On track: Precisely monitoring streetcars in real-time

Student team aims to keep Tempe passengers on time for capstone project

Valley Metro launched operation of the Tempe Streetcar in May of 2022 to serve the highest transit ridership centers in the region and connect passengers to neighborhoods, major business centers and key destinations.

The fleet of six streetcars operates along a three-mile route while sharing the road with cars and has 14 stations across Downtown Tempe and Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. In the first year of operation, the streetcar system served nearly 800,000 passengers.

Road-sharing transit options can be susceptible to disruptions from traffic congestion, signal delays and pedestrian crossings, which can impact scheduling. These discrepancies in arrival time affect ASU students and residents who rely on timely transportation for classes, work and other commitments.

A team of electrical engineering undergraduate students from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU is working to eliminate the disparity in time reporting as part of their culminating senior capstone project.

Gerald Bowers, Abraham Duran, Landon Hack and Veraj Patel, seniors from the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, comprise a capstone team collaborating with Valley Metro to provide riders with more accurate arrival times of the streetcars at each station.

“This project directly addresses a major inconvenience experienced by Tempe residents, especially ASU students, who rely on the streetcar for daily transportation,” Duran says. “By creating a more accurate and accessible method to track the Tempe Streetcar in real time, our system improves reliability and reduces the uncertainty that often deters people from using it.”

John T. Lewis, a director of business development in the Fulton Schools and the capstone team’s mentor, saw an opportunity for students to use engineering to improve transportation access and pitched the concept for the capstone project. Excited by the opportunity to work with Valley Metro, the team of four expressed their interest in tackling the project.

On the right track

Duran and Patel first met with Lewis to discuss the scope of the project and the development of a real-time tracking device to address the discrepancy between the scheduled times of the Tempe Streetcar.

“At first, the idea of building a tracking device for the Tempe Streetcar seemed like a daunting task,” Patel says. “However, Mr. Lewis really sold us on the idea of building something that helps people in your own backyard.”

Their transit tracking system incorporates a GPS device that sends coordinates of the streetcar to a real-time cloud server. The team also designed, and 3D printed a housing case for the tracking device. A server acts as the hub that connects data from the tracking device reaches the server and is accessible in real-time. The location of a streetcar is updated to the mobile app and website, which were also developed by the student team. The live data is embedded and overlayed on Google Maps, displaying a streetcar icon that moves around based on the location in real-time.

App development proved equally demanding as Hack learned to build this passenger-focused component by researching the appropriate tools and platforms to use while learning a coding language by watching online tutorial videos.

“One of the most challenging parts of working on our project was learning how to build an app from scratch and integrating it with our GPS microcontroller device and cloud server,” Hack says. “Creating my very first app was an exciting and rewarding experience.”

In addition to the scope of the electrical engineering capstone project, Duran and Patel used the opportunity to incorporate supplemental efforts as part of their Barrett, The Honors College thesis, which focuses on incorporating an audiovisual, or AV, notification system at each of the 14 stations along the streetcar’s route.

Emulating the Valley Metro Light Rail, their solar-powered system aims to announce and display the next streetcar’s estimated time of arrival. In addition, riders can scan a posted QR code to access the tracking website.

“This project is really about supporting a more efficient and connected rider experience,” Duran says. “This is a tangible solution that we hope will continue to support the community even after our team graduates.”

For ASU, the impact extends beyond just improved transit. The project serves as an example of how student innovation and community-driven research can contribute to solving local challenges.

The electrical engineering student capstone team examines a docked streetcar at the Valley Metro Operations and Maintenance Center. The facility supports the entire light rail and modern streetcar fleet. Photo courtesy of John T. Lewis

Community collaboration

Lewis facilitated the initial connection that enabled the team to showcase their work and progress to Valley Metro representatives. The meeting also provided the students with a behind-the-scenes look at the daily operations of the transit system.

“The opportunity for capstone teams to engage directly with industry professionals provides valuable experience,” Lewis says. “The Fulton Schools are always seeking more industry engagement to directly support our students and enrich the capstone experience.”

Their hard work and vision were enthusiastically received by Valley Metro representatives, who reiterated their support and resources toward the project with the common goal of improving the ridership experience.

“Our collaboration didn’t just validate the importance of our work — it energized us to push the project further. Building this meaningful connection with Valley Metro opened the door to professional insights, technical support and genuine interest from industry experts,” Duran says. “It was both inspiring and validating to witness our vision align with the Valley Metro executives who are directly influencing the future of public transit in our region.”

Final departure

While the project yielded a beneficial opportunity to address an issue impacting the local community, it also serves as the culmination of years of hard work, demonstrating the insights and skills the electrical engineering students have developed at ASU.

With appreciation for everything the capstone project has afforded them, Bowers reflects on how the experience will translate toward charting successful careers for the team.

“This project incorporates numerous elements we will experience in the industry from communication on a team, problem-solving and figuring out how to take an idea and make it a reality,” Bowers says. “The industry is a big place — especially for an electrical engineer — but I know this experience has prepared us well.”