ARIZONA STATE RAIL PLAN

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1 ARIZONA STATE RAIL PLAN AzTA / ADOT Transit Conference April 11 th, 2011

2 Statewide Planning Process ADOT Planning Process Evolution

3 Accepted by State Transportation Board on March 18 th Final Document will be forwarded to the Federal Railroad Administration

4 Southwest Rail Network

5 Sun Corridor Mega Region Flagstaff Sun Corridor will include 85% of state population by 2050 Yuma Prescott Phoenix Tucson Two-thirds of housing units yet to be built Half of the Transportation Infrastructure to be built Opportunity for new sustainable urban development paradigm Source: Maricopa Association of Governments Nogales 5

6 Corridors of Opportunity

7 Rail Plan Issues and Opportunities Passenger Rail Service Intercity Rail Service (including Amtrak) High Speed Rail Commuter Rail Tourist Railroads Network Requirements Transcontinental Corridors Intermodal and distribution systems Short line Railroads Safety and Congestion Mitigation Grade Separations and Safety Improvements Capacity enhancements

8 Partner with Amtrak to Improve service Southwest Chief (BNSF Transcon Corridor) Daily Service Sunset Limited (UPRR Sunset Corridor) Three days a week Return service to Phoenix Metro Area

9 Rehabilitation of the UPRR Wellton Branch

10 Passenger Rail Vision Intercity Rail provides transit backbone for Sun Corridor Northern Arizona to Nogales Phased Implementation Phoenix to Tucson highest priority PHX-TUC Intercity Rail Study Seamless coordination with Commuter Rail

11 Advance planning for Commuter Rail serving urban cores Initial Segment of a State Intercity Rail System Regional Rail Connections

12 Imagine an alternative transportation system

13 Intercity Rail needs efficient connections

14 Shared Highway Corridors Shared Freight Rail Corridors New Rail Corridors

15 COMMUTER RAIL Station Spacing: 5 to 10 miles Maximum Speed: 79 mph CONVENTIONAL INTERCITY RAIL Station Spacing: 20 to 60 miles Maximum Speed: 110 mph HIGH SPEED INTERCITY RAIL Station Spacing: 100+ Miles Maximum Speed: 150+ mph

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17 Freight Rail Network Opportunities Two Class I Transcontinental Routes Phoenix Metro Subdivisions Connection to Mexico at Nogales

18 Freight Movements High percentage of movements by truck 75% of rail movements are through Need additional capacity and distribution centers

19 Freight Distribution Proposed facilities to increase capacity for Metro areas Additional logistic centers needed to serve the Sun Corridor

20 Safety and Congestion Opportunities Create a program to replace or remove existing at-grade rail crossings Expand data collection and monitoring Construct high priority grade separations At-Grade Crossing Grade Separated Crossing

21 Recommended Implementation Short Term (within 5 years) Implementation Action Commuter Rail Freight and Rail Advisory Council (FRAC) Phoenix to Tucson Intercity Rail Study Rehabilitation of the Wellton Branch High Speed Rail Corridors Sunset Limited Improvements Description Partner with MAG and PAG to plan commuter rail systems within the Phoenix and Tucson areas Establish the FRAC per state statute to identify and prioritize freight rail improvement projects statewide Establish environmental clearance for the Phoenix to Tucson intercity rail corridor Reinstating freight and passenger rail service along the UPRR Wellton Branch will provide an opportunity to return intercity service to Phoenix and better connect Yuma to the Sun Corridor Obtain federal designation of the recommended HSR corridors, and complete feasibility and route studies Partner with Amtrak to increase frequency of service along the Sunset Limited route

22 Information & Assistance: Arizona Department of Transportation Multimodal Planning Division Shannon L. Scutari, Esq. Director, Rail & Sustainability Services Michael Kies, PE Project Manager, Intercity Passenger Rail Study