The restoration of the Phoenix-to-Tucson passenger rail service is moving a step forward after The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) a $500,000 grant earlier this month which will support the early planning stages of the proposed rail line connecting the two major cities.
Phoenix has been the largest city in the U.S. without passenger rail service since 1996, but recent government funding toward railroad restoration and enhancement across America is helping Arizona take steps toward restoring the Amtrak rail route that once connected Phoenix and Tucson.
“For too long, Phoenix has been the largest city in the country not served by Amtrak. But thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re making investments towards connecting Phoenix and Tucson, making Amtrak’s nationwide network accessible to more Americans,” says Senator Mark Kelly.
According to Amtrak, the new Arizona corridor will link the rapidly growing Phoenix and Tucson areas with multiple round trips daily, which will run from the West Valley suburb of Buckey, pass through Phoenix and connect to downtown Tucson. The rail service will also connect Phoenix and Tucson to Los Angeles with increased daily trips.
The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to use its recent grant money to prepare an implementation plan for the proposed rail service between Phoenix and Tucson. While the timeline for the implementation plan is unclear, the next steps for Arizona is to complete a preliminary engineering plan and a Tier ll environment study. The required Tier l environmental study has already been completed.
Arizona has not received any funding for the construction of the actual rail line, but its recent $500,000 grant has helped move the process forward and is an exciting step in the restoration of the state’s passenger rail service, especially in Phoenix. Learn more at amtrakconnectsus.com.
