ARTICLE 1
Link: After decades of waiting, their trains have arrived -- latimes.com
After decades of waiting, their trains have arrived
A sense of kinship and progress in East Los Angeles as riders and residents celebrate the opening of the Gold Line extension. The area had long been among the most transit-dependent yet underserved.
Gold Line opens
A passenger catches a Gold Line train at Pico/Aliso station. The $898-million extension that opened Sunday is the first commuter train in nearly 50 years to serve East L.A. Several development projects are planned near stations. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / November 15, 2009)
The sun had not yet risen when the first commuter train in nearly half a century set off from downtown to East Los Angeles, extending a new line of public transportation to some of the city's most underserved neighborhoods.
At 3:40 a.m. Sunday the first passengers were train enthusiasts, students and workers for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which built the six-mile Gold Line extension. A few hours later, the neighborhood showed up.
More than 50,000 people were estimated to have taken part in a festive day of celebration and free rides. Starting today, riding the entire 20-mile Gold Line route from Pasadena to East L.A.'s Atlantic station will cost a nominal $1.25.
"I feel like East L.A. matters a little bit more," said longtime resident Joe Zenteno, 40, just minutes after rolling his bike into a sleek Metro train at the Mariachi Plaza stop in Boyle Heights. "I love East L.A., bro. This is a good neighborhood. And I think this is going to make people care a little bit more about their community."
One question in the minds of local officials and business owners is whether others across Los Angeles County will be drawn to the area as well.
For years, Boyle Heights and East L.A. have been among the most public transportation-dependent neighborhoods in Southern California.
For even longer, they have lacked the kind of regional draw -- a multiplex, a gleaming shipping district, a major entertainment center -- that can enhance civic pride. While the Gold Line's northern link from Pasadena passes such landmarks as Old Town, the Southwest Museum and Chinatown, the route through East L.A. finds places prized more by locals: revered burrito joints and Mexican restaurants, a well-trodden 19th century cemetery surrounded by a jogging track, and a plaza where you can hire a band of mariachis on the fly.
To many outsiders, the area is seen as a collection of poor and dangerous neighborhoods, despite historic drops in violent crime. That's one reason Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who is also an MTA board member, said the Gold Line's opening is so meaningful.
When John Peckham, a visitor from faraway Torrance, told him Sunday that he was pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood, Huizar smiled and raised his arms: "I've been saying that all day!"
A major impetus for the $898-million rail line was to make it easier and cheaper for residents to reach jobs in downtown and beyond. But the Gold Line extension is also important because of the promise it portends, Huizar said. He believes it could spark a renaissance, ushering in businesses and an arts district and leading to the discovery of neighborhoods that have "been neglected" for decades.
"People are going to come to explore," he said.
Irma Lozano, 38, sure hopes so. On Sunday, she peeked through an open door at Mi Ranchito restaurant near the Soto Street Station in Boyle Heights.
Like many small businesses along the route, the eatery paid a heavy toll during the roughly five years of construction when the street out front was torn up.
For two years its kitchen was all but closed, essentially turning the place into a bar with only a few dishes, mostly soups.
"With the recession and construction, business just stopped," Lozano said. "It's been terrible with the customers. But I think the train is going to help us now."
"That's what you hope," said Ruben Garcia, 40, one of only three customers in the place.
Charles Sammis, a USC professor of Earth sciences who lives in South Pasadena, said he plans to come back. The 65-year-old Sammis and his 63-year-old wife, Judy, a high school physics and math teacher, said they were excited to see the rail extension.
"We're looking forward to trying new places to eat," he said.
Roger Moliere, chief of real property management and development for the MTA, said several development projects are planned near stations, though he added that the recession was gumming up the process.
"My hope and expectation is that it will be an extraordinary economic boon to the area," he said.
Eric Avila, a professor of history and Chicano studies at UCLA, said the Gold Line extension is a victory for social justice, and signals a shift in transportation planning. The freeways built around Boyle Heights "cordoned off the area from the rest of the city," he said.Come On, Ride the Train: Gold Line Eastside Extension Opens Today - LAist
But development of the rail line hasn't come without safety concerns. The Eastside extension dips underground in only a few spots. Most of it travels like a stitched-in zipper through narrow streets, at surface level and usually just feet away from cars.
While praising the rail line, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina has argued that the route needs crossing arms at some intersections.
During the first 90 days of operation, the MTA will have "safety ambassadors" to help riders and pedestrians get acclimated to the line.
Sunday morning began with relatively few riders, but by early afternoon the platforms were overcrowded, there were lines to get on the trains, and passengers squeezed together in standing-room-only cars.
There were a few snags, including a door that wouldn't fully close when a train stopped at Mariachi Plaza and an elevator that didn't work there -- forcing some to carry strollers up three flights of stairs.
