In Phoenix, as in other areas that have implemented commuter rail, track speeds would be increased, signals updated, and additional sidings and double-track added.
[14] The lines would overlap at four central stations: State Capital, Phoenix, Sky Harbor Airport, and Tempe.
Provisions for extensions would allow for an additional Grand Avenue Corridor station in Wickenburg, two additional stations on the San Tan Line Corridor in San Tan Valley and Florence,[2] and an extension of Estrella Line service to Arlington.
[2] The updated study estimated capital costs for rail systems using diesel multiple units (DMU) or push-pull trainsets (LHC).
[14] The corridor utilizes the BNSF Railway's Phoenix Subdivision, which already has sidings for passing trains but lacks any signals.
[14] A trip by car from Union Station to Wittmann utilizing the parallel Grand Avenue (U.S. Route 60) is projected to take 120 minutes by 2040.
[14] The line was served by Amtrak's Sunset Limited until June 1996, when it was rerouted to a more direct route via Maricopa rather than of Phoenix.
The population of the surrounding areas – Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community – is projected to grow by 47% between 2015 and 2040.
[14] The corridor will serve airports at Sky Harbor and Mesa and the campuses of Arizona State University and East Valley Institute of Technology.
[14] The population of the surrounding areas – Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Guadalupe, Chandler, and the Gila River Indian Community is projected to grow by 45% between 2015 and 2040.