I waited over 49 minutes for the east bound train as i watch three West bound trains arrive during the same time

I've been using the Valley Metro Rail since its grand opening back in 2008. I hate dealing with parking downtown for events and jump on the light rail just to avoid parking fees (and high gas prices). Plus some of the arenas will offer free rides for certain events. It's fun when you get on a train with lots of local fans that are excited for a big game. But as with most transportation systems, you get some characters that like to jump on for a free ride. I've definitely have had some interesting people watching moments over the years. Valley Metro Rail has 38 stops/'stations between Gilbert and Phoenix. I usually park at the Apache and 101 location because there is a large park-and-ride parking lot there. The light rail does have a stop at the airport that connects with Sky Harbor's Sky Train. But it sucks that you can't leave your car at a park-and-ride overnight. Because the light rail runs along the street and not above ground, many cars have run into trains over the years. As of 2023, Valley Metro charges $2 for one ride and $4 for an all-day pass. Security does occasional check for tickets. Valley Metro Rail has several extensions being planned and currently under construction to reach other parts of the Valley. read more

Valley Metro Rail - Apache / 101 Stop - Train Stations Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

See all

Super easy ticketing system with the valley metro app. Convenient rides to the airport and downtown Phoenix where enjoy staying when visiting Phoenix. And you just can't beat $2 rides. read more

Valley Metro Rail - Bike racks. - Train Stations Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Perhaps it's just expectations, but given the size of Phoenix and the surrounding cities, I did not anticipate a light rail. And after realizing there's just one light rail line, I did not anticipate the number of places that it covered, from ASU to the airport to the stadiums to the museums and beyond. The price as mentioned in some other reviews is also very affordable, and the frequency of trains is pretty acceptable, making it really quite a viable alternative when going to quite a number of places in the city. Yes, an additional line to go to places like Chandler and Scottsdale would be appreciated; but for now, this works for the places it's serving, and that's good enough for me. Also, the times from the app/Google maps are pretty accurate so use that to plan your trip/day! read more

Yes, it's public transportation, and yes you're going to have characters aboard. Nothing different than any other city's light rail system. Honestly, I had no ultimate destination and strictly wanted to sightsee. Having no idea what to expect, I chose the day pass at $4 and got on at the Missions/downtown Tempe stop. Yes, they will check your ticket. Mine was scanned three times while I went to and from Phoenix. One girl gave an expired pass to the ticket gentleman (sorry I don't know his correct title) and all he said was "your ticket isn't valid, make sure you get a valid ticket". Well, that was nice. In the train in the trip into Phoenix, the windows were covered with some sort of dotted barrier, so we couldn't really see out. In the cart back into Tempe, we could see out with no problem, even when it started getting dark. I guess we lucked out. We met this super cool dude that showed us his video collection of train characters that he's encountered, including the window licker. Footage of a guy literally making out with his reflection. You can't make this stuff up. When we got to the end of the route the announcement indicated that it was time to exit, but we were in for the long haul and stayed on. So, don't pay attention to that announcement if you're site seeing too. read more

I wouldn't be caught dead standing here by myself at night. This location does not look like the safest neighborhood in my opinion. Kind of a rough area, but it's fine during the day. The train here only goes Eastbound towards Tempe and Mesa, so you have no choice if you are going towards that direction. Not much around except for that Chicken and Fish eatery across the street. read more

Valley Metro Rail - East bound only train - Train Stations Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Totally awesome and always on time. Leave the driving to them. Great security people who keep an eye on things for you as well. Ride and watch the scenery. read more

Yesterday we spotted the light rail while on route to our hotel, Doubletree Suites by Hilton near the airport. As we had a free day before our escorted tour was to begin tomorrow, we decided we'd take the light rail as a way to see Phoenix. So this morning after breakfast our hotel shuttle dropped us off at the 44th St/Washington station. We purchased an all day pass for $4.00 at the kiosk. We rode west past downtown Phoenix to the end of the line. Then we rode it back east to Mesa. We experienced a bit of drama on each end. A woman on a motorized scooter got on. She wasn't parallel to the train. The train started moving. She toppled over. Scooter and all. Heading east several folks got on who either talked to themselves or seemed on drugs. I'm from a big city and I take public transit everywhere but here it seemed to attract even more folks living on the fringe. We experienced all this on our four hour RT day trip. Including a lunch break near Chase Field. All in all the system is very efficient, and bike transport friendly. read more

