ACE @ Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility

Last week we took 25 students to the Valley Metro Light Rail Maintenance Facility where they had a chance to experience how the facility works, maintain the carts, and first hand how the conductors operate the vehicles.

We arrived in the late morning where the facilitators gave a brief tour of the administrative piece of the operations building.  Nothing too exciting in reality, offices, a few technical rooms, but in general like any other business office.  Then we went on to the main conference room where they would be presenting on the engineering portions of the light rail system.  The conference room main window had a complete view of the light rail garage, where the trains would pull in to be maintained and worked on.  During the presentation the engineers spoke to the students of the different aspects that go into creating a system like the one in the valley.  Cost, building, material, locations, community, technology, infrastructures.  In general the students realized that there is a lot of planning, money, and time that goes into creating a light rail system like the one we have now.  One of the students commented that it didn't seem like it was that complicated, but after having spoken to some of the main engineers he realized why it was as big of an accomplishment as it was.

After getting the facts and figures of the system, the VM team took us on a tour of the facilities.  We got to the different bays that carts can either be worked on from the bottom, top, sides, interior, etc.  After touring the main garage, we headed out to view the car wash, then they took us on a ride along their 4 mile test track.  Here the operator laid out the different levers, buttons, monitors, and switches the train had.  Some of the students had the opportunity to sit in the conductors seat and move the cart forward.  Which at that point I was green with envy because growing up I always wanted to be a train conductor.  Unfortunately they only let the students play with the trains, as a worker I was out of luck.  However, I still enjoy working here because I have the opportunity to learn like a student but get paid as an adult. :-)