Phoenix-Tucson commuter rail gains support

It's good to see that public officials are beginning to notice that a commuter rail between Phoenix and Tucson is needed.

Phoenix and Tucson are on a collision course with about twenty miles left to connect. Catherine Reagor in her Arizona Republic article says, "Arizona's two largest metropolitan areas are on course to meet and merge within a decade, engulfing several small towns along the way."

City and town officials between Phoenix and Tucson must develop a futuristic mind-set for the coming decade like the Vice Mayor of Mesa, Claudia Walters. In kicking off a meeting of Commuter Rail Stakeholders Group, she said "We must have rail that connects Phoenix to Tucson...This is for the future of our children and grandchildren."

Additional reading:

Phoenix-Tucson commuter rail gains support

When Phoenix, Tucson merge

Phoenix is Growing Up

Light rail is making our city a major city. One of these days, Phoenix will be growing up like a kid into adulthood. The costs are great but we have many adult cities to learn from, i.e. Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco to name a few.

Thursday night, the new train was tested on Washington Street "Things went great. The train performed the way it was designed to perform and that's all good," said Joe Murie with Valley Metro.

The Train will be tested many more times before its maiden trip in late 2008.

S. 294 The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act

The 110th Congress, which convened on January 4, 2007, had a full plate. Included in the agenda are the priorities for passenger rail advocates, which are:

Amtrak reauthorization: The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (now S. 294) has been introduced, again this time by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Trent Lott (R-MS). The bill provides for common-sense Amtrak reform and operational improvements, authorizes Amtrak for the five years Fiscal 2008-2012, provides for capital assistance for states, and development of state rail plans. Right now, the bill needs co-sponsors; see if your Senators are co-sponsors and if not, ask them to sign on! Email addresses can be found at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

(Click here for a detailed synopsis of PRIIA is available on the National Association of Railroad Passengers website.)