Sun Link

This article is about the Tucson transit system. For the photovoltaics manufacturer, see SunLink.
Sun Link
Overview
Type Streetcar
Status Operational
Locale Tucson, Arizona, United States
Termini Arizona Health Sciences Center
Mercado District
Stations 21 (17 per direction)
Daily ridership 4,000[1]
Website sunlinkstreetcar.com
Operation
Opened July 25, 2014[2][3]
Owner City of Tucson
Operator(s) RATP Dev McDonald Transit[4]
Rolling stock United Streetcar 200 (8 cars)[5][6]
Technical
Line length 3.9 miles (6.3 km)[7]
Route diagram
Legend
Helen & Warren
 Speedway Blvd.
 2nd St. & Cherry
 2nd St. & Highland
 2nd St. & Olive
 University & Tyndall
 University & 3rd Ave.
 4th Ave. & 5th St.
 4th Ave. & 7th St.

Maintenance & Operations
 4th Ave. & 9th St.
AmtrakAmtrak
Toole & 4th Ave.

Congress/Broadway & 6th Ave.
Congress/Broadway & Stone
Congress/Broadway & Church
Congress & Granada
 Granada & Cushing
 I‑10
 Cushing & Frontage
 Santa Cruz River
Cushing & Convento
Convento & Congress

Source: Sun Link Project Map[8]

Sun Link, also known as the Tucson Streetcar, is a single-line streetcar system in Tucson, Arizona, United States that began service in July 2014.[2][3][9] The system's 3.9-mile (6.3 km) route connects the Arizona Health Sciences Center (including University Medical Center), the University of Arizona campus, the Main Gate and 4th Avenue shopping and entertainment districts, downtown Tucson, the Tucson Convention Center, and the Mercado District under development west of Interstate 10.[7][10] The streetcar project's overall cost of $196 million was met through a combination of local funding sources and federal grants.[11][12] The streetcar shares a common payment system with the Sun Tran regional bus service.[13]

Funding

In May 2006 Pima County voters approved a $2.1 billion, 20-year regional transportation plan which included $75 million toward construction of a modern streetcar and an additional $12.7 million toward its operation. In December 2010, a $63 million federal TIGER grant was awarded to the City of Tucson, meeting most of the remaining funding gap and allowing the project to move forward. An additional $6 million of federal funding was obtained through the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program. Funding also came from utilities for relocation and improvements along the streetcar route, most significantly $10.6 million from Tucson Water.[12][14]

Construction

A $56 million contract for removal of existing roadway, utility relocation, installation of track, resurfacing, and construction of the system's 21 covered, accessible stops was awarded to Old Pueblo Trackworks, a joint venture of Granite Construction and RailWorks Track Systems, in March 2012.[15] Construction began in April 2012 and continued through summer 2013.[16] The first phase addressed straight sections of the route east of the Congress and Granada stop and required rolling closures of sections of Congress Street, Broadway Boulevard, 4th Avenue, University Boulevard, 2nd Street, the Warren Avenue underpass, and Helen Street.[17] Phase two began in November 2012 and included all work west of the convention center, corner sections requiring fabrication of curved track elements, and additional work on Broadway and the Warren underpass.[10]

A 320-foot bridge across the Santa Cruz serving streetcar, automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic was constructed in 2012 under a separate contract. Named for former Tucson city manager Luis G. Gutierrez, the bridge extends Cushing Street from the I-10 frontage road to Avenida del Convento, providing a link between the Tucson Convention Center and the Mercado District.[18]

Construction of the Sun Link Operations & Maintenance Facility, an eight million-dollar depot centered on the system route at 5th Avenue and 8th Street, began in May 2012.[11][19] A public open house celebrating its completion and delivery of the first streetcar's delivery was held on September 6, 2013, with speeches from officials including Tucson mayor Jonathan Rothschild and state senator Steve Farley, a longtime advocate of the streetcar.[20][21]

Vehicles

A Tucson Sun Link streetcar at the 3rd and University station.

Sun Link maintains a fleet of eight United Streetcar 200s, using up to six cars at once. The streetcar is 66 feet long, double-ended (bi-directional), and articulated into three sections. Its center section floor is at platform height for accessibility with two double-door entrances on each side. Each side has a third passenger door located behind the operator cab. Propulsion is provided by four 90-kW motors drawing power via pantograph from an overhead wire. The streetcar has a maximum speed of 43.5 mph (70 km/h) and a capacity of 156 passengers (29 seated and 127 standing).[22]

The United 200 is largely identical to the 100 model produced for systems in Portland and Washington, D.C., the only major difference being that the 200 is equipped with upgraded air-conditioning.[22] The design of the 100 model itself is based on the Czech-made Škoda 10 T.[23]

Tucson placed a $26 million order with United for seven cars in June 2010.[5] An eighth was ordered for an additional $3.6 million in July 2012 in order to satisfy FTA requirements for a second spare.[6] United's first model 200 car arrived in Tucson by flatbed truck on August 30, 2013.[24] Delays in streetcar production pushed Sun Link's projected start of service from a forecast of late 2013 as of the start of construction to July 2014.[11][12] Tucson officials notified United Streetcar in May 2013 of their intention to assess contractual damages for late delivery.[25][26] United's parent company, Vigor Works, formerly Oregon Iron Works, settled with the city in 2016 for $1.7 million to be paid in additional parts and labor.[27]

Service

Mon–Thur Friday Saturday Sunday
7am–8am 15 15
8am–9am 30 30
9am–10am 10 10
10am–6pm 15 20
6pm–8pm 15 15 30
8pm–10pm
10pm–12pm
Headway in minutes[28]

Weekday service runs every ten minutes during peak hours and every fifteen minutes mornings and evenings. Saturday morning and Sunday service runs every twenty or thirty minutes.[29] Half-hour late-night service, discontinued in June 2016, ran through 2am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.[30] Travel time from one end of the line to the other is approximately 30 minutes.[31]

One-way fare is $1.50, and includes transfer to connecting Sun Tran busses. A SunGO pass or fare card, available at the Ronstadt Transit Center, online, and at various retail locations, must be purchased prior to boarding; payment is not accepted by Sun Link drivers. 24-hour passes are available for $3.50 from ticket vending machines located on all Sun Link platforms, payable either in exact change or by credit. Passengers must record payment by placing fare cards on electronic validators after boarding.[13] No fare to kids below 6 with fare-paying rider; limit 3.

North of the Warren Avenue stop, the streetcar passes under Speedway Boulevard on a single-track line in a dedicated right of way. After reaching its northern terminus at Helen, the car reverses direction. In all but one or two other places along the route, the streetcar operates with traffic.[32]

Route

Districts, connections, & destinations
District Stop Connections Destinations
University Hellen St. at Warren Ave.
 		 Bus interchange Sun Tran: 4, 9[33]
Bus interchange Cat Tran: Purple, Green[34]		 Arizona Health Sciences Center
Warren Avenue Underpass
2nd St. at Cherry Ave.
  		Bicycle facilities University Bike Blvd.[35]
Bus interchange Cat Tran: Mountain		 Hillenbrand Stadium, Flandrau Science Center, McKale Center, Arizona Stadium
2nd St. & Highland Ave.
 		 Bicycle facilities Mountain Ave. Bikeway
Parking 2nd St.[36]		 UA Student Union Memorial Center
2nd St. & Olive
 		 Bus interchange Cat Tran: USA, Inner Campus
Parking Park Ave.		 Center for Creative Photography, UA Museum of Art
Main
Gate		 University & Tyndall
 		 Bus interchange Sun Tran: 1, 6
Parking Main Gate, Tyndall Ave.		 Centennial Hall, Arizona Historical Society, Arizona State Museum
4th
Avenue		 University & 3rd Ave.
 		 Bicycle facilities University Bike Blvd. Rogue Theatre
 
4th Ave. & 5th St.
 		 Bicycle facilities 4th Ave. Bike Blvd.
 
4th Ave. & 7th St.
 		 Bus interchange Sun Tran: 3, 9
 
4th Ave. & 9th St.
 		 Bicycle facilities Golf Links-Aviation Path
 
4th Avenue Underpass
Downtown Toole & 4th Ave.
   eastbound only		 Parking Centro Rialto Theater, Historic Tucson Depot, Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Hotel Congress
Congress/Broadway & 6th Ave. Bus interchange Sun Tran: 1–4, 6–10, 16, 19, 21–23, 421
Bus interchange Sun Express: 102, 103, 105, 107, 109, 110
Amtrak Amtrak: Sunset Ltd., Texas Eagle[36]
Parking Depot Plaza, Pennington St.		 Ronstadt Transit Center, Children's Museum Tucson, Armory Park
Congress/Broadway & Stone
 		 Parking Main Library Fox Tucson Theatre, Saint Augustine Cathedral, Joel D. Valdez Main Library, Downtown History Museum, Scottish Rite Cathedral, Temple of Music and Art
Congress/Broadway & Church
 		 Bus interchange Sun Tran: 7, 16, 21, 22 Pima County Courthouse, Presidio San Augustin del Tucson, Tucson City Hall, Tucson Arena, Leo Rich Theatre
Congress & Granada
 		 Bus interchange Sun Express: 101, 104, 105, 108, 110
Parking Hotel Arizona, City/State		 Tucson Music Hall, Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House, DeConcini Federal Courthouse, Tucson Museum of Art
Granada Ave. & Cushing St.
 		 Bicycle facilities Liberty-10th Ave. Bikeway
Greyhound Lines Greyhound[36]
Parking Tucson Convention Center surface lots		 Tucson Convention Center
Interstate 10 Underpass
Mercado Cushing & Frontage
 		 Bicycle facilities The Loop (Santa Cruz River Park)
Luis Gurierrez Bridge
Cushing & Convento
   westbound only
 
