the FRA has not yet made selections for this grant. A webinar was held last week to brief officials from 37 agencies, including local Arizona jurisdictions and counties, Tribal Nations, Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak, on the status of ADOT’s participation in the FRA corridor identification and development program. Materials from the session are available to view here. 

The creation of the leadership team is a key step in developing the service plan, which would:
• identify the number and location of stations along the route based on travel demand, technical feasibility, local support and consideration of access to airports, universities and other sites;
• locate infrastructure improvements such as additional track or maintenance facilities to support the operation; and
• forecast ridership and revenue, determine the number of trips and travel times, estimate capital and maintenance costs and recommend a phased implementation of the service.