VIDEOS
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| Above: YouTubeCA video - Take a Ride on the Tempe Streetcar - Length: 16:18 mins. | Above: YouTubeCA video - Phoenix Light Rail & Streetcar compilation - Length: 10:43 mins. | Above: YouTubeCA video - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport PHX Sky Train, Alstom Innovia APM 200, 4K People Mover Ride - Length: 8:17 mins. |
PHOTOS
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MAP
I created the above map by overlaying an OpenStreetMap (OSM) map with my own data. Copyright on the OSM map is © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under a CC-BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 licence).
Please note that the OSM map used as a template for this map corresponds to the situation at the time the map was downloaded and may show features that did not exist at the time the GS Tram Site is supposed to show. In particular, it may show bridges and highways that were built later.
ROUTES
STREETCAR ROUTE (TEMPE)
Operator: Valley Metro
| Marina Hts / Rio Salado Pkway - Tempe - Dorsey / Apache Blvd |
LIGHT RAIL ROUTES
Operator: Valley Metro
| A | Downtown Phoenix Hub – Sky Harbor Airport (44th St. / Washington) – University Drive – Dorsey / Apache Blvd – Mesa Dr. / Main St. – Gilbert Rd. / Main St. |
| B | Metro Parkway – Dunlap Av. / 19th Av. – Christown Mall – Uptown Phoenix (Central Av. / Camelback) – Downtown Phoenix Hub – Baseline / Central Av. |
PEOPLE MOVER ROUTE (PHX SKY TRAIN)
Operator: Alstom
| Rental Car Center - Sky Harbor Airport - 44th St. / Washington |
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM
NETWORK LENGTH
- Streetcar line: 5 km.
- Light rail lines: 62 km.
- People mover system: 8 km.
HISTORY
- Horse-drawn steetcars: 1887 - June 1895.
- Streetcars (1st generation): 28 Sept. 1893 - 16 Feb. 1948.
- Streetcars (2nd generation, Tempe): 20 May 2022 - today.
- Light rail: 27 Dec. 2008 - today.
- Airport sky train: 8 Apr. 2013 - today.
GAUGE
- Modern streetcar & Light rail: 1435 mm.
- Airport sky train: Automated guideway system
TRAM PRESERVATION
The Phoenix Trolley Museum has a collection of old streetcars.
SOURCES
- Fleming, L.J. Ride a mile and smile the while: A history of the Phoenix Street Railway, 1887-1948. Phoenix: Swaine Publications, 1977.
- "Funding gap hits Phoenix extensions", Tramways & Urban Transit, Sept. 2009 (72: 861), p.354.
- Grahl, A. "Phoenix: South Central extension", Tramways & Urban Transit, Aug. 2025 (88: 1052), p.297-298.
- Simons, V. "Phoenix: A city rescued by light rail", Tramways & Urban Transit, March 2009 (72:855), p.94-97.
- Simons, V. "Phoenix light rail takes flight again", Tramways & Urban Transit, Apr. 2017 (80:952), p.138-142.
- Simons, V. "Phoenix spreads its wings", Tramways & Urban Transit, Nov. 2014 (77:923), p.94-97.
- "Phoenix Street Railway 1887-1948", Western Railroader, 1961 (24:254).
- Ziech, M. & Tierney, S. "Phoenix: The rise of the streetcar", Tramways & Urban Transit, Feb. 2024 (87:1034), p.48-51.
WIKIS
- Phoenix Street Railway
- PHX Sky Train
- Tempe Streetcar
- Valley Metro (Phoenix)
- Valley Metro Rail (Phoenix)
WEB SITES
- All aboard Arizona (formerly: Arizona Rail Passenger Association)
- A Brief History Of Public Transportation in Metro Phoenix
- Friends of Transit
- Phoenix 101: streetcars (from: Rogue Columnist, 28 Feb. 2017)
- PHX Sky Train
- Valley Metro
Special thanks to Russell Powers of Denver, Colorado for his kind help sending me information on the Phoenix streetcar network.
Copyright Gabor Sandi 1998-2025
Disclaimer: Everything on this site was written and/or prepared at the author's discretion. The author has tried to be accurate where facts are presented, but this does not mean that these facts are necessarily accurate. People needing more reliable information should refer to appropriate sources presented, on the Internet or elsewhere, by authoritative professional or academic bodies.
To get in touch with the webmaster, send an e-mail to g_sandi at hotmail.com.
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