Plans to build a passenger rail line between Phoenix and Tucson are picking up steam. The Arizona Department of Transportation is moving into the next phase of a federally backed development program.
The Federal Railroad Administration recently approved ADOT’s budget and scope for developing a Service Development Plan — a major step in a multi-year process.
That plan will determine station locations, forecast ridership, and lay out the infrastructure needed to make the 160-mile corridor a reality. But Steve Elliot, a spokesperson for ADOT, said the department is not in charge of making the final funding decision.
“We’re not in a position of being confident or not confident. Our job is to come up with a proposal for passenger rail that policymakers can review and make those decisions,” he said…