Tempe Streetcar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | City of Tempe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Tempe, Arizona, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Streetcar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Valley Metro Rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Valley Metro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rolling stock | 6 Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ridership | 793,628 (FY 2024) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | May 20, 2022 [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 3 mi (4.8 km) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Character | Streetcar in mixed traffic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | Overhead line, 750 V DC + battery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Tempe Streetcar, referred to as the Streetcar Line on regional transit maps, is a streetcar extension of Phoenix's Valley Metro Rail system. Construction began in 2017, [3] and the line opened for service on May 20, 2022. [2] It serves 14 stops across three miles of track serving various parts of the city's downtown, as well as the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, with the Valley Metro Rail main line. [4] [5] [6]
The Tempe Streetcar is a joint project between Valley Metro and the City of Tempe Public Works Department and consists of 14 stops, running from Dorsey Lane west on Apache Boulevard, then north on Mill Avenue. [7] From there, it loops around Downtown Tempe along Mill and Ash avenues. [8] The route continues along Rio Salado Parkway to Marina Heights, with possible extensions into the city of Mesa under consideration and evaluation. A transfer from light rail to the streetcar at the 3rd Street station permits travel to Gammage Memorial Auditorium at Arizona State University to the south and the Hayden Ferry and Marina Heights office complexes to the north.
Construction cost approximately $200 million and will be funded using the Proposition 400 sales tax and federal grants. In February 2016, the project was identified in President Barack Obama's budget for Fiscal Year 2017. A total of $75 million was dedicated to the project and would supplement the Proposition 400 funds, as well as local funds and other federal grant funds. [9] The final 2017 budget, approved in May 2017 under President Donald Trump, included $50 million. [10]
In December 2016, Valley Metro selected Stantec Consulting Services for design work to be completed in 2017, allowing construction to start later in the year. Stantec has designed other streetcar projects in the United States and contributed to the design of the Valley Metro light rail system. [11] In May 2018, the design was finalized.
The streetcar was designed to be able to travel on the light rail line and to use those tracks to travel to the Operations & Maintenance Center.
Construction began on June 1, 2017, with utility relocation, which made way for tracks to be laid. [12] [13] In August 2018, Valley Metro received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to begin the initial phase of significant construction on the Tempe Streetcar. With this approval, Valley Metro began work on building the system's rail trackway, power systems and street improvements. [14]
In 2011, Kinki Sharyo offered a demonstration model of its ameriTRAM vehicle, to allow members of the public to provide feedback on the vehicle. [16]
Valley Metro issued an RFP (request for proposals) to obtain vehicles for this route in the summer of 2016. [17] Potential suppliers originally included Alstom, Bombardier, CAF USA, Kinki Sharyo, Siemens and TIG/m. Vehicle options for this line included a combination of battery power, overhead catenary or on-board hydrogen fuel system. [18] [19]
Brookville Equipment Corporation was awarded the $33 million contract for six Liberty Streetcars in 2017. [20] The first streetcar vehicle was delivered on March 14, 2021.
The Tempe Streetcar has a total of 14 stops. [21] [22]
Station [21] [22] | Character Area | ↓ | ↑ | Layout [21] [22] | Notes |
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Marina Heights/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | Northern terminus |
Hayden Ferry/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 1 track, island platform, center of street | |
Tempe Beach Park/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, center of street | ||
3rd Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | Connect to Valley Metro Rail at Mill Avenue/Third Street | |
3rd Street/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | Connect to Valley Metro Rail at Mill Avenue/Third Street | |
5th Street/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | ||
6th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | ||
University Drive/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | ||
9th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | |
11th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | |
College Avenue/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | |
Paseo del Saber/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | |
Rural Rd/Apache Blvd | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | |
Dorsey/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 1 track, side platform, center of street | Southern terminus, connect to Valley Metro Rail |
As of 2024 [update] , Valley Metro is in the planning phases of extending the streetcar past its terminus at Marina Heights into Mesa, running down Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road. [23]
Rio East-Dobson Streetcar Extension | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brookville Equipment Corporation, based in Brookville, Pennsylvania, United States, manufactures railroad locomotives for industrial and light capacity switching needs. The company also builds and restores streetcars. The company used to be known as Brookville Locomotive Company.
