From: "Friends of Transit NEWS" To: "Friends of Transit NEWS" Subject: Phoenix likely to keep all 18 light-rail stops Date: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 10:26 PM Phoenix likely to keep all 18 light-rail stops By Elvia Díaz The Arizona Republic March 02, 2002 Phoenix will not scrap any of the 18 train stops along the city's stretch of the light-rail system after residents balked at plans to eliminate at least three of them. A City Council subcommittee this week reversed an earlier decision to postpone construction of three stops, saying picking up passengers is more important than paving the train tracks. Light-rail planners had proposed eliminating five stops to keep construction down, but they changed their minds about two of them. On Wednesday, council members Peggy Bilsten, Claude Mattox, Doug Lingner and Dave Siebert decided to reinstate the remaining stops marked for elimination. They are along Central Avenue at Campbell Avenue, Encanto Boulevard and Roosevelt Street. The lawmakers agreed to shade only half of each of the stops. The full council plans to take up the issue later this month or early April. Building all the proposed stops means most of the city's portion of the light rail would not be encased in concrete. Instead, the city plans to use crushed gravel. "It's more important to build the stops than focusing on what the train tracks would look like," Mattox said. Once completed, the train is expected to haul 29,000 people daily between Phoenix and the East Valley. The 20.3-mile route is expected to be ready in less than six years.