Groundbreaking for the Valley Metro light rail extension into South Phoenix is back on track after voters rejected a referendum that was set to kill any future rail expansion.

Service began for Phoenix Valley Metro back in December 2008, and the system now stretches more than 26 miles. The agency states that there were 15.7 million riders in 2018 with an estimate weekly ridership of nearly 48,000.

The new 5.5 mile extension is estimated to cost $1.3  billion and is slated to begin in October 2019.