My hometown of Phoenix opened its light rail system a few days ago. Here’s how things are going, according to Arizona Republic Columnist E.J. Montini (emphasis is mine):
I got to the train station at 19th Avenue and Montebello shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, expecting the worst.
Last Friday around noon, I waited in line 20 minutes to purchase tickets at this same station, the closest to my house and currently the end of the line. (Or is it the beginning?) After acquiring passes that day, it took another 20 minutes for a train to pull up to the platform.
When the doors opened Friday, the mob pushed through like a crowd of NFL fullbacks, or worse, like New Yorkers. I was near the front and rode the wave of humanity like a surfer, then watched as more and more and more people packed themselves into the compartment until the modern rail car had the sweaty, desperate feel of a refugee train.
Because light rail is brand-new and carries with it as much a sense of whimsy as practicality, it feels like part commuter train and part amusement-park ride. At least it’s been that way since the system started running in late December, when rides were free and the trains were the destination.
Monday was different. There were no crowds and no delays. The platform at the 19th and Montebello station had more people wearing orange Metro vests than passengers waiting to board the train. One Metro worker told me that the trains had been much more crowded between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Predictable. Lots of people think the idea of light rail is great, and it’s a short-term novelty, but few people consistently use it themselves. We like our cars. We like our privacy. We like travel flexibility. In other words, we like everything light rail isn’t.
