Maricopa station

Last updated
Maricopa, AZ
Maricopa station.jpg
General information
Location19427 North John Wayne Parkway
Maricopa, Arizona
United States
Coordinates 33°03′23″N112°02′51″W / 33.056353°N 112.047372°W / 33.056353; -112.047372
Owned byAmtrak and Pinal County
Line(s) UP Gila Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg Amtrak Thruway to Tempe and Phoenix Airport
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code Amtrak: MRC
History
Opened1996
Passengers
FY 202210,520 [1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Yuma
toward Los Angeles
Sunset Limited Tucson
toward New Orleans
Texas Eagle Tucson
toward Chicago

Maricopa station is an Amtrak train station in Maricopa, Arizona, United States, serving Phoenix and central Arizona. The station accommodates travelers who use the combined Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle , which operates three times per week in each direction between Los Angeles and Chicago or New Orleans. Amtrak Thruway service (operated by Stagecoach Express) is available between Maricopa station, Tempe station and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Contents

History

Maricopa station opened in 1996 after Amtrak was forced to withdraw from Phoenix Union Station due to deteriorated track conditions on the secondary Union Pacific Railroad line which diverged from the mainline to serve Phoenix. [2]

In 1999, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad dome car, "The Silver Horizon" that was previously used on the California Zephyr was moved to the site to be used as the station office. [3]

The old railcar would eventually prove unsuitable, and Amtrak moved the modular buildings that were previously used during the Tucson station remodeling to Maricopa.[ citation needed ] The historic dome car remained on the station site on static display.

On May 1, 2017, Amtrak started a new Amtrak Thruway shuttle service (operated by Stagecoach Express) connecting Maricopa station with Tempe station and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. [4]

Maricopa station has a very short platform (just over 110 feet (34 m) long) only slightly longer than each Superliner car used by Amtrak. This arrangement forces train crews to make as many as four separate stops in order to load and unload passengers from various sections of the train. Because the platform is located was close to Arizona State Route 347, traffic on the highway could be blocked for more than 15 minutes. [5]

The city of Maricopa and Union Pacific Railroad studied moving the station west onto a siding on city-owned property, but the cost was projected at $4.2 million, which the city was unwilling to pay. [6] The project was replaced with a plan to build a new overpass that would carry SR 347 over the railroad tracks. The $55 million project was funded with grants received from the federal government, as well as in part by the City of Maricopa, the Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Union Pacific Railroad. [7]

As part of the project, the dome car was moved from the station to a location 0.25-mile (0.40 km) down the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway on January 10, 2019. [8]

Amtrak has suggested direct rail service could return to Phoenix by 2035. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maricopa, Arizona</span> City in Arizona, United States

Maricopa is a city in the Gila River Valley in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. With 66,290 residents as of 2022, Maricopa is the largest incorporated municipality in Pinal County.

<i>Texas Eagle</i> Amtrak service between Chicago and Los Angeles via Texas

The Texas Eagle is a long-distance passenger train operated daily by Amtrak on a 1,306-mile (2,102 km) route between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, with major stops in St. Louis, Little Rock, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin. Three days per week, the train joins the Sunset Limited in San Antonio and continues to Los Angeles via El Paso and Tucson. The combined 2,728-mile (4,390 km) route is the longest in the United States and the second-longest in the Americas, after the Canadian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Arizona, United States

The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the city of Phoenix. It includes much of central Arizona. The United States Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties. It anchors the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion along with the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state, the Tucson metropolitan area. The gross domestic product of the Phoenix metropolitan area was $255 billion in 2018, 16th highest amongst metro areas in the United States.

