Mass transit riders take preview run on 11.5 mile Gold Line Foothill extension from is current terminus at Sierra Madre Villa Station (in Pasadena) to the six new stations to the east, including Arcadia Station, Monrovia Station, Duarte Station, Irwindale Station, Downtown Azusa Station, and Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College Station. The new rail cars are stainless steel, made by Kinkisharyo, Model P3010.
Construction of 210 Freeway Gold Line bridge near Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, is nearing completion. Work should be complete in 3 months. Nighttime closures of the freeway will cause delays. The bridge will allow connection between Pasadena's Sierra Madre Villa Station and the future Arcadia Station. It is the first piece of the $735 million, 11.5 mile Pasadena-to-Azusa Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension.
Trainspotting in Arcadia. First tests of Gold Line light rail between Pasadena and Azusa start. Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension conducted the first of many clearance tests involving actual Metro Gold Line train from Sierra Madre Villa Station (in Pasadena) to Azusa. The train was a $4 million Ansaldo Breda P2250 with specialized gear to test clearances, wheel/rail interface, rail switches, and Overhead Catenary System.
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension officially starts March 5. The extension runs from its current terminus at Sierra Madre Villa Station in Pasadena to Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College Station.
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension moves ahead. Contractor Kiewit Parsons is given full "notice to proceed" to build the 11.5 mile route for the light rail train from Pasadena to Azusa, with a stop in Arcadia, by a planned 2015 completion date.
Gold Line bridge construction work will cause up to 20 nights of complete closures on the 210 Freeway in the next two months. The freeway bridge is the first part of the $735 million, 11.5 mile Pasadena to Azusa Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension.
Gold Line bridge across the 210 Freeway just west of Santa Anita Avenue is underway. There is a temporary support structure across the lanes which allows trucks under 15 feet tall to pass freely. When the structure is complete, the Gold Line Construction Authority says the height allowance will be 19 feet. The $18.6 million, 584-foot Gold Line Bridge, the first component of the 11.5 mile Pasadena to Azusa Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension, started last summer and expected to be completed later this year.
Riders head to Pasadena, not Los Angeles. Ridership on the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension is surpassing expectations. The east Pasadena to Azusa/Glendora extension, which opened March 5 is carrying 4000-5000 riders on weekdays and 3800 to 4000 on Saturday and Sunday. 18 percent of the riders from Arcadia Station went to Pasadena. Other rider statistics are given.
Closures of southbound Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia starting July 6 for approximately 2 weeks. Crews will be installing underground duct banks and electrical vaults as part of the 11.5 mile Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Light Rail project.
Metro adds Gold Line service. Every train will run from Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College to East Los Angeles. Due to unprecedented demand, the Gold Line will run every seven minutes during peak morning and afternoon hours on weekdays. See also Arcadia Weekly, p. 2, June 30, 2016 "LA Metro improves Gold Line; relieves crowding for SGV communities."
Officials lobby for Gold Line extension funding. $764 million is needed to finish the final segment of the extension from Azusa-to-Claremont. The Gold Line Construction Authority board this week approved an updated expense plan for the entire 23-mile Pasadena-to-Claremont extension of nearly $1.6 billion, of which $810 million has already been allocated, with full completion planned for 2021. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already funded the Gold Line's 11.5 mile, $750 million Pasadena-to-Azusa segment with Measure R revenues, but the $780 million Azusa-to-Claremont segment has yet to be funded.
All aboard: Arcadia gets into training. The Metro Gold Line Station in Arcadia will have a grand opening on Saturday, March 5. The light rail Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa will be offering free rides on March 5.
Gold Line Foothill extension opens today. Timeline of history is shown. Parties begin at 10:00 AM for opening ceremony, free rides today. The $1 billion, 11.5-mile extension opens for passenger service. New stations in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and two in Azusa.
Foothill Gold Line construction update. The Gold Line light rail from Pasadena to Azusa has now surpassed 85% complete. Overview of bridge construction, track completion, grade crossings, and train testing. Substantial completion of entire project remains on schedule for late September 2015, when the project as a whole will be turned over to Metro for pre-revenue service. Metro will decide when the line will open for passenger service.
The 11.5 mile light rail Gold Line extension from Pasadena to Azusa was awarded to Foothill Transit Constructors. Kiewit-Parsons, a joint venture company, will design and build the project. Funding comes from Measure R.
A draft report on the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension proposes stops in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa, Glendora, San Dimas, LaVerne, Pomona and Claremont. City hearing will be held at Arcadia City Hall on June 14.
Metro responds to concerns over paid parking at Arcadia Gold Line Station. It costs $3 to park there but it had been free. Now that there is a cost to parking at Arcadia Station, there are more open spaces and this was Metro's anticipated and desired effect.
Gold Line Extension for the phase from Azusa to Claremont is uncertain. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board has approved asking county voters to extend the Measure R half-cent sales tax for 30 years beyond its expiration date--without a strategy to fund the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Claremont. The Gold Line's 11.5 mile Pasadena-to-Azusa segment is already funded and scheduled for completion in 2015.
Lack of train cars may delay the openings of the Expo Line Phase 2 from Culver City to Santa Monica and the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa. Metro reports delivery of rail cars won't be complete until January 2017, while construction of the extensions should be done July/August (Expo) and late September (Gold Line), of 2015. The builder of the train cars is Kinkisharyo International, a Japanese company that is assembling the light rail trains in Palmdale, California. The Expo Line needs 42 cars and the Gold Line needs 15.
Metro Foothill Gold Line crossing gates snarl traffic. Faulty part that was recalled worldwide blamed for malfunctions. There are 14 at-grade crossings throughout the 5 cities along the new extension: Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa (has two stations). Arcadia has only one at-grade crossing, but some cars were stuck at the crossing for 5 minutes or more. Each of the cities is working closely with Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority to synchronize traffic signals with train crossings to improve traffic flow.