METRO Milestones

METRO Light Rail Project History 2002-2004

November 2000
Final light rail alignment approved

February 2001
Project opens community office for the public

July 2001
Project publishes its Urban Design Guidelines, which will guide all design decisions for the Project

September 2001
City of Phoenix purchases first property for the light rail system at Camelback Road and 3rd Avenue

December 2001
Project receives first Recommended rating from Federal Transit Administration in its New Starts Report

January 2002
Project unveils vehicle concept

July 2003
METRO receives formal approval from the Federal Transit Administration for the light rail project to enter the Final Design phase. The approval allows designers to finalize the construction plans during the coming months, begin utility relocation and request early approval to begin purchasing light rail vehicles and construction materials.

August 2004
The METRO Board approves the METRO Business Outreach Plan to help minimize the impacts of light rail construction on businesses located along the light rail transit alignment.

November 2004
A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the reconstruction of an access bridge over the Grand Canal at 48th Street that leads to the Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Center.

December 2004
METRO approves a $115 million contract with a joint venture between Japanese manufacturer Kinkisharyo and the Mitsui Company to produce 36 vehicles for the Valley’s light rail system.

METRO unveils the name METRO as the new operational name for the light rail system, beating out 3,000 others in the agency’s Name the Train contest.

METRO hires Rick Simonetta, a respected leader in the transit industry with 25 years’ experience as the General Manager/CEO of four transit agencies nationwide, as the new Chief Executive Officer for METRO.

January 2004
Congress passes the FY 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes transportation $13 million for the METRO light rail initial line.

March 2004
A METRO light rail vehicle paint scheme and logo are approved.

January 2005
Full Funding Grant Agreement signed.

February 2005
Groundbreaking event held at Tempe Beach Park.

April 2005
METRO Max program launched.

May 2005
First embedded track in downtown Phoenix is placed at Central and Van Buren.

September 2005
East Valley construction begins.

November 2005
METRO vehicle unveiled.

February 2006
METRO board authorizes purchase of 14 additional light rail vehicles under its contract with Kinkisharyo, bringing the METRO fleet to 50.

March 2006
The first 200 feet of light rail track is installed near the Phoenix/Tempe border at Washington and 56th streets.

November 2006
Kinkisharyo announces that it will conduct vehicle assembly operations at METRO’s Maintenance and Storage Facility.

December 2006

• METRO takes delivery of its first light rail vehicle. The vehicle is shipped in four pieces atop four flatbed trucks.
• Tempe Town Lake Bridge is illuminated for the first time at the APS Fantasy of Lights boat parade event. More than 20,000 attendees—triple the event’s usual attendance—turn out to see the five-minute light display that kicks-off the parade.
• METRO closes the year with a total track installation count of 57,961 linear feet (10.97 miles). That comprises 38,700 linear feet (7.33 miles) in the five line sections, plus 19,261 (3.64 miles) at the Maintenance and Storage Facility. (5280 linear feet are in a mile).

February 2007
METRO unveils its first fully-assembled vehicle and cuts the ribbon on the Operations and Maintenance Center.

March 2007

• Structual steel is erected on the first METRO station at Van Buren Street and First Avenue
• Vehicle testing begins on the METRO test track, a one-mile section of the alignment on Washington Street between 48th and 56th streets, when engineers use a Brandt car-mover to tow LRV 101 along the tracks.

July 2007
The city of Chandler joins the METRO Board of Directors.

August 2007

• The city of Peoria joins the METRO Board of Directors.
• Vehicle testing on Washington Street expands to Priest Drive in Tempe.

October 2007
First station art installed at the First Avenue and Jefferson Street station. Artist Stephen Farley’s “Downtown Justice” features terrazzo commemorative discs honoring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former Lewis & Roca managing partner John Frank, the attorney who argued the Miranda case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

December 2007

• Line Section 4 construction, from downtown Phoenix to Tempe, finished on
  Dec. 27.
• METRO begins testing vehicles on a one-mile section of Washington St. test track using its new traffic signal system; police officers are no longer used to control traffic.