I am a fan of the light rail. It's the easiest way to get downtown and avoid all the traffic and parking nightmare. For 4 bucks you can get an all day pass and ride any city transit all day with unlimited transfers. There are kiosks at the stops. You do meet a lot of interesting characters on the light rail, most are harmless and keep to themselves. I park at the park and ride lot at Main street and Mesa road. Parking is free. You have not experienced the best of Valley Metro until you've ridden the light rail. read more

I have ridden subway and light rail systems in several large American cities, but have never experienced a freak show like this one in the Phoenix area. On our small rail car, which carried 30 passengers, three were completely passed out, one of whom rolled out of his seat onto the floor and just laid there, bottle in hand. Another couple, sitting directly across from us, were so high they could barely sit up unassisted and could not prop their eyes open. We thought the lady might hurl on us, so we stayed ready to jump out of the way. One fella boarded the train with the biggest fat lip I've ever seen. Apparently he had just been punched. So, he spent the next three stops speaking out loud about how he wasn't going to take that "bull stuff" anymore. To his credit, he apologized to everybody as he got off the train. When were we riding the train to experience this freak show? Two AM on a Friday night? Midnight on Saturday? Nope, Sunday afternoon. I've never been uncomfortable on mass transit until today. The system is modern and the prices are reasonable, but I will travel by other means to avoid the intense feeling of insecurity. As for timeliness, the train arrives every 20 minutes, give or take 20 minutes. When we arrived at the station in downtown Phoenix the time was 4:28 PM and the sign said the next train would arrive at 4:29 PM. Perfect timing! However, the sign continued to change every few minutes until the train ultimately arrived at 4:48 PM. I wonder how this unpredictability works for people trying to get to work or college students on their way to school? read more

The light rail is pretty sweet; it takes you from one end of Phoenix to one end of Mesa. Plenty of park and rides in between, which is very helpful because if you are headed into town to catch a game, you can ride it for free and park for free! You betcha I have caught the light rail a time or 2 and rode out with a hundred or so Sun Fans! Fun times to be had Also are you into people watching? The Light Rail is the place to be for that! Need to get to the airport don't want to pay for parking, have a family member or friend drop you off at a Light Rail station and ride on out to Sky Harbor! If you haven't taken a ride, hop on and have an adventure! read more

The light rail is pretty convenient and the stops for the train are pretty well planned It gets busy during the day due to all the college students and people getting to and fro work At night it can be pretty sketchy but there are several security officers who hop on and off the train to ensure safety as well as check to make sure everyone purchased a ticket... This particular stop is a great place to hop on or off if you are trying to get to the main part of the ASU main campus Also, I feel pretty safe at this station because it is near the hub of Tempe Police read more

I'm from Las Vegas, riding the Valley Metro Rail for the second time now. The vehicles are very clean and sleek looking, the payment was quick and easy, the ride smooth, and the ticket fares were not outrageus for light rail. Only $1.75 for a one way trip. I wish we had something as nice in Las Vegas! Best part is that the north terminus point ends right in front of a huge, brand new SuperTarget! I will for sure be riding this anytime I'm in Phoenix. read more

Valley Metro Rail - Train Stations Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I'm tired of getting on the lightrail and either dealing with knuckleheads trying to start something or other idiots trying to fight over nothing. Its at least twice a week and drivers are like 'well I'll call the police but they won't respond quickly. My experience is they never respond. But they sure are there after eleven pm to make sure everyone is off the train M-Th. I ride to work and my job pays for the ticket. But I don't recommend it at work because of the issues. Per a bus driver the cities pay for or don't pay for the service so this is what you get for the money. I dont rate them more then one star. read more

Love Phoenix's Metro Light Rail. Quick, easy, convenient, & good price. Much easier than trying to park down town, cheaper than gas, & fun to covers with fellow Phoenicians. Can't wait for the extensions to be built in Mesa & Phoenix! =) read more

