Tempe Streetcar

Tempe Streetcar is a future streetcar extension of Phoenix's Valley Metro Rail light rail system. Construction began in 2017 with a projected opening for service in 2021.[1][2] When completed, it will link various parts of the city's downtown, as well as the Tempe campus of Arizona State University.[3][4][5]

Tempe Streetcar
Overview
Status	Under Construction
Owner	Valley Metro
Locale	Tempe, Arizona, United States
Termini	Marina Heights Dorsey Lane
Stations	14
Website	www.valleymetro.org/tempestreetcar
Service
Type	Streetcar
System	Valley Metro Rail
Services	1
Operator(s)	Valley Metro
Rolling stock	6 Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcars
History
Planned opening	2021[1]
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 wire/Battery
Route map Marina Heights Hayden Ferry Rio Salado Parkway Valley Metro Rail to 19th Avenue/Dunlap Mill Avenue/Third Street 5th Street | 6th Street Ash Avenue 9th Street 11th Street College Avenue | Tempe TC Paseo del Saber Rural Road | University Dorsey/Apache Boulevard Valley Metro Rail to Gilbert Road/Main Street all stations accessible

Background

Tempe Streetcar is joint project between Valley Metro and the City of Tempe Public Works Department and will consist of 14 stops, running from Dorsey Lane west on Apache Boulevard, then north on Mill Avenue.[6] From there, it will loop around Downtown Tempe along Mill and Ash avenues.[7] The route continues along Rio Salado Parkway to Marina Heights, with possible extensions into the City of Mesa under consideration and evaluation. Once completed, a transfer from light rail to the streetcar at the 3rd Street station will permit 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 will 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.[8] The final 2017 budget, approved in May 2017 under President Donald Trump, included $50 million.[9]

History

Design

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.[10] In May 2018, design was finalized.

The streetcar will be able to travel on the light rail line and will use those tracks to travel to the Operations & Maintenance Center.

Construction

Construction began on June 1, 2017 with utility relocation, which made way for tracks to be laid.[11][12] 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 this fall on building the system's rail trackway, power systems and street improvements.[13]

Rolling stock

In 2011, Kinki Sharyo offered a demonstration model of its ameriTRAM vehicle, to allow members of the public to provide feedback on the vehicle.[14]

Valley Metro issued an RFP to obtain vehicles for this route in the summer of 2016.[15] 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 wires or on-board hydrogen fuel system.[16][17]

Brookville Equipment Corporation was awarded the $33 million contract for six Liberty Streetcars in 2017.[18]

Stations

The Tempe Streetcar will have a total of 14 stops.[19][20]

Station[19][20]	↓	↑	Layout[19][20]	Notes
Marina Heights/Rio Salado Parkway	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street	Northern terminus
Hayden Ferry/Rio Salado Parkway	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
Tempe Beach Park/Rio Salado Parkway	●		1 track, side platform, center of street
3rd Street/Mill Avenue		●	1 track, side platform, curbside lane	Connect to Valley Metro Rail at Mill Avenue/Third Street
3rd Street/Ash Avenue	●		1 track, side platform, curbside lane	Connect to Valley Metro Rail at Mill Avenue/Third Street
5th Street/Mill Avenue	●		1 track, side platform, curbside lane
6th Street/Mill Avenue		●	1 track, side platform, curbside lane
University Drive/Ash Avenue	●		1 track, side platform, curbside lane
9th Street/Mill Avenue	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
11th Street/Mill Avenue	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
College Avenue/Apache Boulevard	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
Paseo del Saber/Apache Boulevard	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
Rural Road/Apache Boulevard	●	●	2 tracks, island platform, center of street
Dorsey Boulevard/Apache Boulevard	●	●	1 track, side platform, center of street	Southern terminus, connect to Valley Metro Rail

See also

• Streetcars in North America
• Valley Metro Rail

References

1. West, Bryan (January 22, 2018). "Rails delivered to Tempe for 3-mile streetcar project". KPNX. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
2. MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod (June 12, 2018). "From pickleball to bikepaths: What's in the Tempe budget for you". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
3. Náñez, Dianna (November 28, 2014). "Tempe streetcar on track, could cost $200 million". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
4. Coppola, Chris (February 10, 2016). "Obama's budget includes $75 million for Tempe streetcar". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
5. Sackley, Mike (February 10, 2016). "President Obama designates $75 million to Tempe streetcar project". WTAR. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
6. "Tempe Streetcar" (PDF). Valley Metro. December 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
7. "Text Only Options". Valley Metro. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
8. "Significant Milestone for Tempe Streetcar | Valley Metro | Press Releases". Valley Metro. February 9, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
9. "Valley Metro to break ground on Tempe Streetcar in June". Progressive Railroading. May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
10. "Designer selected for Tempe streetcar; project expected to be completed in 2020". KTAR News. December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
11. "Tempe Streetcar". Valley Metro. Archived from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
12. "Construction on $177 Million Tempe Streetcar Set for Summer". U.S. News. Associated Press. April 30, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
13. "Tempe Streetcar | Valley Metro". www.valleymetro.org. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
14. Náñez, Dianna M. (September 20, 2011). "Streetcar misconceptions addressed at Tempe forum". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
15. Jay Toll, Eric (March 29, 2016). "Amid audits, investigations and 7 rail extensions, Valley Metro's Scott Smith is an interim CEO on a mission". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
16. "City of Tempe - Transportation Commission Packet". City of Tempe. May 12, 2015. pp. 18, 22, 24, 26. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
17. Goth, Brenna (February 9, 2016). "South Phoenix light rail on fast track, to come a decade early". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
18. "Brookville Contracted to Design, Build Six Off-Wire Capable Liberty Streetcar Vehicles for Valley Metro". Mass Transit. Brookville Equipment Corporation. June 19, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
19. Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Valley Metro (July 2015). "Environmental Assessment, Tempe Streetcar" (PDF). Retrieved April 7, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
20. "Appendix A: Conceptual Engineering Drawings" (PDF). Valley Metro. May 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

External links

• Official website