For as long as I can remember, the rub on downtown Phoenix has been that it is deserted after dark. Why? Because there is “nothing” there. Over the past couple of years we have slowly felt a “revitalization” of sorts that has given hope to some that this might be changing, and that we could […]
Questions remain for Metro CEO
There has been a lot of talk about Metro CEO Rick Simonetta lately, some about his impending “retirement” which apparently means accepting a sweet new transportation gig. Other talk has to do with finding his replacement. Apparently, the two leading candidates to replace Simonetta are transit industry veterans Stephen Banta, the operations chief for Portland’s […]
Metro Light Rail Ridership Numbers – October 09’
METRO October light rail ridership – another record-breaking month: PHOENIX — METRO ridership reaches an all-time high with 1,124,924 riders in October. With 70,000 more riders than the high in September, daily ridership peaked at 41,077 for the average weekday, 30,517 for the average Saturday and 17,160 for the average Sunday/holiday in October. In September, […]
I-10 West light rail discussion brings out NIMBY’s?
Last week, I attended another METRO I-10 West study meeting to learn more about the light rail extension plans which will take light rail from the existing line and travel out the middle of I-10 to (approximately) 79th Avenue. How to get to I-10 is a big topic of discussion. The reasoning for traveling along […]
You like trains, Joel?
I was reminded of this famous line from the 1983 movie, Risky Business recently when METRO put out a “Tweet” asking people what fantasy feature we would want incorporated into the METRO. People responded to the request on METRO’S Facebook page with things like: a ticker or some screens for news. display how many minutes […]
Metro light rail teaming up with arts venues
We know the arts community has been rockin’ the Rail Life and we know there have been a lot of cool arts related activities going on along the light rail line. If you are interested in the arts community along the light rail and it’s impact on our community, you should join us Wednesday to […]
Phoenix Art Treasures Along The Metro
The Phoenix art scene appears to be loving the light rail and for good reason. Many of our great museums, galleries, arts districts and venues are easily accessed via the light rail. For any very confused people that may think our music or arts scene is “Ovah”, I would certainly beg to differ. We have […]
Metro Light Rail – Let’s talk some numbers
Light Rail ridership numbers are no big secret around here. While I would like to have more frequent and detailed information about station-specific boardings, it is interesting ( to me ) to follow the monthly numbers. This past month, I was able to get a couple of reports that I found pretty interesting and thought […]
Metro Light Rail Ridership Numbers – September 09’
METRO September ridership – highest month on record PHOENIX — An average of 40,000 riders per weekday used METRO light rail in September, contributing to the highest monthly ridership in METRO history. More than one million boardings occurred in September for a total of 1,054,286 riders, creating an average weekday ridership of 40,772, average Saturday […]
Moving LOTS of people still a challenge
As we know, a LOT of people use our light rail system for recreational purposes. According to a recent light rail ridership survey: “Forty percent use light rail to travel between home and a destination other than work, such as attending special events, enjoying a night out with friends or running errands.” This topic came […]