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ARIZONA TRAFFIC

Valley Metro to celebrate first end-to-end test of Phoenix light rail extension

Valley Metro is teaming up with Phoenix officials to celebrate a milestone in train testing of the South Central Extension on Saturday.

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PHOENIX – With the South Central Extension nearing completion, Valley Metro is getting ready to celebrate the new Phoenix light rail line’s first end-to-end testing.

A train will complete the full 5.5-mile trip from the new Downtown Hub to Baseline Road for the first time on Saturday morning.

Valley Metro is inviting the community to commemorate the milestone from 10 a.m. to noon at the Baseline/Central Avenue park-and-ride.

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Dignitaries will deliver remarks at 10:15 a.m., and the train is expected to arrive at 10:30 a.m.

Several prominent leaders connected to the project will join the celebration, including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Valley Metro CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller.

What to do at celebration of South Central Extension train testing

There will also be food, giveaways, project information and safety awareness.

Officials urge guests to enter the park-and-ride using the Baseline Road entrance.

The South Central Extension is now 96% complete. Valley Metro temporarily shut down several downtown light rail stations for testing last weekend.

Planning for the project began 2012, and construction got underway in 2019.

Serena O'Sullivan KTAR News Reporter and Editor

Serena O’Sullivan is a Phoenix-based news reporter and content editor for KTAR.com, where she covers local and national stories with a digital-first approach. Her reporting has appeared in major outlets including USA Today, Arizona Republic, Phoenix… Read more

Comments

24 Comments

Larry J. Bradley
Larry J. Bradley 1 year ago

They also spent the money to elevate it which makes it so much faster and practical to use.

A
Al Sango 1 year ago

I just came from Seattle.
Their light rail was much better than ours.
Cleaner.
Men on board checking for fares.
They asked for identification for those who had no fare, and offer two warnings.

Larry J. Bradley
Larry J. Bradley 1 year ago

Be nice if you could mention when full operations begin. I noticed that on numerous articles written on AZ Central is that they write a nice informative article but then leave out a key component. Time to get better proof readers who aren't just checking grammar and spelling!