Can Night Rail Survive Cuts? is a post from: Rail Life

The squeaky wheel… You know the ones, they get out and make themselves heard. It was a bunch of squeaky wheels that introduced the Night Rail concept last year and it “could” be the ones to help save late night light rail ridership now.

There was a lot of great stuff coming out of the Friends of Transit Conference last week, and I began hearing more about the possibility of keeping the late night hours from some of the tweets from the conference . Today, Sean Holstege is in fact reporting on AZ Central that “Light-rail cutbacks may preserve late trains on weekend.”

In Phoenix, they have a huge say in what happens with the light rail schedules and budget. This is gonna be interesting. Here is a re-cap of some of the proposed changes up for consideration:

• Eliminate Friday late night service until 2 a.m. –  train would stop running at 12 a.m. on Fridays. (Estimated annual savings – $64,120)

• Eliminate Saturday late night service until 2 a.m. – train would stop running at 12 a.m. on Saturdays. (Estimated annual savings – $40,320)

• Change peak service hours FROM 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. TO 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Estimated annual savings – $70,560)

• Change service hours FROM 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. TO 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Estimated annual savings – $89,880)

• Reduce peak hour service from every 10 minutes to every 12 minutes. (Estimated annual savings – $112,280)

• Reduce peak hour service from every 10 minutes to every 15 minutes. (Estimated annual savings – $138,880)

So, what say you? Is this good for the Phoenix light rail system? Do businesses benefit from these later hours? Give us your two cents…

late night light rail riders enjoy “night rail”

To cut or not to cut? is a post from: Rail Life

As Metro prepares to “possibly” cut transportation service here in the valley, many people are talking about the changes that lie ahead. It’s no big secret that participating cities and METRO alike are facing large budget deficits. How individuals, cities, and agencies react to these deficits seem to vary greatly. Changes, and the decision to make them, do not ( in my opinion) happen over night. Heck, I get the feeling they sometimes happen before any “public input” is taken in to account. Just a hunch, I’m clearly NOT a politician.

The “single-car” trains we have seen a lot of are likely just a taste of what’s to come. We will soon see hours reduced and longer wait times for light rail. Yes, this is just a guess, but I’ll gladly “eat crow” if this is not the case.

The fun but not hugely successful “Night Rail” rides will soon be a thing of the past. I saw a chart of timed light rail patterns at a METRO meeting a little while back that didn’t exactly show the most impressive late night ridership numbers. You can bet your bottom that those hours are gone, soon. I sure would hate to have to say, I told ya’ so, but they are going to cut costs and this is probably a very easy target. Many of the people, groups, and organizations that fought for extended hours have probably enjoyed the ability to ride later, but most have done little to promote or even use it themselves.

In Los Angeles, they are finding alternatives to the lackluster awareness and marketing campaigns we have here. In the video below, Matt Raymond, Chief Communications Officer for Metro in LA says, “We wanted to make public transportation cool.” It looks like their campaigns are indeed working. Showing people benefits of public transportation has increased their discretionary ridership from 22% to 36%, which they seem to think is pretty darn good. In contrast to Los Angeles, the Phoenix light rail system has a seemingly large lead over many transportation systems in that, approximately 40% of the riders take light rail for recreational use. ie: to travel between home and a destination other than work.

Another person in the video talks about promoting transportation more effectively which could help the image of transportation riders. This better image could then turn into increased ridership, better service, more hours, better frequency, etc. I think the planners here in Phoenix have great intentions, there just needs to be more awareness along with public and private involvement.

Soon, we will officially know what cuts will be made. Ok, I should say what cuts “might” be made. The light rail system in Arizona is still just a baby.  Most of us don’t know what changes will be made, what innovations may occur or how we will react to them in the future. One thing is for sure, it will be fun to keep an eye on the changes and to roll with the punches…

LA Metro: Promoting Mass Transit from EMBARQ Network.

Hat tip to Yuri Artibise for the video/article.

Night Rail 3 – Urban Style! is a post from: Rail Life

When talking about our very first “Night Rail” back in July, several of us wanted to make it something that would be duplicated over and over. The 5th Friday theme sounded cool to many of us involved in the planning, as long as we could throw in an extra every once in a while.

Turns out, the next “5th Friday” is coming up on October 30th and it happens to coincide with a few cool events going on. One of the coolest “grand opening” events to hit Phoenix in a long time will be the opening of the Downtown Phoenix Public Market where there is a week long celebration going on. The 30th also happens to be the first home game for the Phoenix Suns, which means you can ride light rail for FREE with your Suns ticket purchase!

