![]() ![]() The Amtrak statement echoed these claims, saying, "If Congress provides the funding proposed in the President’s plan, Amtrak would be able to bring the (northeast corridor) to a state of good repair and improve trip times, and would also expand Amtrak to underserved communities across the nation. ![]() Watch Video: Biden's infrastructure plan: What's inside the new $2 trillion bill? "Regardless of whatever complaints you have about subsidies, this will boost the gross domestic product in Phoenix," he said. "This is simply amazing for the environment," Zoellner added.įrom 1825 on, Zoellner said railroad history shows wherever you put a station, the real estate value around it "skyrockets." A rehabilitated Union Station accompanied by dining options and shops would increase visitation, too. If Amtrak were to add stops in Tucson and Phoenix, as the map suggests, there would be less traffic downtown, on Interstate 10 and fewer short-haul flights to each destination, "some of the worst polluters when it comes to climate change." More travel options relieve stress on other infrastructure elements in a bustling city, Zoellner said. "There's no question we won't make a profit on this, but that's not the point," said Zoellner, a former Republic reporter and author of the book “Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World - From the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief.” It was ultimately rejected.īut author Tom Zoellner, a professor at Chapman University in Southern California, said that public investment in transportation benefits communities in a variety of ways. The pair backed a group of Arizona business owners and developers who petitioned to get a proposition on the ballot that would prevent the city’s South Central light rail extension. They have also targeted light rail expansion in Phoenix, calling such projects "wasteful spending." Oil billionaires Charles and David Koch have tried to derail public transit plans in cities across the nation such as Little Rock, Arkansas, to Nashville. Public spending on Amtrak and other transit systems has faced intense criticism from conservatives for years. Critics say it's money down the drain others say that's not the point ![]() Today, Valley residents who want to use Amtrak must travel to Maricopa, about 35 miles south of Phoenix. Service never resumed after it was shut down in June 1996 for the extended criminal investigation of a derailment near Hyder in western Arizona that killed a crewman and injured 78 people. Phoenix remains the largest city in the U.S. The map displays potential routes connecting Phoenix and Tucson to large California cities like Los Angeles and Riverside, and even to Las Vegas.Īmtrak spokeswoman Olivia Irvin told The Arizona Republic on Friday that the map is subject to change, and more specific details will come out regarding each region in the next month. "Amtrak must rebuild and improve the Northeast Corridor, our National Network and expand our service to more of America." “President Biden’s infrastructure plan is what this nation has been waiting for," Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn said in a statement. In a statement, Amtrak said it would bring "energy-efficient, world-class intercity rail service" to up to 160 new communities across the nation. Biden earned the nickname "Amtrak Joe" in the 1970s for using the route from Washington, D.C., to his home in Delaware as his primary mode of transportation. Known as the American Jobs Plan, the program would allocate $2 trillion to rebuild the nation's aging infrastructure by 2035. The additions will only come to fruition if Amtrak secures the $80 billion proposed by President Joe Biden as part of his infrastructure plan. Time will tell, but a proposed map of expanded service released by the passenger train service this week includes Phoenix for the first time since 1996. Will an Amtrak stop be coming to Phoenix for the first time since its last train left the station nearly a quarter of a century ago? ![]()
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