Gila County Rail Passenger Study: Final Report

The consultant is tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the potential for passenger rail utilizing area trackage of the Arizona Eastern Railway. This Report represents the findings of the project, including the railroad operating costs obtained from Arizona Eastern Railway in Chapter 2 and a summary of Excursion Rail operation best practices in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 presents an estimate of transit demand, together with the findings of a sketch estimate of potential excursion rail ridership and characteristics of the Arizona tourism market, Chapter 5 presents draft rail service scenarios including a proposed operating season, a fare structure, and a set of timetables for different route configurations. Chapter 6 presents draft operating pro-formas for the six candidate operating scenarios, together with the recommended scenario that resulted from the discussion that took place at the Stakeholder Workshop and the input provided to the consultant.