The A Line is a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

line which serves Phoenix, Tempe, and

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

. It is the east-west line of the

Valley Metro Rail Valley Metro Rail is a light rail system serving the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona, USA. The network, which is part of the Valley Metro public transit system, began operations on December 27, 2008. In , the system had a ridership of , ...

system, running from Downtown Phoenix to the east. With the inauguration of the two-line system in 2025, the A Line was split from its former routing north of downtown and was rerouted to terminate at the Downtown Phoenix Hub.

Service description

Route description

The A Line starts at the Downtown Phoenix Hub. Eastbound service runs on First Avenue south before turning east on Jefferson Street; likewise, westbound one-way service starts at 26th Street on Washington Street before turning north on Central Avenue. Phoenix Exterior Bridge

Both tracks rejoin east of 24th Street on Washington Street. Continuing east on Washington, the rail line passes

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil-military public international airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport; among the largest commercial airports ...

, which is connected by the

PHX Sky Train The PHX Sky Train is an electric people mover at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. The initial segment opened to the public on April 8, 2013. The first extension to Terminal 3 opened on December 8, 2014, and the se ...

at 44th Street/Washington, and then turns southeast towards Tempe. After Center Parkway/Washington station, the line leaves the median of Washington Street and runs south on a bridge that crosses

Tempe Town Lake Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River (Arizona), Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash Area, Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United State ...

, parallel to the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. It then turns east along Mill Avenue and connects to the Valley Metro Streetcar at Mill Avenue/3rd St before proceeding via its own right-of-way near

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. Going southward, it joins Apache Boulevard headed eastward, which becomes Main Street in Mesa. The light rail line ends at an intersection with Gilbert Road at Gilbert Road/Main Street station.

Hours and frequency

Station listing

The following table lists the stations of the A Line, from west to east.

History

The line between Downtown Phoenix and Sycamore/Main Street station is a segment of the inaugural Valley Metro Rail system, which opened in 2008. Subsequent extensions in 2015 and 2019 brought the eastern terminus to Gilbert Road/Main Street station. As the South Central Extension was constructed, the intersection of the north-south and east-west rail segments was designed to act as a transfer point. The A Line split into its own service on June 7, 2025.

Future developments

Capitol Extension

The Capitol Extension will run from

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

and the

Downtown Phoenix Hub The Downtown Phoenix Hub, also collectively known as Downtown Hub and City Hall, is a light rail hub on the A and B lines of the Valley Metro Rail system in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is the western terminus of the A Line. The hub is locate ...

Downtown Phoenix Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County, Arizona, ...

west to 15th Avenue, adding and two stations. environmental assessment work is underway.

I-10 West Extension

The I-10 West Extension will run from 15th Avenue west to

Interstate 17 Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-17's southern terminus lies in Phoenix, at I-10/US 60 and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at I-40. Most of I-17 is kn ...

before turning north to the interchange of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

and I-17 ("

The Stack The Stack is a colloquialism used to describe the symmetrical, four-level stack interchange in Phoenix, Arizona that facilitates movements between Interstate 17/ U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 10. Description In 2006, the Stack interchange saw a ...

"). Then the line will turn west and continue down I-10 in the median past 43rd Avenue. It will then go over the westbound lanes of I-10 to continue alongside the highway to Desert Sky Mall, adding and 8 stations to connect the West Valley and ease congestion on Interstate 10. The line will transfer over I-10 from the median to the shoulder at 47th Avenue, which will connect with I-10 around 51st Avenue with an elevated station. In fall 2021, the Phoenix City Council approved extending the project corridor to the Desert Sky Transit Center, adjacent to the Desert Sky Mall.

References

External links

{{Valley Metro Valley Metro Rail Railway lines opened in 2008