The Great Arizona Railroad
I propose that Arizona build a high(ish) speed railway running from Tuscon through to the Grand Canyon.
Three main purposes can be served by this:
- Tourist travel
- Transport of people of lower Arizona, (the valley and Tuscon), up to Snowbowl and the Grand Canyon
- Movement of students between our big 3 universities
Tourist Travel
Over 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon every year ^1, many of them flying in to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport ^2.
From the airport, some take rental cars, which are not immune from breakdown. At a mechanic shop in Page, I heard of a couple that had their rental breakdown and their belongings stolen from it.
Many international visitors take buses up. I saw this firsthand while living in Flagstaff, though the volume noticeably dropped after Covid.
A railroad could provide more than just a faster route, it could also provide the housing for the entire trip. Imagine if a person could schedule, ahead of their arrival, a trip that includes 2 nights in sedona and 2 nights at the grand canyon.
At PHX, they get into a private sleeper car where they have their own bed and closet and they can unpack their suitcase. As they arrive in Sedona, that car is disconnected from the engine and others are hooked up. Now they have housing in Sedona.
After 2 nights, a different engine picks up their car with them in it, and on to the grand canyon they go. This leaps over the hassle of packing and moving housing. The whole trip becomes easier and more appealing, especially to retirees that have a hard time getting around.
Travel between Lower State and Upper State
The journey from Phoenix to snowbowl is a regular one for many in the winter. Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams, and The Grand Canyon are common destinations for Phoenicians escaping the summer heat.
Traffic along the I-17 already reacts to this. This here-described railway solves the same issue as the expansion of the I-17 already underway, but in a more robust and modern way.
Rail is also safer. The I-17 is a high-risk road, yet it is commonly driven. Even if people are not hurt by driving it, many avoid it or worry ahead of their trips.
My generation (Gen Z) is increasingly wary of travel by cars. For some this has to do with Climate Change while for others it reflects recognizing the downsides of car-maxxing.
Having cheap, easy, and reliable travel to the northern part of our beautiful state will increase the quality of life for those of us that dwell in the desert. It improves the major downside phoenix-area living, the summer heat, and increases our connection.
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Movement of Students Between our 3 Big Universities
Our state is home to three of the biggest and best public universities in the country: NAU, ASU, and U of A. Each of them has its own strengths and appeals.
The proposed railway goes through all 3 of them, increasing the connectivity of students and faculty alike.
Rail is a much better form of travel than cars for students, as people can study along the route. It is safer, and students are able to talk to friends and strangers more readily along the route.
This greater connectivity would encourage more students to leave their hometown for college, which allows for a better diversity of experiences and independence.
The students that lived in California were able to take Amtrak home, as there is a line that runs that way, but no such line existed down to the valley.
More specifics
It does not need to enter Sedona. If it just takes the path along the I-17, shuttle services will arise which service that route into town and to common hiking trails.
Tuscon should be onboard, as tourism should increase and U of A would be more accessible to students. Once the Great Pyramid of Arizona is complete, the leg from Phoenix to Tuscon would be a must-do.
Further Context
A railway service exists from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, but it is not a modern railway with high speed rail. The new railway does not need to be at world class high speed in order to be effective, but if the travel time were made less than a car between every 2 points on the track, it would surely get used.
Missing this point is why the light rail fails to capture broad usage outside of people that live in the area, along with being unsafe and unclean.
