Mayor Rides First Light Rail Train

PHOENIX -- Phoenix''s first light rail train parted traffic and cruised into its new downtown station Thursday as officials hoped to erase a long-held stigma of being one of the last major cities in the West without a commuter train.

The $1.4 billion, taxpayer-supported METRO light rail stretches 20 miles through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa and promises to have a train at each of its 24 stations every 10 minutes during peak times. It officially opens in December.

"Isn''t it beautiful?" Mayor Phil Gordon said as the gray and turquoise air-conditioned train cruised into the Washington Street/Central Avenue station. "This is not like the old Chicago El''s. This is not dirty. This is moving people efficiently and effectively."

Gordon and other city leaders expect the trains to transform Phoenix''s slumbering downtown area, ferrying thousands of pedestrians onto city sidewalks. They say it will lure new shops to the area and turn rows of shuttered buildings into prime real estate, Gordon said.

"Look around you, it''s already transformed downtown Phoenix," Gordon said. "There are couples out here with their children, people jogging, new bars and restaurants and taverns and boutiques."

Engineers were testing to make sure the train connected without any problems to the overhead power source connecting the rail. For decades, proposals to invest in mass transit stalled in city boardrooms.

Residents fretted about rail stations near their homes. Others wondered if it was smart to spend billions of dollars to lay train tracks through Arizona''s sprawling communities.

While Denver, Salt Lake City, Dallas and other Western cities planned and installed commuter rail lines, Phoenix residents said their city was meant for cars.

In 2000, voters in Phoenix finally approved a sales tax increase for light rail and other transportation projects. METRO, which is run by a transportation agency that''s funded by cities in the Phoenix area, has spent the past several years designing the cars and weaving train tracks through city streets.

Officials expect 26,000 boardings per day in the first year. Passengers will pay $1.25 per trip, the same as they would for a bus.

One of the first changes people will notice when the trains start running later this year is reduced traffic during major sporting events, METRO CEO Rick Simonetta said. "We can put three cars together to carry as many as 600 people," Simonetta said. "When you think about a ball game ending, or a (Phoenix) Suns game ending, or something down at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, we''ll have the ability to really move a lot of people," he said.

METRO officials will spend the next few months testing the light rail tracks and getting them ready for commuter use. They also plan to expand the track to surrounding communities during the next two decades.

Glenn Darby, 25, joined a crowd of residents and city workers to watch the sleek light rail car arrive for the first time. Darby, who lives in a condo in downtown Phoenix, said the train will make life a lot easier.

"We don''t have a grocery store downtown, and it makes it rough for people to try to move here," Darby said. "It''s really kind of dead out here. If you need a late night snack, there''s nowhere to go."

John Vandercook, 24, agreed. Vandercook, a hotel concierge who lives downtown, said he''ll park his Mini Cooper and save on gas money when the train comes in.

"Finally, Phoenix will be a real city. You won''t have to drive everywhere, not have to wait 30 minutes in the heat for a bus," Vandercook said. "This is something that''s going to change life for a lot of people."