Convento & Congress
 		 Bus interchange Sun Tran: 21, 22 Mercado San Augustin, El Rio Community Health Center

Stops listed from east to west; district names and coloration taken from official Sun Link routemap.[37]

See also

References

  1. ↑ McNamara, Patrick (March 15, 2015). "Tucson's streetcar exceeds ridership expectations". Arizona Daily Star.
  2. 1 2 "Tucson Streetcar Debuts to Crowds, Hot Weather". Arizona Public Media. Arizona Board of Regents. July 25, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Taylor, Rebecca (July 26, 2014). "'Tremendous' opening day for Sun Link Streetcar". KVOA. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Pallack, Becky (December 5, 2012). "Management deal for streetcar costs $2.5M for 3 years". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Tucson to United Streetcar: Build seven". Railway Age. June 8, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  6. 1 2 DaRonco, Darren (July 13, 2012). "Backup streetcar to cost Tucson $3.6M". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Why do we need a streetcar? – The streetcar route". Sun Link Tucson Streetcar. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ "FTA Quarterly Review" (PDF). Sun Link. December 18, 2014. p. 27.
  9. ↑ "Tucson Envisions The Sun Link". Forbes. June 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Barnes, Bethany (March 7, 2012). "Streetcar construction starts in April; here's what you need to know". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 "FTA Quarterly Review - March 2013" (pdf). Sun Link. March 28, 2013. p. 10.
  12. 1 2 3 Vitu, Teya. "Streetcar Construction Will Start in Late April", Downtown Tucsonan, March, 2012. Retrieved on April 30, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "SunGO Fare Payment, General Information". Sun Tran. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ O'Dell, Rob (December 29, 2010). "US grants Tucson $63M for streetcar". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Bowen, Douglas John (March 30, 2012). "Joint venture awarded Tucson streetcar contract". Railway Age. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  16. ↑ Seberger, Will (April 12, 2012). "City breaks ground on Modern Streetcar". TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  17. ↑ Jackman, Janet Rose (April 9, 2012). "City to celebrate streetcar as Congress St. closes". TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  18. ↑ Pallack, Becky (September 8, 2012). "Bridge art spotlights history". Arizona Daily Star.
  19. ↑ Vitu, Teya (October 2011). "4th Avenue Open During Storm Drainage Work". Downtown Tucsonan. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  20. ↑ Ferguson, Joe (September 4, 2013). "Streetcar "celebration" set for Friday". Arizona Daily Star.
  21. ↑ Salzwedel, Sam (September 6, 2013). "Hundreds see official unveiling of Streetcar and facility". KVOA.
  22. 1 2 "United Streetcar Options". United Streetcar. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  23. ↑ Schmidt, Brad (April 20, 2013). "Oregon streetcars: Money flows despite missed deadlines, cost overruns". The Oregonian.
  24. ↑ "Truck delivers first new streetcar to Tucson from Ore. manufacturing plant; total of 8 planned". The Republic. Associated Press. August 30, 2013.
  25. ↑ DaRonco, Darren (May 7, 2013). "Assess penalties for late streetcars now, some council members say". Arizona Daily Star.
  26. ↑ Benito, Marcelino (May 1, 2013). "Cashing in: Streetcar delays could deliver dollars to City of Tucson". KGUN-TV.
  27. ↑ Pallack, Becky (February 11, 2016). "Tucson gets $1.7M — in parts and labor — for streetcar delays". Arizona Daily Star.
  28. ↑ "New schedule effective June 9, 2016" (PDF). Sun Link. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ Smith, Dylan (Jan 19, 2015). "Sun Link streetcar schedule shifts". Tucson Sentinel.
  30. ↑ Reimer, Lauren (May 5, 2016). "Streetcar hours to be reduced by eight hours a week". News 4 Tucson.
  31. ↑ "Sun Link Streetcar route approximate timetable". Sun Link. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Warren Underpass Near UA Campus Reopens to Pedestrians". UANews. December 9, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Sun Tran System-Wide Transit map" (PDF). Sun Tran. February 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Cat Tran 2015-16 Map" (PDF). University of Arizona. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Pima County regional bike map" (PDF). Pima County. February 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  36. 1 2 3 "Parking and streetcar map" (PDF). City of Tucson. October 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  37. ↑ "System Map" (PDF). Sun Link. August 2014.

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