Streetcar service begins May 20

Riders can go to a streetcar stop on Friday, May 20 and catch one of those bright green and silver streetcars. Service opens to the public and will be free for the first year.

Streetcar travels on Mill and Ash avenues from Rio Salado Parkway and Marina Heights to Dorsey Lane and Apache Boulevard and differs from light rail in that it shares the roadway with vehicle traffic. Vehicles are also smaller, with a capacity of 125 people, and travel as a single car. Streetcars will arrive at stops every 15-20 minutes. Learn how to ride here: valleymetro.org/streetcar. Other basics about streetcar include:

  • 2 connections to light rail
  • 3 mile route
  • 14 sheltered stops with unique public art & landscaping
  • ADA and bike accessible

Another touted feature of streetcar is its off-wire capability on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe. The hybrid battery-powered off-wire feature–the first in the Valley Metro fleet–helps preserve the natural canopy of trees that have long been identified with the area.

Construction of the Tempe Streetcar project began in 2018. It will serve the Tempe ASU campus, downtown Tempe, Gammage Auditorium, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe Beach Park and connect to many small businesses and neighborhoods.

Streetcar is a regional, public transportation service built with federal grants, regional funding from Proposition 400, and local public-private partnerships. Operations is entirely funded by the city of Tempe. Expansion of streetcar may include future stops at Tempe Marketplace, Sloan Park, Riverview Park, Mesa Asian District and Mesa Community College.

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Railfan Rod

Rod Washington Writer, filmmaker, model railroader, dreamer, posting videos and articles about trains. Also, posting railfanning videos and updates about his own model railroad layout via his webpage, the rail project (coming soon).