Valley Metro and the City of Phoenix invite the community to a celebration to commemorate the first trains reaching Baseline Road and testing across the entire length of the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub (SCE/DH) light rail line.
Who: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego
Phoenix Vice Mayor Ann O'Brien
Phoenix D7 Councilmember Carlos Galindo-Elvira
Valley Metro CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller
When: Saturday, March 8, 2025
10 a.m. - Noon
*Remarks begin at 10:15 a.m.
Train to arrive at Baseline/Central Ave station at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Train to arrive at Baseline/Central Ave station at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Where: Central Ave & Baseline Park-and-Ride
7436 S Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85042
(Northwest corner of Baseline/Central Ave)
*Please enter the park-and-ride using Baseline Road entrance
What: Celebration of first end-to-end train testing along the complete 5.5-mile alignment
Short speaking program to include project updates
Photo opportunities with train
Food
Giveaways
Project Information and safety awareness
Media interested in attending should RSVP to Juliana Vasquez-Keating at
jvasquezkeating@valleymetro.org
by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 7.
As part of this celebration, Valley Metro will also host the fifth installment of the Meet-and-Paint series, a unique community art experience featuring South Phoenix artists Martin Moreno and Emily Costello at the SCE Community Office located at 5040 S. Central Ave. in Phoenix. The sessions are from 1 – 3 p.m. in Spanish and 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. in English session.
Participants will paint alongside Martin Moreno and Emily Costello with a personal art station setup, including canvas, easel, acrylic paints, brushes, and apron. (All supplies provided at no cost.) The event is free but space is limited to 12 participants per session. Interested participants can register online by filling out the form here.
About the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub: The South Central Extension/Downtown Hub will extend the existing light rail system from downtown Phoenix south along Central Avenue to Baseline Road, connecting historically and culturally significant neighborhoods. The project includes a new light rail transit hub in downtown Phoenix, featuring new stations and public art throughout the corridor. Now at 96% completion and entering the final phases of construction, train and system testing is progressing and trains are operating more frequently along the route as we prepare to introduce a two-line light rail system with the opening of the SCE/DH. Learn more at valleymetro.org/southcentral/opening.
