Hurray! It’s finally here. The mammoth 1.4 billion dollar light rail project has finally been completed and opened today. To get you started I created my own map of the light rail route. Why? Well – the Valley Metro’s online maps are broken into separate pages making it a little difficult to simply glance at the entire twenty mile route easily. I also included the approximate travel times, fares, hours, and stop frequency in this easy to use one page printable map.
The Valley Metro logo appears on the new light rail car. 41% of the project or $527 million was subsidized by the federal government while the remainder is being financed by the state of Arizona.
First Thoughts on the Rail
Well aside from the light rail being enormously crowded due to opening day hype, the experience was pretty decent. There is seating for 66 of the 200 passengers each car can hold. I was fortunate enough to get a seat on my way back to Tempe and can say it’s what you would expect – nothing extraordinary but not uncomfortable. I was most impressed by the ride; the rail was extremely quiet and smooth. Let’s see how long that lasts over the years to come.
Massive Turnout
This morning the paper reported that over 90,000 people showed up to check out the light rail. I believe it. It was a difficult chore just to get onto a car. Once on you were greeted with a squeeze that rivaled a Tokyo subway during rush hour. Many of my friends on twitter reported equally distressing hassles making their way onto the rail. I’m sure you won’t see it this crowded again in the weeks to come. This is Phoenix after all, most people drive, only us hippies with fixed gear bikes will fancy this alternative over our big 4×4s. Joking aside, I’m sure more than hipsters and tree huggers will start utilizing the light rail for their commute but not this many.
The Light Rail has Arrived – Try it for Yourself
I would recommend waiting until next year to ride. Mainly because the fare is so cheap that you may as well wait to use it under normal circumstances. In comparison of costs, the T in Boston will set you back $2 for a one way trip. To ride for an unlimited amount of trips all day it costs $2.50 on the Phoenix rail or $1.25 for a one way ride from any point. Here are a few tips for riding:
- You can ride to the airport. There is a shuttle that picks you up.
- Tempe residents, you can ride the free orbit shuttle from your neighborhood to the nearest light rail stop.
- Cyclists, each car has racks for up to 8 bicycles, if all of the racks on your car are full you can carry your bike on board if you need to.
Light Rail Video
And here I leave you with your moment of Zen. Check out the folks in Tempe greeting the light rail for the first time!
Tomas Says:
12:58 pmDec 28Awesome Jim, thanks for the free light rail map! I was actually surprised to see that they only had one map inside each car, and the map was pretty hard to read unless you were standing underneath it. Regardless, it was a fun ride despite the mobs of people crammed in each car!
Jeff Moriarty Says:
1:12 pmDec 28Thanks for the handy map! I plan to put it to good use on January 10th.
Tina Jeffers Says:
2:18 pmDec 28Great information! Hope they expand it and bring it closer to east Mesa.
William Westfall Says:
2:53 pmDec 28Great write up Jimmy. I’m very happy how biker friendly it seems to be. Also, ASU students can get free unlimited use passes for light rail and/or Valley Metro buses. Just FYI for students.
Chuck Reynolds Says:
2:55 pmDec 28I was down there yesterday – didn’t ride because I didn’t want to deal with that mess, but I did check out the free Roger Clyne concert by Sun Devil Stadium
I still don’t see this train being all that much of a problem solver but it’s better than nothing.
Jim Jeffers Says:
3:15 pmDec 28@chuckreynolds: right now with gas as cheap as it is for the time being and parking as accessible as it is I would agree. But when gas is up again and you’re headed to an event that has $10 or $15 parking and/or plan on drinking the light rail for $2.50 will be a god send.
The Brian Shaler Blog / / Phoenix Light Rail Opens Says:
6:16 pmDec 28[...] some itches and help feed the nightlife in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and other cities struck by the route. The light rail was an extremely expensive project and will be convenient for a small percentage of [...]
