The Phoenix City Council voted on Jan. 27 to halt a planned light rail extension to the Arizona state capitol, opting to prioritize an alternate route along the West Phoenix corridor, Axios reported.
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The original Capitol Extension route would have extended from downtown Phoenix along a westside corridor past the Capitol Mall to the Desert Sky Transit Center at Thomas Road and 79th Avenue.
But the council’s transportation subcommittee changed plans following pushback from Republican state legislative leaders. The city council voted 7-2 to pivot to a previously approved West Phoenix corridor route along Indian School Road in the Maryvale neighborhood.
Voters approved the original plan to bring the light rail in 2015 under the city’s Transportation 2050 plan. In 2023, the Arizona Legislature allowed Maricopa County to put a transportation tax extension on the ballot, but Republican lawmakers included a provision barring regional transportation sales tax funds from funding tracks in the capitol’s immediate vicinity.
The transportation plan only extended the capitol line just outside of this zone, but Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro and Senate President Warren Petersen wrote to the council expressing “united opposition” to the proposal, arguing it was too expensive and served too few residents.
Phoenix Councilmember Debra Stark had told Axios that advocates of the Capitol Extension were worried that GOP lawmakers would obstruct the rail plan or lobby the Trump administration to deny funding for it.
Before the vote, Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote to the council that the Capitol Extension route would generate $4B in economic impact, create thousands of jobs and support affordable housing development in the area, ABC15 reported.
Opponents of the changed rail plans say the Indian School route could interfere with small businesses and add to crime and homelessness.
Advocates for the route change, including Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Anna Hernandez, reportedly rallied for the Indian School route, saying it would be transformational for the Maryvale neighborhood. Mayor Kate Gallego also supported the route change as a way to make the extension a reality.
The city could begin design work on the newly approved extension by 2029, with construction set to start in 2031, KJZZ reported. The 10-mile Indian School route is targeting a 2036 opening, with planning updates expected this fall, the Phoenix Business Journal reported.
