Q. What is the Southwest Rail Corridor?
It is the rail link that connects the major cities of Southern Arizona and California. To the west it connects with California’s growing rail corridors and ports for the Pacific Rim. To the east it connects to rail corridors for New Mexico, Texas, Northern Mexico and points East.
Q. Which cities and metropolitan areas lie along the Corridor?
From west to east: Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Yuma, Phoenix, Coolidge, and Tucson. There are connections at San Diego to Tijuana, south of Tucson to Nogales, and eastward to Las Cruces and El Paso.
Q. Why is the corridor important?
Because it links Arizona’s major population centers with Southern California. Phoenix — Los Angeles ranks as the 14th most heavily traveled metro pair in the country; Phoenix - Tucson ranks 25th. They will only get busier. In the not too distant future, our rapid growth will overwhelm our highway and air transport systems. Congestion in the air and on the ground will continue to get worse — and our air quality will continue to decline. If we are to meet our need for mobility, rail transportation will have to play a more important role in our state’s transportation system. If we do not develop rail as a new transportation choice, mobility, air quality, economic development and overall quality of life will falter.
Q. Which rail line specifically?
This is a portion of Southern Pacific’s famed “Sunset Route.” Southern Pacific, and later the Union Pacific Railroad (after their 1996 merger), had previously sought to abandon and remove the portion of the tracks west of Phoenix between Arlington (Milepost 861.3), the location of the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, and Roll (Milepost 780.9), a farming community northeast of the town of Wellton. This is a distance of approximately 81 miles. As of March 2005, U.P. has made some indications the line may be reopened.
Q. Why is the West Line so important?
It is the shortest, fastest, and least congested rail route between Phoenix and Southern California, and the one having the greatest number of en-route markets for both passengers and freight. The West Valley Corridor is one of Phoenix’s prime population and industrial growth areas, and the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs / Indio) area has one of the fastest growing populations in southern California. Phoenix and Los Angeles have been significant trading partners since both were small towns.
Q. Is the West Line in use today?
No. Southern Pacific, the previous owner of the “West Line”, downgraded the trackage to “storage” in 1997. For several years the line saw only a handful of local and run-through trains, although as of early 2005 U.P. has done some work toward bringing the line back to service. Today, goods shipped on the UP between Phoenix and Los Angeles are routed around the line, incurring delays of hours to days. For example, a container from the Pacific Rim destined for a distribution center in Goodyear or Buckeye will travel a hundreds miles out of the way instead of taking a direct route.
Q. Why does Union Pacific want to abandon the tracks west of Phoenix?
To save money. Every mile of track that UP can remove from its system cuts its costs significantly. Union Pacific and other Class I railroads in Arizona pay enormous sums in property taxes every year on each mile of track they own. Not only that, they must also pay to maintain that track. They even pay a sales tax on the maintenance supplies. They also bear all liability costs. So, even though the West Line is much shorter, Union Pacific believes that it will save money by tearing up the track and hauling freight between Phoenix and California “the long way around” using their route via Picacho, Coolidge and the East Valley. They concede this is cheaper than maintaining the additional 81 miles of line which has no “on line” customers. Union Pacific does not feel that the slower delivery times required for the longer route are a problem for its Phoenix freight customers.
Q. Would Phoenix lose rail freight service if the West Line were ever abandoned?
No. Union Pacific has generally done an exceptional job providing freight to its Phoenix customers since the 1996 merger. Yards and trackage in metro Phoenix have been improved to handle a growing customer base. The new Campo Yard at 43d Avenue has been expanded several times since its opening in 2000. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and Arizona & California Railroad also provide additional freight links to Northern Arizona and California customers.
Q. Will Phoenix ever have “through passenger service†if this line is abandoned?
No. Although Tucson - Phoenix passenger service may become a reality, the ability to travel from Phoenix to Yuma and Los Angeles will no longer be a possibility.
Q. Is the price of reactivating the line worth the benefit?
Yes. While it may cost approximately $35 million to purchase and upgrade the existing “West Line” for Corridor and Amtrak service, should the line be removed, it could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and years of environmental study and litigation to rebuild it.
Q. Are other states looking to rail as an alternative?
Yes. Many states are now investing in future rail passenger services adjacent to congested highways. For example, New Mexico is beginning its first commuter rail service in late 2005.
Q. Does Amtrak serve Phoenix today?
No. But Amtrak wants to serve Phoenix. It would begin serving downtown Phoenix as soon as the state of Arizona upgrades the West Line for passenger train operation. Amtrak will serve the town of Maricopa some time later this year when Pinal County completes a small station on SR 347 30 miles south of Phoenix. Amtrak will provide a bus connection between Maricopa and Phoenix, but a bus connection will not provide the type of fast, frequent service that’s required to make rail an attractive alternative to driving or flying. For rail to be a serious alternative, trains must serve downtown directly. To do that, we need the West Line.
Q. How many passengers previously used the Amtrak service to Phoenix?
In 1995, approximately 35,000 passengers used Amtrak service in Phoenix and Tempe. The service was removed from Phoenix in June 1996 and diverted to the southern “Gila Line” mainline route. Despite a population of over two million in metro Phoenix, Amtrak did not have the capital funding in order to maintain the West Line to passenger standards, and therefore Southern Pacific forced its closure.
Q. What is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. without rail passenger service?
Phoenix, Arizona, America’s 5th Largest City (U.S. Census - March 2001) (Arguably, the world’s largest metro area without a rail connection.)
Q. What is the history of the line?
The Phoenix line of the Union Pacific (ex-Southern Pacific) was completed in 1926. The principal passenger trains of the era began using the line on March 20, 1927. Three and one-half years earlier, in October, 1923, Phoenix Union Station had been completed as a joint venture with the Santa Fe Railway. Up to 12 passenger trains a day used the line during its golden years between the 1940s and 1960s.
Q. How long did Phoenix have inter-city rail passenger service?
Phoenix was served for 109 years, from 1887-1996.
Q. When will the West Line abandonment occur?
Southwest Rail Corridor sources are told this may take effect as early as summer 2001.