<i>Sunset Limited</i> Amtrak service between Los Angeles and New Orleans

The Sunset Limited is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 1,995-mile (3,211 km) route between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Los Angeles, California, with major stops in Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Tucson. Introduced in 1894 by the Southern Pacific Railroad, it is the oldest continuously operating named train in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak Thruway</span> Connecting transportation services brand

Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transit buses, vans, taxis, ferry boats and commuter rail trains.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 10 in Arizona</span> Interstate highway in Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State Route 347</span> State highway in Arizona, United States

State Route 347 is a 28.69 miles (46.17 km) long, north–south state highway in central Arizona. The route begins at SR 84 and heads north. It passes through Maricopa, meeting SR 238. The route ends at an interchange with Interstate 10 (I-10) south of Chandler. It primarily serves as the major road to Maricopa; much of the road lies within the Gila River Indian Community, with another short stretch through the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The road was built in the late 1930s and established as a state highway in the 1990s. Most of it is also known as the John Wayne Parkway. On average, between 4,000 and 35,000 vehicles use the roadway daily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tempe station (Arizona)</span> Amtrak station in Tempe, Arizona

Tempe station is a former train station in Tempe, Arizona. Previously, Amtrak's Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle trains stopped at the station, but they were shifted to a more southerly route in June 1996. However, an Amtrak Thruway shuttle route connects the station to the Maricopa station on the new routing.

The transportation system of Arizona comprises car, rail, air, bus, and bicycle transport.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coolidge station</span> Train station in Coolidge, Arizona, US

Coolidge station was a train station in Coolidge, Arizona, served by Amtrak's Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle trains. Amtrak service to this station was discontinued in June 1996 when trains were rerouted to Maricopa.

There have been various proposals to bring commuter rail service to the Phoenix metropolitan area since at least the 1980s. A 2008 government plan, updated in 2018, proposes four lines running at 30-minute headways during peak hours and 2-hour headways during off-peak hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacate, Arizona</span> Pima village, railroad siding, Catholic mission

Sacate is a populated place in the Middle Gila River Valley area, within Pinal County, Arizona, United States. Located 8 mi (13 km) north of Maricopa on the south side of the Gila River near Pima Butte, Sacate was an Pima village, a railroad station of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and a Catholic mission. It had originally been called Sacaton Station but the name was shortened to its current version in 1904.

The Phoenix Subdivision is a railroad line in the U.S. state of Arizona owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The southeast end of the line connects to the Gila Subdivision near Eloy, runs northeast to Phoenix, and becomes the Roll Industrial Lead, running southwest before reconnecting to the Gila Subdivision at Wellton. As of 2010, eighty miles (130 km) of the line between Roll and Arlington are out of service and used for car storage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix–Tucson passenger rail</span> Proposed train service in Arizona

The Phoenix–Tucson passenger rail is a planned inter-city passenger train service to be operated by Amtrak in the Arizona Sun Corridor between Phoenix and Tucson, the two most populous cities in Arizona. As proposed, the train would run from Buckeye to Tucson with major stops in Downtown Phoenix, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, and Tempe.

References

  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Arizona" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. State of Arizona 2007 Railroad Inventory and Assessment: A final report to the Arizona Department of Transportation, p. 91 (accessed December 12, 2008)
  3. "A short history of our Maricopa station". Amtrak's Texas Eagle. February 25, 2012. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
  4. "New Amtrak Thruway Shuttle Service in Maricopa, Ariz. Connecting Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle Passengers to Phoenix and Tempe". Amtrak (Press release). April 28, 2017. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  5. Howsare, Tim (June 5, 2012). "Cost of Amtrak rail siding estimated at $4.2M". InMaricopa.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  6. Howsare, Tim (May 2, 2012). "City to request $300,000 for Amtrak relocation". InMaricopa.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  7. Yankus, David (July 20, 2016). "Plan changes for Maricopa overpass". Casa Grande Dispatch.
  8. "Crews Move Historic Rail Car for Maricopa Overpass Project". Construction Equipment Guide. Associated Press. January 29, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  9. "Planned Amtrak service would connect Phoenix to California, Las Vegas". AZFamily. April 1, 2021. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021.

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