So, here’s the deal… Come meet me and a bunch of cool people at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market at 6:00pm to check out the grand opening festivities, and then feel free to grab dinner, catch a game, go to the Herberger, the Symphony, or maybe go on a scavenger hunt for a few hours.  Then we can all meet up at Turf around 10:00pm to start having more fun! 

What: Night Rail

When: October 30 from 6pm – ???

Where: begin at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market at 6:00pm – from 7-10pm go out, have fun. At 10pm meet up at Turf until ??

Why: Easy, the weather is getting nice, there are a ton of cool things going on and the Market is a great excuse for all of us to celebrate new happenings in our community. YOU should be part of it!

Got it? Good… See ya on the 30th.

A few pics from the newly opened Market:

Thanks so much to Catrina and Si at the Downtown Phoenix Journal for keeping this together! I’ll update this post as I hear of more happenings. You might also want to follow RailLife, CenPhoTV, No Festival required, and LocalFirstAZ on Twitter for updates and ideas. Another option is to follow the #NightRail feed for details…

No Excuses – Flurry of Light Rail Activities is a post from: Rail Life

Without a doubt, people are riding the light rail after a Summer slow down. Yes, it’s still hot but, as we know, the recreational riders are rockin’ the Rail Life like crazy. If you are “bored” and looking for stuff to do, I’ll try to help with a few ideas:

Thursday, you should join me in checking out the “new” Market On Mill in Tempe. This weekly event is held on the plaza in front of the MADCAP Theater from 5-9PM and is being billed as a “carbon neutral” market. There will be local artisans, foodies, musicians, etc. I really believe this is going to grow into a great weekly event. Check it out! Conveniently, there is also a “tweetup” at BrandX tshirts that night to check out. For these, exit light rail at 3rd / Mill and walk South.

Friday, enjoy a ton of good stuff. Always check Phoenix Friday Night for cool stuff to do)

1) The inaugural Arizona Fall Frenzy comes to Tempe Beach Park running Sept 18th – 20th. Check out a wide variety of musical acts, water slides, arts and crafts booths, a gaming center, food vendors, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and much more. Take the 3rd / Mill light rail stop and head North.

2) Don’t miss “Night Rail” with the AZ Diamondbacks. This is going to be a LOT of fun. Come hang out in the super swanky Diamond Club at Chase Field for just $20.00 per ticket. This is a GREAT excuse to ride the light rail to a game and watch from an area where all of the “cool kids” will be hanging out. To purchase tickets for the game, just visit www.dbacks.com/groups and use the sign-in ID of rail and the  password – life. You will get the discounted price of $20.00.

3) Parking Day: PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day, global event that promotes the importance of green and urban public spaces. The Park(ing) Day PHX spaces will be located adjacent to ASU Downtown, on 1st St. between Polk St. and Fillmore St. between 7 and 9 a.m. Easy access via light rail. Contact our friend, Yuri Artibise for more info.

4) NU ( Native + You) at the Heard Museum: Come hear local Latin/Jazz/Rock band Fatigo play at 7 p.m. in the main gallery at the Heard Museum. The museum is open with free admission from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Additional info

5)Rocky Horror Picture Show returns to Mill Avenue. WHEN: Friday, September 18th, 2009, seating at: 7:30pm (REPO!) and 10:30pm (ROCKY) WHERE: Madcap Theatres (formerly Centerpoint), 730 S Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281 (Just north of University road) COST: $9/per show.

Saturday: more fun stuff!

1) Downtown Phoenix Public Market: The market is located at 721 North Central Avenue  which is 2 blocks south of the Central /Roosevelt light rail station. ( Actually, it is located between the Roosevelt / Central Ave and the Van Buren / Central Ave light rail stations.) I love this market… Check it out! Also, check out what they are adding in the future.

2) Another Diamondbacks game. This one has a Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers Concert afterwards. Kinda hard to say no to that. Well, it is hard to say no if your not going the night before or going to the Sun Devil’s game. Choices, choices!

3) ASU Football Game! Yep, the Sun Devils are home to face Louisiana-Monroe. The light rail just about drops you off at the front gate. ( Veterans Way and College station) Watch for some cool “railgating” events with Rail Life during upcoming games! This week, I think I’ll be hanging’ with the cool guys at BlueMedia.  (they wrapped the light rail cars for the Suns!)

These are just a few of the things that come to mind. I’ll be filling you in on some more super-cool events along the line soon. See ya around!

