Valley Metro Rail is a light rail service in Phoenix Arizona. As of 2022, there is one line that travels east to west. This train crosses three cities, Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. In addition, this line passes by several major districts/area, such as Downtown Phoenix, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport PHX, Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix Fine Arts and Midtown Phoenix.
Rolling Stocks
As of 2022, Valley Metro Rail has two train models that are in service.
Kinki Sharyo Low Floor Light Rail Vehicles (LRV)
In 2008, Kinki Sharyo LRV was the first light rail vehicle to operate in Phoenix.
Siemens S70
In 2022, Valley Metro purchased more light rail cars to accommodate the growth.
Fares
As of 2022, the full one way fare is $2.00 and Local Day Pass is $4.00. The Local Day Pass permits you to transfer to Metro Rail or Metro bus (except Metro Rapid or commuter buses).
Frequency
This train arrives every 12-20 minutes. For more detail times, please visit their Valley Metro Rail webpage.
PHX Airport
Going to the PHX Airport
If you are traveling to/from the airport, the station that is connected to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport PHX is called 44th Street / Washington Station.
If you are traveling one way to the airport, it is recommended to purchase the $2.00 one way rail pass at any rail ticket vending machine.
Going to Downtown Phoenix, Mesa, ASU, or Tempe
At that 44th Street / Washington Station, if you are planning to go to Downtown Phoenix, board the westbound train. If going to Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, or Mesa, board the eastbound train.
Hiking
I like to hike. The nearest hiking spot by the rail station (Mill Ave/3rd St Station) is called Hayden Butte in Tempe Arizona. On top of the mountain, you can see the almost the whole Phoenix Arizona area. It is a small hike.
Expansion
Valley Metro is expanding their rail line. In 2024, the one line may split into two. The first split line will travel from East to West (Downtown Phoenix to Mesa). The second split line will travel from Northwest to South of Phoenix. Then on 2030, the east-west rail line will travel west on IH-10 Freeway.
Opinion
The ride was smooth and fast. I’m not a huge fan of light rail vehicle sharing with vehicular traffic, but this one is an exception. This light rail train travels smoothly on the street level and the traffic signal are well synchronize. It felt that this train was on a elevated tracks.
The ridership on this train is growing. I see that more people in Phoenix are using the rail line. After Valley Metro completes their future expansion, I believe that the ridership of this rail line was grow exponentially.
I’m surprise how clean the train is. Kudos to the cleaning crew in keeping the train clean.
Reference
YouTube clips
Official Valley Metro Rail Source
For more information about Valley Metro Rail (stations and rail map), please visit their webpage.