State transportation officials have announced the government groups that will take the lead in shaping a proposal to return passenger rail service to the Phoenix area.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a statement the proposed train service between Tucson and Buckeye holds “enormous promise for economic growth and employment and would mean more transportation options for more Arizonans.”
The Governor’s Office is one of the government bodies that form an executive leadership team announced Friday, Dec. 6. Other entities include the Arizona Department of Transportation and three county planning organizations — the Maricopa Association of Governments, Pima Association of Governments and Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization, which covers Pinal County.
“Regional collaboration is critical to advancing this effort, and having key partners at the table will help us move full speed ahead as we continue to study this project’s potential,” Hobbs said in the statement.
Arizona Department of Transportation officials said having those groups at the table will help make sure each jurisdiction’s priorities are heard, and decisions and advocacy will be a collaboration. The state is in the early phase of passenger rail expansion and has not secured funding to begin railway design or construction.
Next year, Arizona transportation officials are hoping to move to the next planning phase as outlined by the Federal Railroad Administration. That would delineate potential ridership, revenue, number of trips, project costs and more.
Developing the corridor happens in six stages that make up three phases — a system planning stage, two project development stages and three implementation stages. Development stages typically last around five years, ADOT officials previously told The Arizona Republic.
Work so far has been funded in part by the Biden administration’s trillion-dollar bipartisan infrastructure law, which was led by co-writer and sponsor U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and shaped by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., announced in December 2023 that Arizona would receive $500,000 of that funding to plan for the passenger rail proposal. Hobbs’ administration put in another $3.5 million for the ongoing study, according to ADOT.
Hopeful rail riders in the Valley may also be able to connect to California or Louisiana someday, too. Amtrak, the national provider, is also working through the Federal Railroad Administration’s six-step process to expand or add new lines to add Phoenix to its east-west routes on the Sunset Limited line.
Republic staff writer Taylor Seely contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Groups to shape pitch for passenger rail in Buckeye and Tucson