But the mood was decidedly cheerful.
Accordion player Roberto Olmos, 62, said he boarded the train in Boyle Heights to deliver a small bag of tamales to his wife in East L.A.
"It's a lot faster than the bus," he said. "Sometimes you're waiting for almost an hour for a bus."
Victor Orozco, 57, rode the train with his 9-year-old grandson, Jacob Astorga. Orozco, a Caltrans worker from La Habra, said his father used to take him on a rail car that rolled down First Street when he was a boy. Los Angeles' streetcar system began disappearing in the early 1960s.
"I wanted my grandson to be part of this," Orozco said.
As he hopped on the train with his wife and 8-month-old son, machinist Victor Vasquez, 38, said he wouldn't use the train to go to work because his job is so close to their home.
His wife, Alejandra Jeronimo, 27, works at a bakery within walking distance. But Vasquez said they would use the Gold Line for other trips.
As Vasquez spoke, his son, Jose Armando, jumped excitedly on his mother's lap and peered out the window.
"We love to go out," Vasquez said. "I'm already seeing places we'd like to visit using the train."
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
hector.becerra@latimes.com
Times staff writer Jessica Garrison contributed to this report.ARTICLE 2
Gold Line Eastside Extension Opens TodayLink: Los Angeles Downtown News and Information - LA Downtown News Online > Opinion > Gold Line Payoff
No more testing like this train in March...now trains on the Gold Line will come & go from the Little Tokyo station for real! (Photo by STERLINGDAVISPHOTO via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
Today is the long-awaited launch of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension, which links Downtown's historic Union Station via light rail to Little Tokyo, Mariachi Plaza, and heart of East Los Angeles, ending at Atlantic. To celebrate, rides from one end of the Gold Line to the other are free today, and there are four events that include food and music from the communities scheduled to happen at or near stations along the line:
Most notably, the Mariachi Plaza Station will be where riders can visit the First Annual Boyle Heights Block Party and Mariachi Festival. At the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, Metro says there will be a live karaoke stage and "delicious cuisine from dozens of nearby restaurants." At the East L.A. Civic Center Station, a farmers market and live Chicano rock music can be found.
Gold Line Payoff50,000 take a free ride on the Gold Line; no major problems reported | Los Angeles Wave - Community News, Sports & Entertainment | News
Published: Friday, November 13, 2009 4:00 PM PST
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - The new Gold Line Eastside Extension is an excellent project. The connection between Downtown and East Los Angeles is something both communities, as well as the greater region, have needed for a long time.
The Nov. 15 debut of the $898 million light rail line (scheduled for after Los Angeles Downtown News went to press) has both practical applications and symbolic resonance. It is difficult to assess which one is of greater importance. It may be the former in the present and the latter in the future.
On the practical, tangible front, the Gold Line establishes a six-mile link between Union Station and Atlantic Boulevard in East L.A. The eight stations provide thousands of people the opportunity to give up the automobile, an obvious payoff in environmental and traffic terms. The results could be felt quickly, as Metro officials estimate the line will carry about 13,000 riders a day by the end of the year. When added to the previous spur of the Gold Line that extends to Pasadena, the results and potential impact are huge — this is also felt in the transfer point of Union Station, where Gold Line riders from the Eastside will be able to transfer to other rail and bus routes.
The light rail has other benefits for Downtown, among them a new station serving Little Tokyo and the Arts District. Not only is the stop at First and Alameda streets a point of connectivity, something that can bring visitors into the heart of the community to patronize area restaurants, businesses and cultural establishments (it is across the street from the Japanese American National Museum and MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary), but the station itself is attractively designed. Metro officials were wise to incorporate architectural elements that fit with the surrounding neighborhood, and the canopies and benches reflect the area. It is preferable to a potentially less expensive, cookie cutter type design.
The most significant impact of the new line may be something people sense rather than see. Yet in the long term, the idea of cultural connectivity the Gold Line establishes may prove to be its most enduring impact.
Downtown and East Los Angeles are often seen as two distinct worlds. Although the physical gap between the areas is only a river, the psychological divide is huge. Downtown, with its modern office towers and concentration of white-collar businesses, is seen by many as a predominantly Anglo realm. East L.A., by contrast, has its historic ties to a Latino populace and culture.
The Gold Line could be a key in bridging the divide. Downtown workers in search of new places for lunch may find the idea of hopping on a train easier than climbing into their car, crossing the river and searching for parking. The new, young population of Downtown residents may be game for using the Gold Line to explore after-dark activities in East L.A. Residents from east of the river can now more easily access Downtown’s shopping and entertainment options, or come here for their jobs.
This is not to pretend that the rail line is a golden Band-Aid, that suddenly Downtown and Boyle Heights or other East L.A. neighborhoods will come together like East and West Germany did when the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago. Rather, any change will be incremental.
