Phoenix opens South Central light-rail extension and new downtown hub

Valley Metro and City of Phoenix officials onstage at a public ceremony formally opened the South Central Extension and Downtown Hub, adding 5.5 miles of light rail and eight stations and launching an expanded downtown transfer hub.

The extension, speakers said, is intended to improve transit access between South Phoenix and downtown, connect riders to jobs and education, and support local economic development. “South Central opening day is here. We did it,” said Mayor Kate Gallego.

Federal and local funding partners were credited for financing the project. “I bring greetings from Washington DC and the Trump administration,” Ray Tellis, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration Region 9, told attendees. Tellis said the grant that funded the project originated in the Trump administration and cited a $530,000,000 federal capital investment toward the extension. City and regional contributions named at the ceremony included Phoenix Transportation 2050 and regional ballot measures previously approved by voters.

Officials emphasized workforce and community benefits tied to construction and startup. Valley Metro event host Jessica Mefford Miller said more than 5,000 careers were created during construction and that almost 75% of the trade hours were performed by minorities and women. Council member Keisha Hodge Washington described a small-business assistance program that distributed more than $1,600,000 to over 360 businesses along the corridor since February 2021 and said about 90% of corridor businesses participated in at least one support program.

Speakers also credited long-running local campaigns and federal advocacy for making the project possible. U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton said he helped secure federal grants and that, when COVID-19 disrupted supply chains, he worked in Washington to bring an additional $21,000,000 to keep construction on schedule. “You have been incredibly patient,” Stanton said directly to the South Phoenix community.

The project includes 18 public-art installations, new lighting, streetscape work, and improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians, officials said. Several speakers framed the extension as part of a decades-long regional transit effort, referencing prior ballot measures and 25 years of investment in Valley transit. Council member Ana Hernandez described the extension as part of efforts to direct investment to neighborhoods harmed by historical discrimination and said her office will work to ensure residents benefit from the new development.

No formal votes or regulatory actions were taken at the ceremony. Speakers and officials framed the event as a ribbon-cutting and public celebration; any future policy changes, land use approvals or program rollouts were discussed as separate processes.

Officials and community members asked riders to view the extension as a beginning rather than an endpoint: speakers noted planned future expansions westward and additional streetcar corridors into the East Valley. The ribbon was cut at the close of the ceremony and officials invited attendees to board the new service.