PHOENIX — Amtrak is looking to return to the Phoenix area after 25 years away, CEO Bill Flynn said Tuesday during a roundtable discussion with Valley politicians and business leaders.
Amtrak wants to expand services to Phoenix, Tempe, Coolidge, Goodyear and Buckeye, among others striking Phoenix from the list of populous cities without passenger rail service. The city has been without it since 1996; the closest place to hop an Amtrak train is Maricopa in Pinal County.
The expansion project could take at least three years to finish before the start of service. If Congress allocates the funds at all.
For passengers of the possible Amtrak service, a trip would take two hours, 25 minutes to get from Phoenix to Tucson, and a little over three hours from Buckeye to Tucson. There would be three daily round trips, officials added.
If the rail service resumes in the Valley, Amtrak officials anticipate 200,000 riders annually, $77.7 million in annual economic impact and $2.3 billion in economic activity from capital investments based on $923 million projected total capital investment necessary.
Amtrak officials said they are ready to move quickly in collaboration with Arizona, cities and others. The next steps would be:
- Partnership for analysis
- Securing federal funding
- Initiate capital investments and begin operations
The Tucson-Phoenix corridor is part of Amtrak’s efforts to extend passenger rail service to communities across the country, resulting in an additional 39 routes, enhancing 25 existing routes and adding 160 new communities with service.
This is not the first effort to bring passenger rail service back to the Valley. Amtrak floated a proposal last year and the state transportation department suggested a plan in 2010.
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