A statewide rail plan that would start by linking Tucson and Phoenix is a step toward giving Arizona residents a transportation option that would relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality, an interest group contends.

More people are using Valley Metro’s light rail system to get to work, classes and leisure activities in 2010 than they did last year, even with budget cutbacks that caused service reductions in late July.

Decades ago, the passenger train making its way through Phoenix to destinations across the state was a part of the landscape, hearkening to the days when trains carved the growth of towns and cities throughout the Southwest.