PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – Amtrak could soon make train journeys from Phoenix and Tucson easier for travelers. The new scheduled service from Phoenix or Tucson could take you straight to several cities in Southern California. From there you could connect to Las Vegas. Amtrak says, “With a growing and diverse population, a global climate crisis and prolonged traffic jams, America needs a rail network that provides frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train connections.” Phoenix by 2035, according to a presentation to the Railway Persons Association. In the presentation, Ray Lang, Amtrak’s Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, outlined plans to spend $ 25 billion on corridor expansions in the United States. Amtrak’s new expansion plans (Source: Amtrak) Phoenix remains the largest city in the US with no Amtrak passenger train traffic. Amtrak trains have not stopped in Phoenix since June 1996. Was there an Amtrak service from Mesa to Phoenix in 1980? Yes it happened. And history has a lot to do with the weather. The setting took place after the derailment of the Sunset Limited near Hyder, Arizona. The passenger train crashed into a dry river bed at dusk on October 9, 1995, killing one crew member and injuring 78 people about 70 miles west of Phoenix while traveling from Florida to California. The FBI and Amtrak pledged to track down and arrest the saboteurs involved in the derailment, and in 2015 offered a $ 300,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The FBI is offering a $ 300,000 reward 20 years after the train derailed.Instead of spending tens of millions of dollars to make the branch line suitable for higher speeds, Amtrak ceased service in Phoenix and bypassed the city along a main line and stopped at Maricopa instead. “The current station 35 miles south in the city of Maricopa is just a non-runner,” said Michael Kuby, a professor at the ASU School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. “For Amtrak and the intercity train to be successful, it must be connected with other routes to your final destination.” Kuby says Union Station could be revitalized with restaurants and other amenities to become a feature of growing downtown Phoenix. And while the Phoenix stop could enable long-distance travel, Kuby says most of the usage will come from commuters. At the time, an Amtrak spokesperson released the following statement regarding possible future service: Amtrak met with officials representing the Phoenix and the Tucson area last summer to discuss our vision for restoring service to Phoenix. We have been delighted with the positive response from everyone we met, which is in line with the way our proposals have been received elsewhere in the country. We are now working with officials in Washington to create federal grant programs that Amtrak and the states will use to fund the construction and operation of these new services. Phoenix remains one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country with no direct Amtrak service, and we are excited for the opportunity to return there. Copyright 2021 KPHO / KTVK (KPHO Rundfunkgesellschaft). All rights reserved.
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