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July
7,
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. Said MTA Board
Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky, "Improving mobility in the region
benefits everyone, and expanding our Metro Rail system with the Gold
Line will integrate the Pasadena area into our regional
transportation system and really improve the ride for travelers
eager to escape the freeway congestion." 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, and North Hollywood as well as
Pasadena. "The Metro Gold
Line has been a long-awaited project that, 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 4 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 150
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 |
