100 days of light rail and going strong

Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by Tony Arranaga in News

What a great way to mark 100 days of light rail in Phoenix

On Monday, thousands of people packed trains and headed to Chase Field for opening day of baseball here in Arizona.

The best part?  The Arizona Diamondbacks outslugged the Colorado Rockies 9-8, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Late Tuesday afternoon, I met Patti and Harold of Sun City while riding the light rail into Downtown Phoenix.  Decked out in their Dbacks gear, the season ticket holders were headed to Chase Field for game two.

I told them about my blog and they both commented on how the light rail will save them anywhere from $5 to $20 in parking fees.  Instead of driving all the way into downtown from the West Valley, they can park for free at the 19th Avenue and Bethany Home park and ride, purchase a senior fare on the light rail (Patti says it’s $2.50 for both of them), and travel worry free to the games.

Apparently there are plenty of people who have the same game plan as Patti and Harold.

You may have noticed a third train trailing behind the usual two.  The three car conga line is because of the action at Chase Field.

“We’ve always had the ability to link as many as three cars,” says METRO light rail spokesperson Hillary Foose.  “You’re seeing them now as there is sufficient enough demand with the Dbacks

season start.”

Thank GAWD for baseball bringing a shot of energy to Downtown Phoenix!  Hmm, I think I’m going to check into purchasing some Diamondbacks tickets.

Tags: Park and ride, PHOENIX LIGHT RAIL, Ride Light Rail, Valley Metro