Tomorrow is Opening Day for Light Rail in Arizona!!! I wanted to share this "How to ride during METRO grand opening" info with you.
PHOENIX — To better enjoy their grand opening experience, guests need to be aware of the following guidelines to riding METRO on Dec. 27 and 28, 2008.
Queue lines will be organized at nearly every, if not all light rail stations for safe and efficient train boarding. Please look to security personnel or METRO platform ambassadors for instruction.
End-of-line policy
All trains will be cleared of passengers when they reach the end-of-line at either 19th Avenue/Montebello in Phoenix or Main/Sycamore in Mesa. This will be the policy used as METRO enters operations. But specifically during the grand opening, it allows other guests to board and try out the system.
If guests are ready to return to their original destination using the train, they must go to the end of the train queue line. An alternative is use of the bus shuttles available that weekend only.
Bus shuttle program
Guests can skip the train queue lines and take advantage of free bus shuttles. METRO in partnership with the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Glendale as well as Valley Metro/RPTA are offering free local and express bus shuttling service to alleviate long waits and give guests options.
Bus shuttle service will be provided every 3 – 5 minutes both Saturday, Dec. 27 and Sunday, Dec. 28.
Local shuttle service will parallel the light rail route and stop near each station at existing, adjacent bus stops. Express shuttle service will support the ends of the light rail line – 19th Avenue/Montebello in Phoenix and Main/Sycamore in Mesa – traveling the freeways to more quickly connect.
The bus shuttles will have special placards in the windows and the bus shuttle stops will also have signage to help people navigate.
Note: regular bus service will continue as usual that weekend; standard fares apply. (For the bus)
Bicycles
METRO asks that bicyclists not board with bikes during the grand opening weekend for the comfort of other passengers. Lock your bike at a rack at any of our park-and-rides locations. Bring it on board beginning Dec. 29.
Pets
Pets on a leash are welcome at the station celebrations, but not on board the trains during this weekend.
For more on how to ride during grand opening and beyond, visit the METRO grand opening experience tabloid.
That’s a bummer about bicycles for this first weekend, but it makes total sense considering expected user volume.
Seeing your tweet concerning someone’s loud cell phone yakking, a helpful hints and etiquette list would probably be something cool to augment the above. (Though, you’d hope that people would just be considerate on their own. Anyone who’s ever gone to a movie can pretty much toss that out the window.)