Wow, I'm in not synch with the most prevalent rating for Valley Metro which includes the buses, streetcars, and light rail metro trains serving greater Phoenix and the sprawl that is the Valley of the Sun. I guess people don't like the buses as much. The rail listing belongs here - and not in Tempe - together with the whole system.
I knew that light rail now existed in this area and I'm really glad I got to ride on it to experience it. Whenever I see ratings for rail transit systems, I always notice that there are people who are uni-dimensional and focus on one negative attribute or experience with a transit system, such as a few people aboard who are too theatrical or one ticket vending machine that once took their money. Perhaps the more salient question to ask is how well a metro area would function without their transit system. That said, I think this system works.
The Valley Metro Rail is laid out like a big L. That's because it follows some of the main freeway arteries.
The 17 (from Flagstaff and points north in the metro area) brings people north-south into downtown. Then, the 10 (and the 17) sweep eastward on both sides of downtown, with one rebranded as the 60 heading out to Mesa and eastern suburbs while the 10 then moves southeasterly toward Tucson, passing through groomed Chandler ... and even giving you a glimpse of IKEA!
In so doing, Valley Metro Rail follows the 17 slightly east of it, mostly along Central and then along 19th Avenue. It aligns with the 10/17 as it goes through downtown and near the airport, which is surprisingly close to downtown. And it then continues on east toward Tempe and Mesa.
Why is Valley Metro Rail good? One obvious reason is that Phoenix and the surrounding area have mushroomed into being one of America's most populous cities at a very brisk pace and, even if their freeways are generously proportioned, they can get crowded. Then, with just one line, they covered a lot of bases - downtown, the airport, and the ASU campus, with over 50,000 students enrolled. They cover some main areas as the leg of the L goes north, such as Central and Camelback. And they cover some main areas as the leg of the L goes east, such as the communities of Tempe and Mesa. Note that the system does not go directly into the airport. However, at the 44th Street station, you transfer onto an elevated and enclosed pedestrian overpass with moving walkways that take you to SkyTrain, a monorail system that is free of charge and loops around to PHX Sky Harbor's terminals.
The trains are fairly clean. The glass has the dots that shield passengers from the solar heat gain to some degree, as do the fabric seats. A single passage costs $2, if I recall. A day pass costs $ 4. That's what I purchased and it's an excellent value. The local governance wants people out of their cars and on transit because the area is in a valley and can trap smog. There are also park and ride lots at some stations, with ones towards the ends of the route having more parking spaces. The light rail also interfaces with the bus system at major transit nodes, which will get you to most places you need to go.
I'm holding back from 5 stars because, while the one line is very functional, other lines are needed and they are forthcoming. The area west of downtown, and along the 10, is not yet serviced. They are considering adding a line here. They are also considering extending the existing line northward and eastward. And, finally, they are thinking of a line that goes from downtown south toward Baseline, which sort of skirts the base of South Mountain, which actually holds a massive city park with indigenous plant life and wildlife and provides views of the Valley of the Sun and the city skyline. With the valley's sprawl, it would have been expensive to put it underground or up on trestles. The fact that it shares the road with cars on dedicated transitways makes it slow. The trip from the eastern terminus to downtown takes about 45 minutes but, for the price, you can't complain. Also, I don't see it going up northwesterly toward Glendale or to posh Scottsdale, but you can take a bus there ... aw shucks! Riding on the trains when it's crowded is probably a better idea than at odd hours when fewer people are on them. I felt safe when I rode and saw that tourists were definitely aboard with day passes in hand.
There are some lackluster rail systems in American cities. In some cases, these systems are in their infancy stage. Valley Metro Rail is not one of them and is quite remarkable for operating with just one line. Also, if here, don't refer to the train system as (the) Metro. Locals call it the "light rail." read more