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, […]
Some people suck – we prefer to rock!
If you are like me, the news of some low life loser stealing a computer and camera equipment from our long time friends at CenPho.tv just about made you want to puke. After all, these guys just want to share information about cool things happening in the city. For someone to steal their equipment, it […]
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 Arts Guide and Discounts!
METRO and arts venues team-up for new guide, great deals: Arts organizations celebrate with admission discounts. PHOENIX—METRO and 39 Valley arts and culture venues are marking National Arts and Humanities Month with a new light rail destination guide and some great deals on fall arts events for the whole family. METRO Board Chair and Phoenix […]
Chandler Gilbert and Mesa to get more access to light rail
Valley Metro Awards Contract for Bus Rapid Transit Project Construction: Stimulus Dollars Provide Funds for New Facilities Phoenix, AZ (Oct. 22, 2009) Construction of Valley Metro’s second arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will begin in November with the award of a contract to D.L. Withers Construction by the Valley Metro Board of Directors. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]