A press conference was held at the Van Buren/Central Avenue light rail stop in downtown Phoenix to celebrate 100 days until light rail. Metro CEO Rick Simonetta reminded us that these last 100 days will go by very quickly. By the end of October, the testing should be all the way up to the Spectrum […]
Looking to extend Metro’s hours of operation
The Downtown Voices Coalition is asking the Mayor, City Council, and interested parties to find a solution for running light rail on a 24 hour schedule. A few of their reasons are as follows. Closing time for nightlife and entertainment is generally 2 a.m., with many other locations doing “after-hours” past the traditional bar closing times. Restaurant and […]
Should they “wrap” the rail?
A long time ago, (maybe a year or so) I went to a Metro “Line Section” meeting where they discussed the fact that there will not be any advertising inside of the light rail cars. The thought was to leave the cars ad free in the beginning and leave it open for discussion. Fast forward several months and […]
Congrats to Tempe for embracing light rail!
The City of Tempe has created a page on their web site called "Destination Tempe" that has some good light rail info and a well done video that is worth a look. They also put out the following news release today.. I have been very impressed with many of the people in Tempe that are working on the […]
Happy Labor Day To Light Rail Business Owners
The effects of light rail construction have been widely reported. Some business owners chose (or were forced) to give up, others chose to hang in there and yet others are just beginning to invest in the interesting, dynamic and ever changing areas located along Arizona’s 20 mile light rail route. At RailLife.com, we want to wish each […]
More safety reminders for light rail
Sounds like the safety awareness campaigns are beginning to intensify in Tempe. Quoting an AZ Republic article about fines for light rail violations, "Roger Austin, a Tempe police light-rail liaison, said the goal is to ensure the public knows there are ordinances to help prevent light-rail accidents and that trains are being tested on the […]
Getting ready for some football! – Street closure info for 1st ASU football game.
Football season is finally here! Rail Life will be at the game and will probably be riding the Light Rail Express. (Please follow us on Twitter) Our friends at ASU Parking and Transportation just put out an email that might be a great reminder about road conditions. The first game of the season can sometimes catch […]
If you make $65.3 million, do you ride light rail?
It was reported in the paper this morning that Richard Adkerson of Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. had a compensation package of $65.3 million for 2007. I believe Freeport's corporate office is currently located at One North Central which is right next to the light rail stop at Washington/Central Ave. It made us wonder if Mr. Adkerson is […]
AZ Light Rail travel times
We get a lot of questions on how light rail will operate. Many of these questions have to do with navigating the light rail line and how long it will take to get from point a to point b. Here is a little bit of info as provided by Metro. If you want to travel […]
Tips on Navigating the Phoenix Metro Light Rail System
The new light rail system opening in December looks pretty easy to use. Most of the 20 mile route contains 2 sets of tracks where the cars will pass each other. At each station, you simply board a train heading in your desired direction. For instance, most stations are built in the middle of the […]