ADOT
By Noah Cullen | Casa Grande Dispatch
A proposed Phoenix-Tucson passenger rail connection, lauded by city leaders in Pinal County who advocate for a stop in their respective city, is on track to start on its second step of a multiyear effort.
The massive project, to be run by Amtrak, is years in the making with years left to go before Arizona residents in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties can take a passenger train in their area. While the project enters a new phase of planning, funding for its implementation is not yet secured.
Federal, state and local governments have come together to complete the vision of a passenger rail system with the hope of allowing access to jobs, airports and amenities while reducing vehicle emissions and congestion along Interstate 10. A study informing the development of the rail service anticipated the trip by car from Phoenix to Tucson to increase in time by 40%, even if I-10 is widened and a north-south freeway from U.S. 60 to Eloy is opened.
Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group who represents hundreds of property owners in the Pinal County area, tells RLGR:
“Amtrak’s proposal, if built, will be the culmination of conversations leaders in the area have been having for decades about connectivity and quality of life. We have been discussing this forever and it would be tremendous to see it come to fruition.”
