Terminal 4 station is now finished
Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton and officials from Sky Harbor Airport gave the media a preview Tuesday of the Terminal 4 Station for the "PHX Sky Train", a rail link between the airport and the light rail station at 44th St. and Washington St.
The trains will leave from both the light rail station and Terminal 4 every three minutes, and the journey will take three minutes. You'll be able to check your bags at the light rail station rather than lugging them with you on the Sky Train, so that as soon as you exit the Sky Train at the terminal, you can proceed directly to the security checkpoint.
The trains are undergoing test runs right now, with the opening of service expected in "early 2013," although airport officials aren't ready yet to pin down a specific date. Initially, the Sky Train will link only to Treminal 4, although construction is already underway on an extension that will extend it to Terminals 2 and 3. That extension is projected to open in 2015. Eventually, the plan is for the Sky Train to run all the way to the airport's Rental Car Center at 24th St. and Buckeye Rd.
Mayor Stanton said they expect from the time the Sky Train opens, at least 2½ million people per year will use it "as their way to interact with this airport."
The construction and operation of the Sky Train is financed strictly with airport revenues, mainly user fees. No taxpayer money is used for the project.
PHOTOS: Mayor Greg Stanton arrives at the Terminal 4 station with reporters
A train arrives on a test run:
Mayor Stanton leads the tour as it wraps up:
