On Sunday 9/20/2009 THE NEW YORK TIMES reported the following about the new Phoenix light rail system: "The light rail here, which opened in December, has been a greater success than its proponents thought it would be, but not quite the way they envisioned. Unlike the rest of the country's public transportation systems, which are used principally by commuters, the 20 miles of light rail here stretching from central Phoenix to Mesa and Tempe is used largely by people going to restaurants, bars, ball games and cultural events downtown." "The rail was projected to attract 26,000 riders per day but the number is closer to 33,000 boosted in large part by weekend riders. Only 27 percent use the train for work . . . compared with 60 percent of other public transit users on average nationwide."