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.
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 opens with big party. Thousands line up for free rides on Saturday, March 5, 2016. Jay Cohen (pictured), Santa Anita Park's legendary bugler plays a tune at the Arcadia Station.
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.
Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority announced that structural work is complete for Gold Line Bridge over Interstate 210 Freeway. "The bridge can now stand on its own," said Construction Authority CEO Habib F. Balian. The bridge is a 584-linear foot, $18.6 million rail bridge that helps extend the Gold Line from Pasadena to Azusa, in this first segment.
Arcadia commuters fed up with gridlock at First Avenue at the Gold Line Station, since trains started running through Arcadia in March 2016. City engineers are aware of the problems and public's frustration and looking at ways to improve the signals and wait times.
Blue Line Construction Authority has changed the projected completion date for the Gold Line extension that would run from Pasadena through Arcadia, to Claremont. What was previously projected for a completion in 2008 is now projected for 2013.
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.
The Metro Blue Line Construction Authority is working to create a joint powers agreement to oversee the construction of the transit line extension from Pasadena to Claremont, with participation from cities along the planned route. That would include Arcadia and Monrovia.
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.
Construction of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension bridge, that will span the 210 Freeway, has begun. Preparation of the giant column supports included drilling over 100 feet into the ground. The 584-foot Gold Line bridge will take shape by December. It replaces an old railroad bridge across the freeway, which was built about 1969 and torn down in 1997, said Gary Baker, director of construction for the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. The bridge's design has been controversial, as some say it is not representative of the origins of the area. The entire bridge is slated to be finished summer 2012.
All 14 at-grade rail crossings now complete for Foothill Gold Line, from Pasadena to Azusa. The at-grade crossing in Arcadia is at First Avenue and Santa Clara Street.
Gold Line measure proposed. Supporters of the Metro Gold Line Extension through San Gabriel Valley are campaigning in Sacramento this week for legislation that would help create a new Gold Line authority. The new authority would provide for a 15-member board of representatives from the so-called Phase II cities, including Arcadia and Monrovia.
Completion of the Gold Line Bridge over the 210 Foothill Freeway in Arcadia is celebrated. The $18.6 million bridge, completed on time and on budget, is only one element of the $1.2 billion eastward extension of the Gold Line through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. Andrew Leicester is the artist and designer of the bridge baskets.
Gold Line construction moving forward on schedule. First Avenue in Arcadia to open by the end of March. See hard copy VF "Railroads-Light Rail-Metro Gold Line."
The Gold Line received federal financial support in the final House appropriations bill. Monrovia, Arcadia and other cities along the planned extension of the route from Pasadena to Claremont have formed a joint powers authority to study grade separations.
Gold Line extension may be contributing factor in Arcadia homeless population. Arcadia is seeing a drastic increase in homeless compared to recent years, specifically in Downtown Arcadia and Arcadia County Park, largely due to the Gold Line light rail extension that opened in early 2016 with a stop in Arcadia. Arcadia Police Department has seen a 46% increase in transient calls to deal with in 2017, compared to 2016.