Andrew Hood Says:
7:28 pmDec 28As someone who lives in NYC and saves several hundred if not thousands by not owning a car (and paying insurance) I truly believe that modernized and extensive public transit is not only economically beneficial but good for the environment (though I doubt it is actually in trouble). To those who question my existence without a car, I sure do rent a car up to a month a year for a few days each time, but it only costs me an average of $100 for each individual rental. About $35 a day even in NYC… with unlimited mileage.
Derek Neighbors Says:
11:00 pmDec 28Thanks for taking the time to put together a well articulated post with different forms of media. I was in California and not able to attend the event, this is the best coverage I have seen in a single location so far. Kudos! I hope that it is this full all the time, maybe it would encourage them to extend the line Northwest and Southeast in a timeline more aggressive than 2025.
LightRailBlogger Says:
11:40 pmDec 28I was at Central and Camelback Saturday and in Tempe on Sunday. Packed both days but Sunday was better than the day before. I agree with Derek Neighbors, hopefully people will use the LR here in Phoenix/Tempe/Mesa. Doing so will prove many things to different people but most importantly will encourage METRO to build out and extend the hours of operation
Jim Jeffers Says:
12:51 amDec 29@derek: Thanks! I originally wanted to stop at all of the stations but due to the success of the opening event that wasn’t going to be a good idea. There is a rapid bus by my parents house so I’m planning to try it out to see how long the commute from Superstition Springs Mall to Downtown will take sometime in January. Hopefully it does expand at a faster pace and people do welcome it into their lives and use it. I wouldn’t count on anything immediately due to the states financial fiasco at the moment but I am hopeful.
@LightRailBlogger: Agreed. I am looking forward to trying it out again under normal conditions.
Nick Bastian Says:
7:49 amDec 29Great job on the pics and description of our new system. The crowds were huge this past weekend but it was pretty cool to see and I was fortunate to get on and off without too much hassle. I am pretty curious to see how the New Year’s Eve crowds work out. It should be fun and it should be another great “test” for the public to use it.
MrKungFu Says:
5:50 pmDec 29Great post Jim! I was frustrated by the lack of a single simple map yesterday. Yours is about perfect. Thanks.
Jim Jeffers Says:
12:13 pmDec 31@MrKungFu:
Thanks Scott! Glad it helped
Matt Gist Says:
4:08 pmJan 02I find this paragraph to be a little weird. But I find your new Respond feature to be seriously, ridiculously awesome. Kudos, Good Sir.
Jim Jeffers Says:
4:12 pmJan 02@Matt Gist:
Thanks Matt – yeah I really should probably read over my writing before I post sometimes.
Connor McSheffrey Says:
11:06 pmJan 03me thinks they should have hired these guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJpbbDtvbSQ
crazy trying to ride on 27th and new years eve
Jim Jeffers Says:
2:28 pmJan 04@Connor McSheffrey
Hah! No kidding Connor. I couldn’t agree more, though my experience in Japan last Summer was not quite that crowded
Matt Prielipp Says:
2:26 amJan 10Jim, I just found your blog via WPCandy tonight and I was laughing at the irony. I too live in the Valley of the Sun AND I was managing the entertainment at the opening day ceremony stop that you were at! WEIRD.
As for the light rail, the problem is that our town is too big for the small portion that light rail is covering right now. I live in the Far West Valley and I dream of the day that I can get on at Westgate and ride it into town. But, I will park at work (Central and Camelback) and take it to the ballpark or arena for events. Good stuff. Thanks.
Jim Jeffers Says:
11:00 amJan 10@Matt Prielipp:
You are right. I also think the rail needs to be treated like a train as they do in Portland. Right now it’s a glorified bus on rails. I think it’s going to be a tough sell to the car loving public here as a result.
Porche Design Koffer Says:
10:20 amJan 11The map you made would be a great help for those who’ll be using the light rail.
Based from the photos, there are really a lot of people who have come to check it out. I guess it’s not that crowded during regular days, I just wonder how it is during the holidays…
Nicolas Says:
6:34 amFeb 06Thank a lot for the map!
Arizona Coffee » Light Rail Says:
4:09 pmFeb 06[...] Rail is here and Jim Jeffers made a sweet map showing all of the stops along the [...]