[vertex]

I thought I would head over to Washington St., to catch a glimpse at some of the high-speed light rail testing being done for the Valley Metro.

For the uninitiated, Phoenix is opening it's 20 mile, 27 station starter line next year. Valley Metro has dedicated a 1 mile segment to begin testing trains on. These are Kinki Sharyo LF-LRV trains, they will hold up to 200 per car, and run in 3-car configurations about 7-20 minutes apart. The initial fleet size will be 52 cars.

I managed to watch several runs, and recorded a few. I had my camera with me, but no tripod, and only my phone for video (sorry for the shakiness in a couple of clips).

The first clip shows the high-speed test. I was a bit late starting the camera for this clip; the train started from a complete stop just a second before, but you can still see how it really takes off! The project manager told me later that the train got up to 52 mph.

NsUtCbt-9GQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsUtCbt-9GQ


Here are some clips from the other runs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avc2ABwyFSY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQGa6K-Qzw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKi_nBLz80

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G_16QRBuM0


And now for a few pics:

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4985/img1648cleanyc7.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9394/img1659cleanha4.jpg

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/7862/img1660cleankq1.jpg

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/923/img1664cleankq2.jpg

I know it's goofy, but I just had to throw this one in.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9770/img1656goofyue6.jpg

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8888/img1665cleanvz7.jpg

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/3290/panotrain2zd7.jpg

Money shot:

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/6356/panotrainpr3.jpg

Hope you enjoy!

[PHX31]

p.i.m.p. ! i can't wait

[vertex]

From the looks of it, there are about a half-dozen cars assembled, with about 40-something to go.

You could probably go out to the testing track anytime between now and the opening, and see them testing these newly-assembled cars with some regularity.
The testing times will most likely be the same as last night, from around midnight - 4:00 am.

[ThrashATL]

I know it's goofy, but I just had to throw this one in.

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9770/img1656goofyue6.jpg

Hope you enjoy!

Goofy? That's cool as hell, I like that. Suitable for framing.

[seaskyfan]

Looks good! When does the line start regular service?

[vertex]

The whole thing opens on December '08.

[Daquan13]

I wish that we had those here!

They look so cool and fresh!! Also, I like that headlight above the windshield!!

[vertex]

I thought Boston used Kinki's on the green line, no?

[Riise]

How is this high-speed LRT? It looks more like a median running low-floor tram system...

[vertex]

It's an ordinary LRT, but it was a (relatively) high-speed test.

Sorry for the confusion. It's not Maglev or anything...

[Daquan13]

I thought Boston used Kinki's on the green line, no?



They still do, but you should see how ugly they look now; Old, beat up, rusted up and eaten out. The inside still looks ok, but the outside of these things could stand some serious body work and repainting!!

They are eyesores now. These are what they call Type 7's. The Type 6's (Boeing Vertol) have all been disposed of, and the Type 8's (Bombardier) are the low-floor ones.

Incidently, the old PCC trollies that are used on the Ashmont - Mattapan line are all scheduled for a facelift, up to and including a new revamped HVAC pack system which will provide air conditioning and also year-round comfort.

The 60-year-old cars will also get new seats and ceiling lights. Outside, they will retain the old flavor and style of the '40s and '50s by being repainted in their retro color gray, yellow and orange.

They'll be ready to roll by November when reconstruction of the transit line is completed.

[mersar]

I must say I do like the design of the LRV's, very stylish. And lowfloor to boot.

50mph isn't too bad, thats ~80kph which is what the Ctrain in Calgary tops out at.

Any projections on what they expect ridership to be? [I'd assume with around 50 LRV's probably looking at max of 50-70k/day, using Calgary's 26miles with 120 LRV's, 30 some stations and 250k as a base guideline]

[Azndragon837]

Wow. I am so excited. Thanks for the videos and photos Vertex! Only 1.5 years left until service. I can't wait!

-Andrew

[Justin10000]

They still do, but you should see how ugly they look now; Old, beat up, rusted up and eaten out. The inside still looks ok, but the outside of these things could stand some serious body work and repainting!!

They are eyesores now. These are what they call Type 7's. The Type 6's (Boeing Vertol) have all been disposed of, and the Type 8's (Bombardier) are the low-floor ones.

Incidently, the old PCC trollies that are used on the Ashmont - Mattapan line are all scheduled for a facelift, up to and including a new revamped HVAC system which will provide air conditioning and also year-round comfort.

The 60-year-old cars will also get new seats and ceiling lights. Outside, they will retain the old flavor of the '40s and '50s by being repainted in their retro color gray, yellow and orange.

They'll be ready to roll by November when reconstruction of the line is completed.

