XAVIER GATORS RIDE THE METRO LIGHT RAIL

XAVIER GATORS RIDE THE METRO LIGHT RAIL



Xavier College Preparatory students who row on the club team, Xavier Prep Crew, ride the waves of Tempe Town Lake at practice almost 150 days a year. Twelve team members also ride the new METRO Light Rail system to their practices, and are thrilled with this convenient, cost-effective mode of transportation.

Xavier Prep Crew freshmen Brighton Brick, Alice Chagolla, Kaitlyn Dowding, Katlyn Ewens, Dana Helfenbein, Lindsey Kelley, Emma Langdon, Ramsey Moore and Sheridan Rosner, and sophomores Victoria Garrison, Mariana Gertz and Laura Regester ride the METRO Light Rail four days a week, from a stop near Xavier in north central Phoenix to a stop near the Marquee Theater in Tempe. It takes the girls about 45 minutes to get from Xavier to the Tempe Town Lake.

“We take the METRO Light Rail mostly because it’s an easier way for us to get to practice. We don’t have to take separate cars, and it’s especially nice because none of us have our licenses yet and most of our parents work,” said Xavier sophomore and Crew team member Laura Regester. “The timing and the locations of the stops are both perfect and the Light Rail system takes us almost directly to the boathouse and the area where we practice. We also like to be able to sit together as a team and have fun together before we have to put all of our focus into practice.”

The students use and enjoy the METRO Light Rail because they say it is inexpensive, quiet, and convenient. Ms. Regester says that she and her teammates have noticed features like special seats that flip up to accommodate people in wheelchairs and designated spaces to hang bikes in every car. “They thought of everything to make a trip on the Light Rail convenient for everyone,” she said.

“I would definitely recommend Light Rail travel to classmates or anyone who works downtown because it’s so easy, and cheaper than what it would cost in gas money for people who live far from work or school,” said Ms. Regester. We see a lot of other high school students on the Light Rail and it’s a great mode of transportation for students because it runs every ten minutes, so we can get on at almost any time. The METRO Light Rail also gives the kids who can’t drive yet a little more independence so they don’t have to wait for their parents to pick them up.”

In addition to convenience and cost-savings, Xavier students like the METRO Light Rail because of its positive environmental outcomes. “Helping the environment is definitely a major concern for many people at our school,” said Ms. Regester. “We are glad to do our part by using eco-friendly transportation.”