Enjoy the Diamondbacks – Night Rail style! is a post from: Rail Life

You asked for it, you got it!  Come join us for a fun Friday night at Chase field! RailLife.com is teaming up with a bunch of friends in the "Night Rail" spirit for a great time at Chase field on Friday, September 18th. Enjoy seats in the Diamond Level at our discounted rate of just $20.00 to watch the Dbacks vs the Rockies at 6:40 pm. All season long, Diamondback fans have embraced light rail, and light rail riders have enjoyed the convenience of taking light rail to the games. It’s the perfect venue for all of us to get together and have some fun. Here’s the scoop…

Game: D-backs vs Rockies, Friday September 18^th @ 6:40pm

Simple process to purchase tickets:

1. Click on the following link: www.dbacks.com/groups

2. Log in with the following information:

sign-in ID – rail 

password – life

Special discount ticket option includes:

$20 (reg. $30) in the Miller Lite Diamond Club

The Miller Lite Diamond Club is an upscale club located in right field on the main concourse level at Chase Field. It  is a PERFECT place for a bunch of people to hang out. No assigned seats, special lounge seating throughout the entire location, full service bar (cash bar), pool tables, and HD TV’s make for a great night where will have some of the best seats in the house. Plenty of standing / mingling is possible in the Diamond Club with it’s cool lounge style seating.

RailLife is glad to be working with some fun groups to make the night a great time for all. We’ll be joined by many of the ultra-cool Friday Night crews as well as friends from AZ Hardball, The Social Latte, CenPho.tv, The Downtown Phoenix Journal and others. I’m sure people will have plenty of ideas about other fun things to do after the game, should anyone be so inclined! :-)

Remember: To purchase tickets for the game, just visit www.dbacks.com/groups and use the sign-in ID of rail and the  password – life. You will get the discounted price of $20.00.

Night Rail is a post from: Rail Life

Metro stepped up and extended the hours for light rail, so now it’s our turn to show them it was a great decision!  Introducing Night Rail, July 31st!

If you are a fan of the extended light rail hours, a friend of business owners along the line or just a fan of having fun, join us for Night Rail. Several groups will be getting together along the line throughout the evening and then meeting at the Roosevelt Station at midnight to show support for the extended hours. After midnight, we will head to a couple of nearby places before calling it a night.

You can join our friends at “Light Rail Friday Night” who will be meeting at Rula Bula on Mill from 6-9 pm. After that, people will be meeting (10:00 pm) at Monti’s and at Maizie’s, which is just south of the light rail station at Central and Camelback.

Since the new hours are being tested on a trial basis, it is very important for people to be aware of the change and to take advantage of the hours so they don’t go away. You know, the “Use it or lose it” mentality.

I mentioned in the Use it or Lose it post, “My thought, so far, is to talk with Local First Arizona, the Downtown Phoenix Journal, CenPho TV, the Mill Avenue District, the Kyle Moyer Agency, Downtown Voices Coalition, Radiate Phoenix, local bloggers and others.” Turns out, people have stepped up, big time, to help raise awareness and to get people out next weekend, July 31st for “Night Rail.”

Business owners let us know how you want to be involved!  If you have ideas, or if you are a blogger writing about Night Rail, please let me know that as well.

I’ll update this post as I hear of more happenings. You might also want to follow RailLife, CenPhoTV, No Festival required, Light Rail Beer, Get Your PHX and LocalFirstAZ on Twitter for updates and ideas. Another option is to follow the #NightRail feed for details…

See you at Night Rail!

Rail Life “Flickr Pic” of the week – Old and new is a post from: Rail Life

This past week, I got to enjoy the very first “Light Rail New Year’s Eve” in Tempe. The Fiesta Bowl Block Party was a huge success and a ton of people were able to ride light rail to Mill Avenue for the very first time. The headlining band for the evening was the long time rock band STYX who performed on the main stage at Tempe Town Lake. With the stage set near the lake with the light rail bridge in the background, I found it really ironic to be watching a band that I loved as a little kid, while seeing the new rail cars pass over the light rail bridge during their performance.

I took this shot during the concert just before midnight. We had a really good time and look forward to riding into 2009!

Remember, Rail Life has a Phoenix Light Rail Group on Flickr. Basically, we want to share some of our pictures from the community and allow people to add their pics (or videos), as well. These can be light rail related, but we also want pics of your favorite spot, restaurant, sports team, community, event etc.
]]> http://raillife.com/blog/2009/01/04/rail-life-flickr-pic-of-the-week-old-and-new/feed/ 0 http://raillife.com/blog/2008/09/12/looking-to-extend-metros-hours-of-operation/ http://raillife.com/blog/2008/09/12/looking-to-extend-metros-hours-of-operation/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:18:00 +0000 Rail Life /blog/post/2008/09/12/Looking-to-extend-Metros-hours-of-operation.aspx Looking to extend Metro’s hours of operation is a post from: Rail Life