South Central Extension light rail line opening will cap big week for Valley transportation

PHOENIX – It’s turning out to be a huge week for metro Phoenix transportation milestones.

Days after the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project was officially completed, Valley Metro’s new South Central Extension light rail line will open this weekend.

The 5.5-mile route along Central Avenue connecting Valley Metro’s new Downtown Hub to Baseline Road in south Phoenix will give its first ride at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Celebrations scheduled for South Central Extension debut

The festivities will start at 7:45 a.m. with a “Cruisin’ on Central” parade from the Ed Pastor Transit Center at Broadway Road and Central Avenue down to the Baseline Road park-and-ride lot.

Dignitaries — including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton — will deliver remarks at 8:30 a.m. before a 9:15 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Baseline/Central station.

Related celebratory activities will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the Downtown Hub, the Ed Pastor Transit Center and the Baseline/Central park-and-ride.

“We joke the light rail system’s growing up,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday. “We’re finally going to have a multiline system, which is pretty common in most big American cities.”

Gallego was referring to the fact that the Valley light rail system is being reconfigured into two main lines that meet at the Downtown Hub near Jefferson Street and Central Avenue.

The A Line consists of the existing east-west track between downtown Phoenix and the eastern terminus at Gilbert Road/Main Street in Mesa.

The line that runs mainly north-south is the B Line. It includes the South Central Extension and ends at the Metro Parkway station north of Dunlap Avenue.

For added convenience, Valley Metro is increasing ride frequency until 7 p.m. weekdays, with light rail trains arriving every 12 minutes Tempe Streetcar service running 15 minutes.

When the South Central Extension opens later this year, Valley Metro will split the Phoenix-area light rail system into two main lines. pic.twitter.com/wslYjNpgAw

— Kevin Stone (@kstonezone) April 9, 2025

The Downtown Hub is near many popular downtown destinations, including PHX Arena and the Phoenix Symphony, Gallego noted.

“It will be right around the CityScape area,” she said. “For people who don’t know the name of CityScape, you may remember where the ice skating has been in downtown Phoenix.”

How long did it take to plan, build South Central Extension?

South Central Extension/Downtown Hub planning started in 2012, and construction began in 2019. Valley Metro revealed the opening date on April 9.

The $1.34 billion project includes eight new stations, 14 new trains and a 110-space Baseline/Central park-and-ride lot. Federal grants covered more than half of the price tag.

“The South Central light rail extension has a bunch of schools and students on it,” Gallego said. “So, we’re hopeful people will be able to commute to school more easily.”

The mayor also said it runs through an area where many homes don’t have cars or have only one vehicle.

“We’re hopeful people can have more money to spend on essentials and less on transportation with this opening,” she said. “We are already seeing a lot of particular housing coming in along this this extension, and we all know we need more housing in this community.”

Light rail milestone follows Broadway Curve project completion

On Tuesday, Gallego was among the officials who celebrated the completion of the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, the largest freeway reconstruction initiative in Arizona history.

The project was designed to improve freeway safety by reducing the need for lane changes and weaving through the area while improving access to 4,600-plus businesses along the Broadway Curve corridor.

The I-10 mainline through the area was transformed into a 16-lane behemoth, with six general purpose lanes (up from four) and two HOV lanes in each direction between US 60 and I-17.

“It should be a much smoother commute for people in that area,” Gallego said Wednesday. “This is an area that connects Tempe, Chandler, town of Guadalupe and the city of Phoenix.

“It’s right by Sky Harbor Airport, so it’s often the first impression visitors get, and we’re really happy that project is done and improving commutes.”

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