Still, this marks the beginning of what could prove to be much greater connectivity. We’re glad that Metro had the ability to bring the rail line to fruition. We’ll happily start with the physical back and forth of thousands of humans a day. Hopefully the bonds will strengthen and the divide between the communities will diminish as time goes on.ARTICLE 4
50,000 take a free ride on the Gold Line; no major problems reported
More than 50,000 people took a free ride Sunday on the new Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, and no major glitches were reported, a Metro spokesman said.
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* L.A. Times: Eating along the Gold Line Eastside Extension
* Metro Video: Gold Line Eastside Extension to the official dedication ceremony
The six-mile, $898 million extension runs between Union Station and East Los Angeles, with stops at eight new stations, two of them underground.
When tickets for the light rail train go on sale Monday, the cost of a ride between Union Station and the end of the line in Pasadena will be $1.25, said Dave Sotero of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In addition to Sunday's free rides, the grand opening included community celebrations at four stations -- the East L.A. Civic Center, Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo/Arts District and Union Station.
A group that believes the new above-ground rail line has made some intersections more dangerous demonstrated at the Mariachi Plaza event.
Metro officials said experts determined the route is safe, but "safety ambassadors'' will be stationed at several intersections along the line for about three months to help motorists and pedestrians get used to the trains.
The line is expected to carry 13,000 people a day, so the 50,000-plus that boarded the train Sunday was "the ultimate stress test,'' Sotero said, adding that "and this one passed.''
He said there were "no operational glitches -- everything is running very smoothly.''
Lines were as long as an hour for some of the trains, and a few overcrowded and stuck station elevators were the only mishaps, as crowds thronged nine stations, Sotero said.
The celebrations were winding down, but the free rides will continue until the last train at 12:45 a.m. Monday, he said.
About 1.7-miles of underground track runs under Boyle Heights. The rest of the line runs above ground along East Third Street, ending near Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles.
Several bus routes have been rerouted to serve the stations, and the Atlantic Station will serve as a bus hub for the area.
Because of the crowds, passengers on the existing branch of the Gold Line from Pasadena had to disembark at Union Station if they wished to continue on the train. But starting Monday, through service will allow passengers to ride from Pasadena southwest to downtown, then southeast along the new tracks.
Officials are selecting a possible route for a light rail link from the Gold Line on downtown's east side to the Blue Line stub on Figueroa Street on downtown's west side. This would allow through Blue Line trains from Long Beach to Pasadena, or from East L.A. to Culver City via the new Expo Line, which is scheduled for completion in two years.
No funding source or construction timetable has been set for that cross- downtown link, however.
The trains -- each car is 90 feet long and light-rail is powered by overhead lines -- will reach up to 55 mph when underground, but not exceed 35 mph on city streets. It will slow to just 10 mph on a bridge across that crosses the 101 Freeway just east of downtown.
Security cameras are installed at 14 grade crossings, and fines for driving around crossing arms will be stiff -- about $450 for starters. A 30-day grace period will apply, starting Nov. 15.
Saturday, officials at a dedication of the new line at the new Metro East L.A. Civic Center said it will be a boost to the Eastside.
"For the first time in nearly half a century -- since the last trolley ran down First Street -- rail will again carry passengers from downtown L.A. to East Los Angeles,'' said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "This caps a 20-year battle to bring rail back to East L.A. -- one of the most transportation dependent communities in Los Angeles.''
Trains are to run about every eight minutes in the mornings, about every 12 minutes during the middle of the day and every 20 minutes at night.
"The long-awaited Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is going to greatly benefit the community by linking it with schools, hospitals, shopping and business opportunities throughout the county,'' said Ara Najarian, board chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Construction was begun in 2004, and the MTA and its prime contractor, Eastside LRT Constructors, finished the job without any serious accidents or mishaps in about 4 million working hours.
The official name of the line will be the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, after the late Los Angeles city councilman and congressman. Roybal, a champion for Eastside causes, was a councilman for 13 years and a congressman for 30.
"With the opening of La Linea de Oro -- the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension -- Eastside residents now have access to jobs, schools, medical centers, shopping, entertainment and cultural opportunities throughout our county,'' said county Supervisor Gloria Molina. "In turn, the region will get the benefit of Eastside talent, our rich cultural heritage, our dedicated work ethic and our welcoming business climate. It's a winning combination for the whole country.''
With the addition of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension, Metro system will have 79 miles of rail -- all built in the last 20 years.
"But this not the end of the ride,'' Villaraigosa said. "Thanks to the passage of Measure R, there will be local funding for half a dozen new rail projects in the next decade, which will give Angelenos even greater transit access to jobs and other opportunities throughout the county.''
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