The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of the MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.
The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Metro Bus, which runs all bus operations, Valley Metro Rail, which is responsible for light rail and streetcar operations in the Valley. In 2023, the combined bus and rail system had a ridership of 36,374,000, or about 122,600 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
The Siemens S70 and its successor, the Siemens S700, are a series of articulated low-floor light-rail vehicles (LRV) and modern streetcars manufactured for the United States market by Siemens Mobility, a division of German conglomerate Siemens AG. The series also includes a European tram-train variant, the Siemens Avanto.
The Phoenix Street Railway provided streetcar service in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, from 1888 to 1948. The motto was "Ride a Mile and Smile the While."
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is a public transit service provider for the metropolitan area of San Diego. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid. MTS also controls the San Diego and Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) freight railway and regulates taxicabs, jitneys, and other private for-hire passenger transportation services.
Valley Metro Rail is a 29.8-mile (48 km) light rail system serving the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa in Arizona, USA. The network, which is part of the Valley Metro public transit system, began operations on December 27, 2008. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 10,797,600, or about 34,400 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
Streetcars or trolley(car)s were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of North American cities and towns. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in the mid-20th century or converted to other modes of operation, such as light rail. Today, only Toronto still operates a streetcar network essentially unchanged in layout and mode of operation.
Dorsey/Apache Blvd is a station on the Metro light rail line in Tempe, Arizona, United States. A surface park and ride lot is available on the north side of Apache Boulevard.
Light rail is a mode of rail-based transport, usually urban in nature. When compared to heavy rail systems like commuter rail or rapid transit (subway), light rail systems are typically designed to carry fewer passengers and are capable of operating in mixed traffic or on routes that are not entirely grade-separated. Systems typically take one of four forms: the "first-generation" legacy systems, the "second-generation" modern light rail systems, streetcars, and hybrid rail systems. All of the systems use similar technologies, and some systems blur the lines between the different forms.
The QLINE is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened on May 12, 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodward Avenue (M-1) for its entire route. The system is operated by M-1 Rail, a nonprofit organization.
The Flexity Freedom is a low-floor, articulated light rail vehicle developed by Bombardier Transportation for the North American market. It is marketed as part of the Bombardier Flexity family which includes other models of trams (streetcars) and light metro vehicles. They are produced in facilities in Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario, which once produced rolling stock under the names of Canada Car and Foundry (CC&F) and Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC), respectively.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Phoenix, Arizona, United States.
The Oklahoma City Streetcar, also known as the MAPS 3 streetcar, is a streetcar system in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, that opened in 2018 and is operated by Embark. The 4.8-mile (7.7 km) system serves the greater downtown Oklahoma City area using modern, low-floor streetcars, the first of which was delivered in February 2018. The initial system has two lines that connect Oklahoma City's Central Business District with the entertainment district, Bricktown, and the Midtown District. Expansion to other districts surrounding downtown as well as more routes in the CBD is planned.
The Hop, also known as the Milwaukee Streetcar, is a modern streetcar system in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The system’s 2.1-mile (3.4 km) original “M” line connects the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and Downtown to the Lower East Side and Historic Third Ward neighborhoods. On April 11, 2024, a 0.4-mile (640 m) Lakefront, or “L” line, to the nearly complete high-rise development The Couture, began offering full daily service. Additional extensions for new lines are currently in the planning stage. The system is owned by the city and operated by Transdev.
The Dallas Streetcar is a 2.45-mile (3.94 km) modern streetcar line in Dallas, Texas. It is owned by the city of Dallas and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which also operates Dallas's DART Light Rail system. Construction on the line began in May 2013, and it opened for public service on April 13, 2015.
Gilbert Rd/Main Street is a light rail station in Mesa, Arizona, on the Valley Metro system serving Phoenix and surrounding areas. It opened to revenue service on May 18, 2019, becoming the new terminus of the light rail line. The station has a park-and-ride facility and a bus station that is served by local routes.
The P3010 is an articulated light rail car used on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system manufactured by Kinki Sharyo, operated on all of the Metro Rail light rail lines.
The Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcar, also known as the Brookville Liberty, is a streetcar built by Brookville Equipment Corporation since 2012. It is manufactured at Brookville's plant in Pennsylvania.
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