The Type 8 are Bredas.

These trains look really nice!

Phoenix should have a success on their hands.

[J. Will]

I must say I do like the design of the LRV's, very stylish. And lowfloor to boot.

50mph isn't too bad, thats ~80kph which is what the Ctrain in Calgary tops out at.

Any projections on what they expect ridership to be? [I'd assume with around 50 LRV's probably looking at max of 50-70k/day, using Calgary's 26miles with 120 LRV's, 30 some stations and 250k as a base guideline]

I'd be surprised if they averaged even 40k per day in the first few years.

[IdahoMountainBoy]

Good to see Phoenix moving in the right direction with public transportation :tup:

[ssiguy]

I think it is great to city Phoneix improving its transit but if it doesn't have very high frequency people in car crazed Phoneix may not be willing to wait for the next LRT train.

[Daquan13]

The Type 8 are Bredas.

These trains look really nice!

Phoenix should have a success on their hands.



Oh, then I must be thinking of the newest Red Line trains which I think are Bombardier, along with Amtrak's Acela trains.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Valley Metro has a new logo?

[zilfondel]

I'd be surprised if they averaged even 40k per day in the first few years.

That's what they said about Dallas and Houston.

[vertex]

I'd be surprised if they averaged even 40k per day in the first few years.

The initial estimates are for 27K per day. I believe they are intentionally low-balling the figure. The reason they would do this is for federal funding purposes. If ridership exceeds expectations, it will be a lot easier to get matching funds from Uncle Sam when it comes time to expand the system.

I believe ridership will be somewhere closer to 40K. But judging by all of the ToD starting to be built near the segment, it could be even higher.

Valley metro is also discussing how they can add additional park-and-ride garages at other stations, this is also a good sign.

[vertex]

Valley Metro has a new logo?

Same logo (look at the top of the middle of the car), but they also have a 'metro' only mark near the front of the cab.

[vertex]

I think it is great to city Phoneix improving its transit but if it doesn't have very high frequency people in car crazed Phoneix may not be willing to wait for the next LRT train.

Yeah, frequency is a concern. The official party line is 5-10 during peak hours; not only just rush hour, but for any demand period, such as before-and-after sporting events downtown.

[vertex]

Here are a couple of daytime shots of the train, posted on YouTube.

SNxzDVXfLkA

n3HMAG0uTMQ

[jamesinclair]

and run in 3-car configurations about 7-20 minutes apart.



I hope Im not the only one to see the problem here.

[Swede]

^Nope. Having more frequent, short, trains is far more preferable to having long trains sunning every 20 minutes (off-peak). While it would incur higher wage costs, it would also create higher ridership.

[J. Will]

I hope Im not the only one to see the problem here.

I agree. If you really want a competitive system, the wait should be no longer than it takes someone to get a car out of a parking garage. Who wants to wait 20 minutes for an LRT train? Craziness.

[sundevilgrad]

The trains look good. Although I'm a little concerned about Mesa. I drove down Price the other day and it almost looks like the tracks come to a dead stop at the Tempe/Mesa border. Mesa better get its act together, if this thing gets delayed because of their stupid asses I'll be pissed!

[Derek]

Go Phoenix!

[alexjon]

How's the testing going along? Have they done any end-to-end testing, or is that not possible yet?

[Echo Park]

Sweet looking train. I'd love to see these criss crossing Phoenix's grid in the near future.

[PhxSprawler]

How's the testing going along? Have they done any end-to-end testing, or is that not possible yet?

I stole this post from DesertDJ to answer your question:


Light rail update: Tempe roads back to normal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/s...7/daily28.html

Driving in Tempe just got a little easier.

In-road construction of Metro light rail lines has been completed throughout the city and driving lanes along the route have been fully restored from the downtown area, through Arizona State University and along Apache Boulevard to Loop 101.

Progress also is being made on light rail stations, including preparations for installation of artwork, according to Metro's latest update. Special pavers that include local residents' "memories of Apache Boulevard" are set for January installation at the Apache Boulevard/ Smith-Martin light rail station.

In Phoenix, paving is complete on Camelback Road between Central and 15th avenues, and by the end of January there will be continuous track from McDowell Road in Phoenix to Sycamore and Main streets in Mesa.

Metro is testing vehicles and operating a signal system on a one-mile section of Washington Street east of the airport. In spring 2008 testing will expand into downtown Tempe, with passenger service expected to begin in December 2008.

[alexjon]

Ah, so they're still on Washington!

But soon they'll be chugging along!

[SFUVancouver]

Hands down, Phoenix has the best looking LRT trains of all those I've seen in North America.