ADOT studies 6 rail routes for Tucson-to-Phoenix line

Six conceptual routes for a rail line connecting Tucson and Phoenix are under consideration by the Arizona Department of Transportation. ADOT's $6.3 million Passenger Rail Corridor Study has been under way for a year. It will include a feasibility study and an environmental impact study, and it will be available to the public and policymakers next year. As part of the study, nearly 3,000 people, including Tucsonans, participated in a survey last fall about their interest in intercity rail. The study currently includes six corridor concepts that link downtown Tucson and downtown Phoenix and 38 potential station locations. When looking at where to put a new rail line, ADOT favors placing tracks next to existing tracks and roads, said Chris Lopez, ADOT rail planner. He presented an early preview of the six options on Wednesday at a Regional Transportation Authority committee meeting. They will be presented to the public later this year. Tucson station options include the University of Arizona, the Tucson Convention Center and the historic depot in downtown. All six routes would go north from downtown Tucson next to Interstate 10 corridor or the Union Pacific freight rail tracks. Some routes include a proposed connection to Oro Valley and a potential extension to the Tucson International Airport. From the Picacho area, the routes begin to differ in how they get to the Phoenix metro area. One idea is to continue along I-10 to Chandler. Three of the ideas would put tracks next to Arizona 87, to link to Coolidge and Queen Creek, or to link to Casa Grande and Chandler, or to link to Florence and the planned Superstition Vistas corridor. Another idea is to put tracks next to Arizona 238, the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. The study will allow the state to apply for federal funds to turn the concepts into possible projects in the future. The State Rail Plan says building an intercity rail between Tucson and Phoenix would cost an estimated $15 million per mile, not including the cost of operations and maintenance.

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