| Box Width: | 300px |
| Tempe Streetcar | |
| Type: | Streetcar |
| System: | Valley Metro Rail |
| Locale: | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
| End: | Dorsey Lane/Apache Boulevard |
| Stations: | 14 |
| Routes: | 1 |
| Open: | [1] |
| Owner: | City of Tempe |
| Operator: | Valley Metro |
| Character: | Streetcar in mixed traffic |
| Stock: | 6 Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcars |
| Linelength Mi: | 3 |
| Tracks: | 2 |
| Electrification: | + battery |
The Tempe Streetcar, referred to as the Streetcar Line on regional transit maps, is a streetcar extension of Phoenix's Valley Metro Rail system. Construction began in 2017,[2] and the line opened for service on May 20, 2022.[1] It serves 14 stops across three miles of track serving various parts of the city's downtown, as well as the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, with the Valley Metro Rail main line.[3] [4] [5]
The Tempe Streetcar is a joint project between Valley Metro and the City of Tempe Public Works Department and consists of 14 stops, running from Dorsey Lane west on Apache Boulevard, then north on Mill Avenue.[6] From there, it loops around Downtown Tempe along Mill and Ash avenues.[7] The route continues along Rio Salado Parkway to Marina Heights, with possible extensions into the city of Mesa under consideration and evaluation. A transfer from light rail to the streetcar at the 3rd Street station permits travel to Gammage Memorial Auditorium at Arizona State University to the south and the Hayden Ferry and Marina Heights office complexes to the north.
Construction cost approximately $200 million and will be funded using the Proposition 400 sales tax and federal grants. In February 2016, the project was identified in President Barack Obama's budget for Fiscal Year 2017. A total of $75 million was dedicated to the project and would supplement the Proposition 400 funds, as well as local funds and other federal grant funds.[8] The final 2017 budget, approved in May 2017 under President Donald Trump, included $50 million.[9]
In December 2016, Valley Metro selected Stantec Consulting Services for design work to be completed in 2017, allowing construction to start later in the year. Stantec has designed other streetcar projects in the United States and contributed to the design of the Valley Metro light rail system.[10] In May 2018, the design was finalized.
The streetcar was designed to be able to travel on the light rail line and to use those tracks to travel to the Operations & Maintenance Center.
Construction began on June 1, 2017, with utility relocation, which made way for tracks to be laid.[11] [12] In August 2018, Valley Metro received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to begin the initial phase of significant construction on the Tempe Streetcar. With this approval, Valley Metro began work on building the system's rail trackway, power systems and street improvements.[13]
The line opened for service on May 20, 2022.[1] [14]
In 2011, Kinki Sharyo offered a demonstration model of its ameriTRAM vehicle, to allow members of the public to provide feedback on the vehicle.[15]
Valley Metro issued an RFP (request for proposals) to obtain vehicles for this route in the summer of 2016.[16] Potential suppliers originally included Alstom, Bombardier, CAF USA, Kinki Sharyo, Siemens and TIG/m. Vehicle options for this line included a combination of battery power, overhead catenary or on-board hydrogen fuel system.[17] [18]
Brookville Equipment Corporation was awarded the $33 million contract for six Liberty Streetcars in 2017.[19] The first streetcar vehicle was delivered on March 14, 2021.
The Tempe Streetcar has a total of 14 stops.[20] [21]
| Station | Character Area | ↓ | ↑ | Layout | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marina Heights/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | Northern terminus | |
| Hayden Ferry/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 1 track, island platform, center of street | ||
| Tempe Beach Park/Rio Salado Parkway | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, center of street | |||
| 3rd Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | Connect to Valley Metro Rail at | ||
| 3rd Street/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | Connect to Valley Metro Rail at | ||
| 5th Street/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | |||
| 6th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | |||
| University Drive/Ash Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | 1 track, side platform, curbside lane | |||
| 9th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | ||
| 11th Street/Mill Avenue | Rio Salado | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | ||
| College Avenue/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | ||
| Paseo del Saber/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | ||
| Rural Rd/Apache Blvd | Apache | ● | ● | 2 tracks, island platform, center of street | ||
| Dorsey/Apache Boulevard | Apache | ● | ● | 1 track, side platform, center of street | Southern terminus, connect to Valley Metro Rail |
, Valley Metro is in the planning phases of extending the streetcar past its terminus at Marina Heights into Mesa, running down Rio Salado Parkway and Dobson Road.[22]