AZDOT Public Transit and Rail Services 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which agency operates the Valley Metro Rail light rail system in the Phoenix metropolitan area?
- Arizona Department of Transportation
- Valley Metro (Correct answer)
- City of Phoenix Transit
- Maricopa County Transit Authority
Correct answer: Valley Metro
Valley Metro operates the light rail and bus rapid transit services throughout the Phoenix metro region.
Question 2: The Valley Metro Rail light rail line primarily connects which two cities in its original segment?
- Scottsdale and Tempe
- Phoenix and Mesa (Correct answer)
- Chandler and Glendale
- Gilbert and Peoria
Correct answer: Phoenix and Mesa
The original light rail segment connected downtown Phoenix to central Mesa, passing through Tempe.
Question 3: What is the fare payment method introduced by Valley Metro that allows riders to use a stored-value card on rail and bus?
- AZRide Card (Correct answer)
- Valley Card
- Platinum Pass
- Orbit Card
Correct answer: AZRide Card
The AZRide Card is Valley Metro's reloadable smart card used for paying fares across rail and bus services.
Question 4: Which federal agency provides significant funding for Arizona's public transit capital projects such as light rail expansions?
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Federal Transit Administration (Correct answer)
- Federal Highway Administration
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
Correct answer: Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is the primary federal source of capital and operating grants for public transit systems.
Question 5: Sun Link is the name of the streetcar system operating in which Arizona city?
- Phoenix
- Scottsdale
- Flagstaff
- Tucson (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Tucson
Sun Link is Tucson's modern streetcar system, connecting the University of Arizona to downtown Tucson.
Question 6: When a transit agency plans a major rail extension in Arizona, which document must be prepared to assess environmental impacts?
- Transit Development Plan
- Environmental Impact Statement (Correct answer)
- Capital Asset Management Plan
- Service Frequency Report
Correct answer: Environmental Impact Statement
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required under NEPA for major federally funded transportation projects.
Question 7: Valley Metro Rail trains run on what type of electrification system?
- Third rail power
- Diesel-electric hybrid
- Overhead catenary wire (Correct answer)
- Battery-electric propulsion
Correct answer: Overhead catenary wire
Valley Metro Rail uses an overhead catenary wire system to supply electricity to the light rail vehicles.
AZDOT Public Transit and Rail Services 2
Which agency operates the Valley Metro Rail light rail system in the Phoenix metropolitan area?