History:
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Maricopa is a mainline station along Union Pacific's former Southern Pacific "Sunset Route."
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However, in its early days, it was the junction station for the Southern Pacific and the Mainline of the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad, most of which is removed and allegedly paved over by Highway 347 with the survivors still in use as part of the Tempe Industrial Lead Branchline.
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Today, it is still used by up to and over 35 trains per day.
There is also a train station for Amtrak's Sunset Limited which serves the station eastbound on Mondays and Saturdays, westbound on Tuesdays and Sundays, and in both directions on Thursdays.
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The original Maricopa Station opened in July 1887, but was closed in August 1961. It would be 40 years before passenger rail service would return to the village in October 2001 when a more convenient Phoenix stand-in stop was constructed to replace Phoenix Union Station after Union Pacific abandoned the West Phoenix Line in June 1996 which had been damaged beyond repair due to deferred maintenance by its previous owner Southern Pacific with a bus transfer connecting Phoenix to Maricopa (Tucson between 1996 and 2001).
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The UP Big Boy 4014 thunders through Maricopa with a rail excursion in tow. Note the removed crossing on the right side of the picture.
UP 5422 roars past the Amtrak Station with a manifest in tow.
The Sunset Limited charges past the crossing near the Grain Elevator.
Another shot of Amtrak 160.
CP AC4400CW 9719 leads a westbound intermodal bound for California.
NS 9704 leads the ZAILC Freight Train (an intermodal) through Maricopa.
The Sunset Limited departs Maricopa with 160 (the Phase III Heritage Unit) trailing.
A UP Manifest passes the crossing west of the village.