Rail champions celebrate kick-off of 10-year Valley Metro Rail celebration and Quality of Life report. From left, Skip Rimsza, Former Phoenix Mayor; Nate Stum, Vice President of Development for LMC; Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell; Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams, Phil Gordon, Former Phoenix Mayor; Keno Hawker, Former Mesa Mayor; Mesa Mayor John Giles; Scott Smith, Valley Metro CEO and Former Mesa Mayor.
Valley Metro
1 min to read
Rail champions celebrate kick-off of 10-year Valley Metro Rail celebration and Quality of Life report. From left, Skip Rimsza, Former Phoenix Mayor; Nate Stum, Vice President of Development for LMC; Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell; Phoenix Mayor Thelda Williams, Phil Gordon, Former Phoenix Mayor; Keno Hawker, Former Mesa Mayor; Mesa Mayor John Giles; Scott Smith, Valley Metro CEO and Former Mesa Mayor.
Valley Metro
Leaders past, present, and future gathered to kickoff Valley Metro Rail’s 10-year anniversary, also known as the “Railversary.” Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith welcomed a prestigious slate of speakers, including rail city mayors, who shared the transformation that has occurred in their cities over the past 10 years.
“Since light rail opened, we’ve transformed from a quiet downtown into a bustling hot spot for innovation, education, and business,” said Phoenix Mayor and Valley Metro Rail Board Chair Thelda Williams.
Ad Loading...
Former Phoenix mayor and early light rail champion, Skip Rimsza, gave credit to city and business partners for making the original 20-mile system a reality.
Along with public sector support, investment from developers helped boost the transformation of communities near light rail. According to the Quality of Life impact report, there has been $11 billion of investment and 35,000 jobs created within one-half mile of the 26-mile corridor. The report also focuses on how light rail contributes to fostering community health and connecting communities.
“Light rail gives families the freedom of transportation mobility without all the costs of owning one or even two cars,” said Diana Yazzie Devine, president and CEO of Native American Connections. “That means families have greater housing stability with more disposable income for taking care of their family’s basic needs and enjoying a better quality of life.”
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.
