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June
18,
2003 |
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MTA
Poised to Open the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line to the Public
on Saturday, July 26
Pending final approval
from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), MTA is poised to
open to the public the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line on
Saturday, July 26. The new light rail line spans 13.7 miles linking Union
Station in downtown Los Angeles and Sierra Madre Villa in East Pasadena
via Chinatown, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena. "Mobility throughout
the region is about to get kicked up a notch with the opening of the Metro
Gold Line," said MTA Board Chairman Hal Bernson. "Expanding the Metro
Rail and Metro Bus system has been one of my top priorities and the
addition of the Metro Gold Line will greatly enhance travel opportunities,
relieve traffic congestion and improve the quality of life for those
commuting between Pasadena and Los Angeles." The opening of the
Metro Gold Line expands Metro Rail to 73.1-miles. The Metro Gold Line
joins two existing light rail lines (Metro Blue and Green Lines) and a
subway (Metro Red Line) that crisscross portions of Los Angeles County
from Long Beach to Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Norwalk, Hollywood,
Universal City, North Hollywood as well as Pasadena. "The Metro Gold Line
has been a long awaited project and with its opening will link communities
to the rest of the Metro Rail system by providing a real transportation
alternative," said L.A. County Supervisor and MTA Board Member Gloria
Molina. "Early next year we hope to break ground extending the Gold Line
from Union Station to East Los Angeles." In the first year of
operation, the Metro Gold Line is expected to carry between 26,000 and
32,000 average weekday boarding passengers. Cost of the system including
rail cars and various improvements to the line is estimated at $859
million. "The
Gold Line is a vital link in the County's multi-modal transportation
system - efficiently serving the needs of commuters in Los Angeles,
Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena,"
said L.A. County Supervisor and MTA Board Member Michael Antonovich. The 13.7-mile Metro
Gold Line has 13 stations and will operate every 10 minutes on weekdays
during peak morning and afternoon rush hours. Trains will then operate
every 12-minute during the mid-day and every 20-minutes during the late
night hours. On the weekends, early morning and late night trains will
operate every 20 minutes. Midday service until approximately 7 p.m. will
operate every 12 minutes. The hours of operation will be from 3:35 a.m. to
2 a.m. seven days a week. "Rain or shine,
commuters using the Metro Gold Line can expect to get from East Pasadena
to downtown Los Angeles and vice versa in approximately 36 minutes without
the traffic hassles of the Pasadena and 210 Freeways," said MTA CEO
Roger Snoble. Fares for the Metro
Gold line will be the same as all MTA operated Metro Bus and Metro Rail
trains costing just $1.35 one-way (cash) or 90 cents using a pre-purchased
discount token. Monthly passes good for unlimited travel are $42. The Metro Gold Line
will use 26 state-of-the-art rail cars. Each rail car costs $3.75 million.
Each train car seats 76 passengers. During rush hours, the scheduled
capacity for each car is a total of 144 passengers including standees.
When service starts, MTA expects to utilize 39 full-time train operators
and two part-time operators. MTA plans to operate two car trains on the
Metro Gold Line. The Metro Gold Line was
constructed by the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction
Authority. Testing of the system was turned over to the MTA in mid-April.
MTA plans to conduct extensive pre-revenue testing up to the public
opening on July 26. With the addition of
the Metro Gold Line, MTA's Metro Rail system spans many communities and
extends the reach of millions of Southern Californians and tourists to a
host of "must see" attractions located within walking distance of many
Metro Rail stations. In Pasadena for
example, patrons using the new Metro Gold Line can easily access various
shopping districts, parks, Pasadena City College, California Institute of
Technology, Huntington Library and Gardens, various hotels, business
centers, Colorado Boulevard, Old Pasadena, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena
Museum of History, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena Jazz Institute, the Ice
House and Playhouse District. Additional points of
interest along the Metro Gold Line corridor include Paseo Colorado
Shopping Center, Pasadena City Hall, and Civic Auditorium, Huntington
Memorial Hospital, Meridian Ironworks Museum, Carnegie Library, Arroyo
Seco Regional Library, Highland Park Recreation Center, Highland Theater,
Southwest Museum, Heritage Museum Square, Rock Rose Gallery, Broadway
Historic Business District in Lincoln Heights, Chinatown, Olvera Street
and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. From there, a quick
transfer to the Metro Red Line subway is your ticket to unlimited
adventures exploring downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal City or
the North Hollywood Arts District. Or perhaps a ride on the Metro Blue
Line will take patrons to sporting events at Staples Center, Watts Towers,
or downtown Long Beach for a visit to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the
Pacific, or take the Metro Green Line to LAX, Norwalk, or Redondo Beach. Many Metro Bus
improvements also have been made in the San Gabriel Valley to better serve
the Metro Gold Line providing direct bus service to various stations along
the alignment. In addition parking is
available around some Metro Gold Line stations including a 1,000 space
parking structure adjacent to the Sierra Madre Villa Metro Gold Line
station in East Pasadena. In downtown Los Angeles at Union Station
approximately 1,100 paid parking spaces are available. Limited parking
spaces are provided at Lincoln Heights/Cypress Park station (100),
Heritage Square/Arroyo station (145), Fillmore station (160), and the Del
Mar Station (600). In addition, MTA is working to secure some parking
adjacent to the Lake Avenue station. This latest expansion
of the Metro Rail system will give transit dependent, commuters, tourists
and others easy and convenient access to major job centers, government,
schools, hospitals, shopping, sports, entertainment and cultural venues
throughout Los Angeles County. For more details about
the Metro Rail and Metro Bus system, including access to an interactive
trip planner, check out MTA's web site at www.mta.net
or call 1-800-C-O-M-M-U-T-E. MTA-087 |
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