Passenger Rail Study and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement: Tucson to Phoenix

Environmental Impact Statement

The Passenger Rail Study between Tucson and Phoenix explores intercity rail connections between the two largest metropolitan areas in Arizona. Arizona will use this Study to analyze and develop future intercity rail options.  The proposed passenger rail line will be designed as a blended service: An express service would have few stops between Tucson and Phoenix, and a local service would stop at several communities along the way.  Phoenix is the only metropolitan area with over a million people in the United States that is not served by passenger rail.

Currently, there is no construction schedule and no funding identified for a project to build an intercity rail system between Phoenix and Tucson. It will be up to the public and policymakers to decide if such an effort is feasible and how to generate the funding to pay for implementation of the Study.

Draft Tier 1 EIS

A Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register on October 6, 2011 to initiate the environmental impact statement process for the Study.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) identified a need for an alternative transportation mode to help meet existing and future travel demand in the Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa tri-county area. By 2035, the travel time between Tucson and Phoenix via Interstate 10 (I-10) is projected to take 26 percent longer than the travel time in 2010 and, by 2050, 59 percent longer, even if the highway is widened to 10 lanes. The Arizona Passenger Rail Corridor Study (APRCS), led by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), builds on statewide and regional planning efforts and initiatives to investigate alternative approaches to implementing passenger rail service between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona’s two largest cities.

ADOT’s study team developed a range of corridor alternatives with the goals of serving key population and activity centers, maximizing potential ridership, minimizing environmental impacts, and being cost effective. An iterative planning and outreach process identified potential routes; these were documented in an Alternatives Analysis (AA) report. Each has undergone multidisciplinary consideration, leading to a set of corridor alternatives.

Two corridor alternatives, in addition to a No Build Alternative, are examined in the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), through a process prescribed by the Council on Environmental Quality in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The Draft Tier 1 EIS for the APRCS analyzes the natural, built, and social environment that may be affected by alternative actions being considered and identifies the potential environmental effects of each so they can be compared to one another and to the effects of taking no action (the No Build Alternative). The information, analysis, and comparison of effects, as well as input received from the public, are intended to aid government agencies in making decisions about public expenditures and infrastructure investment.

More Information

Please visit the Study website for updated information at: http://www.azdot.gov/planning/CurrentStudies/PassengerRail

Review and Comment

The objective of a Draft Tier 1 EIS is to obtain comments from the public on matters pertaining to the conduct and recommendations of the Draft Tier 1 EIS.  After reading the Draft Tier 1 EIS, the public and agencies are encouraged provide specific written comments.  Comments on the contents of the EIS may be e‐mailed to projects@azdot.gov, given in person at the hearings (see below), in writing through the project website, or by fax or mail. All comments are due by October 30, 2015.

Comments should be sent to:

ADOT Passenger Rail Study Team
24 W. Camelback Road, Suite 479
Phoenix, AZ 85013
FAX: 602.368.9645

Public Hearings

Public hearings on the Draft Tier 1 EIS will be held on September 15, 16, and 17, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with video presentations beginning at 5:45 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. The same information will be presented at each location:

Tuesday, September 15
Burton Barr Branch Phoenix Public Library
First Floor Pulliam Auditorium
1221 North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004 

 Wednesday, September 16
Tucson Convention Center
Leo Rich Theater
260 South Church Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701

Thursday, September 17
Central Arizona College
Signal Peak Campus, Room M101
8470 North Overfield Road
Coolidge, AZ 85128

Document Availability

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Arizona Passenger Rail Corridor Study Draft Tier 1 EIS (PDF) 10.27 MB
Executive Summary and Table of Contents (PDF) 4.08 MB
Cover, Signatures, Abstract, Review Information, Preface, and Introduction (PDF) 0.50 MB
Chapter 1 - Purpose and Need (PDF) 0.69 MB
Chapter 2 - Alternatives Considered (PDF) 1.5 MB
Chapter 3 - Public and Agency Coordination (PDF) 0.55 MB
Chapter 4 - Transportation Impacts (PDF) 0.92 MB
Chapter 5 - Existing Conditions and Environmental Consequences (PDF) 6.14 MB
Chapter 6 - Cost Analysis (PDF) 0.24 MB
Chapter 7 - Comparison of Alternatives (PDF) 1.02 MB
Chapter 8 - Next Steps (PDF) 0.56 MB
References and List of Preparers  (PDF) 0.30 MB
Appendices (PDF) 38.70 MB
Corridor Aerial Atlas Appendix (PDF) 48.53 MB
Notice of Availability