I am a visitor of Phoenix, and since 1996, when our city lost its intercity rail service, the need for efficient transportation between Phoenix and Tucson has been deeply felt. Our cities are two of the largest in Arizona; they're economic powerhouses that deserve to be connected by more than just highways.

The establishment of a high-speed rail corridor would not only facilitate faster travel but also contribute to reducing carbon emissions by offering an alternative to car travel. According to the U.S Department of Transportation (2015), high-speed trains emit an average of 0.34 pounds of CO2 per passenger mile compared to cars which emit 0.96 pounds.

Moreover, this project could potentially create thousands of jobs during its construction phase and beyond - boosting our local economies 

In February 2023, the FRA indicated that it was studying a re-route of the Sunset Limited from Maricopa back to Phoenix as part of the Long-Distance Service Study ordered by the IIJA. The move would revert a 1996 route change that cut direct service to Arizona's most populous metropolitan area, with stops at Phoenix, Tempe, and Coolidge.

In June 2023, Amtrak submitted an application to the FRA seeking funding for a project to return Sunset Limited service to Phoenix, paired with increasing the route's frequency to once-daily service.

when completed Phoenix will become the initial westbound terminus of the Amtrak Sunset Limited then go west following the Interstate 10 corridor towards the following cities: Buckeye, Arizona before crossing the Colorado river at the Arizona California state line towards Indio, California and the Inland Empire before terminating at Los Angeles Union Station in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, California

We urge the relevant authorities in federal transportation bodies such as Amtrak to consider this proposal seriously for the benefit it would bring both environmentally friendly and economically viable alternatives to traveling in the cars

Please sign this petition if you believe in better connectivity between Phoenix and Tucson through high-speed rail infrastructure.

In October 1995, Amtrak's Sunset Limited was derailed by saboteurs near Palo Verde, Arizona on Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. Two locomotives, Amtrak GE P32-8BWH#511 leading and EMD F40PHR #398 trailing, and eight of twelve cars derailed, four of them falling 30 feet (9 m) off a trestle bridge into a dry river bed. Mitchell Bates, a sleeping car attendant, was killed. Seventy-eight people were injured, 12 of them seriously and 25 were taken to the hospital.