Welcome to Phoenix and Tempe Light Rail
© Valley Metro
Officially dubbed METRO, this newest component of Valley Metro's public transit services won voter approval through ballot initiatives in the 2000 and 2004 elections. Local and federal funding were used to construct the current Starter Line stretching from 19th Avenue and Montebello in Phoenix to Main Street and Sycamore in Mesa. That route has been covered by Valley Metro's highly popular Red Line buses which will be replaced by a combination of buses and light rail starting Monday, December 29, 2008.
During the weekend before that change, METRO will be celebrating its grand opening with dedication ceremonies, community gatherings, parties, and concerts at some of its METRO stations and points nearby. All events take place on Saturday, December 27, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phoenix.About.com contributor, Steve Eastwood, put together a listing of some of the grand opening events for us. This is an historic occasion for the Phoenix metro area -- ride the train for free and have some fun!
The Sycamore Transit Center (near Main Street and Dobson Road in Mesa) hosts the "It All Starts Here!" event featuring 1970s band Grand Funk Railroad ("We're an American Band", "Locomotion"). Local bands The Chadwicks, Rock Lobster, and SRP's Second Shift will also perform throughout the day. There will be food, children's activities, and dignitaries on hand to launch the eastern end of METRO's Starter Line.
"A Better Tomorrow Starts Today" at the 19th Avenue and Montebello Station in Phoenix with food, music, and family activities celebrating diversity in Phoenix.
"Destination: Tempe" is the theme for the festival at the Fifth Street and Veterans Way Station offering vendor booths, a farmer's market, archeology displays, and children's activities, and featuring performances by local favorites Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, The Chris Parker Project, Chuck E. Baby and the Allstars, and Ringo McLennonSon. The celebration also serves as the grand opening for the new Tempe Transportation Center. Fireworks over "A" Mountain cap off the day at 5:30 p.m.
Tempe's Mill Avenue Experience showcases downtown Tempe at the Mill Avenue and Third Street Station.
The Papago Park Celebration brings exhibits and family fun from the nearby Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden to the station at Priest Drive and Washington near the border of Phoenix and Tempe.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has information about how to connect to the airport using light rail at the 44th Street and Washington Station.
On 3rd Street between Jefferson and Washington, the "Phoenix Rising" event serves a dual purpose marking the beginning of light rail service and the opening of the new Phoenix Convention Center. You'll find information on what's happening in downtown Phoenix while enjoying entertainers, street performers and other family activities.
At the Heard Station (Encanto Boulevard and Central Avenue across from the Heard Museum), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona sponsors music, performance art, and visual art during their celebration.
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center sponsors a Health and Wellness event at the Thomas Road and Central Avenue Station in Phoenix. They offer entertainment and educational activities to help you safeguard and improve your health.
To introduce the public to light rail, METRO will offer free rides from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the grand opening celebrations. Shuttle buses will also be available to bring people back to their cars should the light rail cars become overcrowded.
Following opening day, METRO will continue to offer free rides from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 28, 2008 and during regular hours through December 31, 2008.
Beginning January 1, 2009 regular service begins and riders will be required to pay a fare to ride. During weekdays, regular service will begin at 4:40 a.m. at the stations at each end of the line with the last trip leaving each station at 11 p.m. Trains will arrive at stations every 10 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes at all other times of the day. On weekends and holidays, trains start at 5 a.m. with the last ones leaving the end-of-the-line stations at 11 p.m. Trains will arrive at stations throughout the line every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes at all other times of the day.
The trip from end-to-end, Main Street and Sycamore in Mesa to 19th Avenue and Montebello in Phoenix or vice-versa, is expected to take 60 minutes. Riders should be able to get between downtown Tempe and downtown Phoenix in 25 minutes which should help students shuttle between Arizona State University's Main Campus and Downtown Phoenix Campus.
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Comments
As a Tempe resident I’m pretty excited about this.
Still, will people want to stand around in the heat waiting for transportation?