By Aaron Dorman | PinalCentral
COOLIDGE — Passenger rail could be returning to Coolidge. Amtrak recently unveiled plans to bring service to Phoenix via a new Tucson-to-Buckeye route, and that proposal includes stops in some area cities including Coolidge and Queen Creek.
As part of this early process — completing the route could take up to three years — Amtrak officials met with Coolidge city officials to gauge their interest in the proposal. Oddly, despite labeling Coolidge as a potential stop, thus far only city mayors within Maricopa and Pima counties had been asked to weigh in. Despite that, Mayor Jon Thompson said that he was very enthusiastic about the idea of having passenger trains stop in the city.
“It was a good meeting with Amtrak officials,” Thompson said. “I am very much in favor of this route as it will enable people to use the train to come to, and travel from, Coolidge. Train travel also removes vehicles off already overcrowded highway and freeway systems. This is a big win for Coolidge and central Arizona.”