See all

The light rail is great. I ride it 3 or 4 times a week. It's cheap transportation with air conditioning and free entertainment. Most people will leave you alone, but public transportation is open to everyone so you will sometimes run into interesting characters. I usually listen to music, play with FB on my phone or read for class. It's definitely a more crowded commute when there's a Diamondbacks or Suns game, between the 9-5 travel "rush hours" and during the school year. In the summer, it's pretty empty. I took my bike on the train without a problem all summer long, but I find it's sometimes too crowded to bring my bike with me during the school year (ASU mostly, but there are other high school kids on it sometimes, too.) It only stops in certain cities from the Mesa/Tempe border to North Phoenix, at this point, but there are plans for expansion. If you happen to be attending an event at US Airways Center, you can ride the light rail for free with your ticket stub. Watch out though, meter maids hop on and off the trains checking for train tickets. I see them once or twice a week.You sometimes see homeless people duck off the train when they get on. Oh wells. It happens. And my favorite part is that Valley Metro likes to use social media! Use the twitter handle @METROrail. They usually respond back! read more

This is near the mill and third stop on the valley metro rail which is where i like to hangout when i'm visiting phoenix. Its right next to the ASU campus so anybody who knows what college life is like will find the same things here namely plenty of bars, a mixture of reasonably priced restaurants, and a young crowd. read more

I am extremely grateful for 2 employees who helped me today.You were kind, caring and went above and beyond to help me find my extremely important item. I've also been taking the 542 & 533 Express bus for about a year now. I've rarely experienced any negative issues. read more

So, I do not need the Metro Rail with my lifestyle, and live in north Scottsdale in which the rail does not run thru yet . (GOOD!) I know people who use Metro rails in other cities and I have used systems such as this in San Fran, Chicago and NY.. My daughter came to visit during Christmas this past month and she wanted to experience it with her children and husband. They dragged me along for their fun part of course! We drove ourselves to Tempe to catch it and decided to Light Rail towards Windsor Restaraunt in Phx-Camelback and Central.4Well the timing was soooo wrong as it was about 4:45 pm and the sun was almost down so we thought we could watch the sunset from the inside of the rail. Umm, WRONG!!!!! We got on the Rail, and all the windows were DARK as night and you could NOT see outside! All we could watch was OUR BACKs from the type of morons on this train. BUMS-Hey I have nothing against them and hopefully THEY wont PUT anything against me like a gun, or their dirty poopy pants or snotty fingers. These people LIVE on this Rail!!!! NO official from the city, was securing this Rail system and it felt very dangerous! No Security what so ever! The only 'other' people we saw on the Rail were a few drunks coming and going from the sports event and pre teens with nothing to do in Phoenix who now have something to do- hop on and off wreaking of cig and pot smoke, and carry glass beer bottles and break them on the ground. I do NOT what so ever recommend this type of transportation in Phx, Tempe! Also- the closest we could get dropped off to the Restaraunt (Windsor) we were headed to was NOT a place you 'walk at night' which was a super supe rbusy street (central Ave) and 5 blocks away. The ONLY thing I thought was good about the rail was it was very quiet and stopped and started quite nicely. I am NOT happy to know my Tax dollars are now locked up in The Light Rail for a preteen hangout and bum housing. read more

I would give these people 0 rating but, I have to give one to review. Never, I repeat, NEVER on time. Roll right pass at the stops. The list is endless. #29 is now 22 minutes late, so its safe to assume that it ain't coming at all. They want to build more light rail. Christ, they can't handle what they got. It is time some people were replaced. read more

Took the light rail to the airport and back when I was in Phoenix in April. It was clean, quiet, and air conditioned. The trains were packed during rush hour so I couldn't find a seat, but that just shows how popular it is. The stations are all very nicely landscaped and designed, with canopies and benches to sit. It was very easy to buy a ticket at the kiosk and also very cheap - I think it was $4 for a round trip. Definitely a nice alternative to driving. They also have bike share stations at some of the stations so you can bike to your final destination. read more

Usually love the light rail system, but tonight was ridiculous. I checked both online and their mobile app to ensure they ran until 2am, which both listed they ran well past. Trying to catch a ride at 12:30am I find out they have stopped service til 4am! I have no problem with you stopping service, but don't advertiser you're running until 2am if you're not!! read more