PHOENIX — About 126,00 riders hopped aboard Valley Metro's light rail system the last time the Super Bowl came to town in 2015.
To keep everything on route for likely even more commuters, crews are hyper-focused on maintenance and repairs to make sure everyone makes it to the game, the parties, and all the Valley events.
ABC15 got an inside look at how they keep things moving while on the clock at the Operation and Maintenance Center in Phoenix.
"We wish that vehicles would come out and never break down," said John Crimi. "But that's just not the case.
Crimi oversees this facility for Valley Metro near 48th and Washington streets and the work done around the clock to keep trains running on time. A lot of people depend on them to get to where they need to go.
"We have 32 vehicles go out of here on a daily basis," Crimi explained. "Which also require, when they come back, they have to be cleaned and inspected and available for revenue service the next day."
But Crimi said they are expanding their service for Super Bowl weekend.
The last time the Super Bowl came to town, Valley Metro broke ridership records by putting about 50 trains out on the track. This time around, they want at least five more and they are hoping to break a ridership record once again.
So as workers normally have about an eight-hour window to make repairs each day, that could easily be cut in half.
"You may have a window of four hours," Crimi said. "You may have a window of two hours."
"So, it's got to real quick," ABC15's Megan Thompson said.
"Turn and burn, but nothing gets missed," Crimi responded.
More staff will be on hand that weekend to make sure that happens.
Crimi said they have gone above and beyond now to prepare, and they will continue to do so as the big weekend rolls around.
"We have people coming from all over the world and this is the heartbeat of transportation for Super Bowl," Crimi said. "Our team takes a ton of pride in what we provide out there."
To learn more about Valley Metro's services during Super Bowl weekend, click here.