Pedestrian View Of Los Angeles

This blog focuses on rail lines in LA country that exist, are under construction or under consideration. The Californian high-speed rail project and southern CA to Vegas project will also be covered. Since most of the relevant developments in the news, rail websites and blogosphere take place on weekdays, this blog will be updated primarily Monday through Friday and occasionally on the weekends. Your comments, criticism and suggestions are encouraged. Miscellaneous stuff will also appear here.

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Friday, November 27, 2009

High Speed Rail Authority eyeing San Gabriel Valley cities for a station (Source) SGVTribune.com)

Link: High Speed Rail Authority eyeing San Gabriel Valley cities for a station - SGVTribune.com
High Speed Rail Authority eyeing San Gabriel Valley cities for a station
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/26/2009 04:16:16 PM PST

West Covina is the latest city thrown into a pool of San Gabriel Valley candidates being considered as a location for a proposed high-speed rail station.

The City Council recently penned a letter to the California High-Speed Rail Authority supporting the project along the 10 Freeway corridor and asking to be considered for a station at the Westfield mall.

West Covina joins El Monte, Industry and Pomona as potential station locations in the Valley.

"West Covina wants to be part of the conversation," said Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson. "I think anytime you have something like that, people will stop at the mall, have a cup of coffee, get gas - I do think it helps stimulate the economy."

The proposed high-speed train system would encompass more than 800 miles and provide intercity travel to Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, and San Diego.

One local city will be able to reap the benefits of a transportation hub in their backyard, according to Genoveva Arellano, outreach manager of Arellano Associates, a consultant for the authority.

"It's mostly economic benefits, construction jobs and permanent jobs which brings a huge advantage for local cities," Arellano said. "The expectation is when you have a lot of people in one location synergy is going to happen."

Because the train is capable of operating at speeds up to 220 mph there will not be
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many stops.

There would only be one station in the San Gabriel Valley. The next closest locations could be Union Station in Los Angeles and possibly the Ontario Airport.

The proposed route is either going to align with the 60 Freeway or the 10 Freeway. Stations in West Covina, El Monte and Pomona are being considered along the 10 Freeway while Industry is being considered along the 60 Freeway, officials said.

"Obviously if you have it in either city it will be beneficial," said Industry Mayor Dave Perez. "A transportation link is very crucial in this area."

Pomona officials agree.

"You'll find the the same benefits across the board," said Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager. "Positive exposure, increasing visitors to the city and economic development."

The authority expects all the environmental studies to be complete by 2013 and for the rail to begin operation in 2020.

"The majority of times the station area is like airports and it attracts economic development," Arellano said. "It can be a boom for local cities."

amanda.baumfeld@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2108

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Hip-Hip-Hooray! San Gabriel Valley Comes Together to Celebrate Future (Source: I Wil Ride)

Link: Hip-Hip-Hooray! San Gabriel Valley Comes Together to Celebrate Future « I Will Ride Blog
Hip-Hip-Hooray! San Gabriel Valley Comes Together to Celebrate Future
Posted by Albert



“To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward.”
- Margaret Fairless Barber

Now I may not be familiar with the writings of Margaret Fairless Barber (this might be the first time I’ve ever typed out her name), but if there’s one quote I could find on the internet that could describe the tone at Saturday’s celebration – this would be it.

This past Saturday, dozens of elected officials, hundreds of San Gabriel Valley residents, along with Metro CEO Art Leahy and Board Chair Ara Najarian came out to the historic Santa Fe train depot in Monrovia to celebrate last month’s hard-fought victory and to witness the unveiling of the first of six station signs at the future Foothill Extension stop – all the while looking forward to a brighter future for the region. There was food, coloring book tables for the kids, and a kiddie train that, for a brief moment, was being driven by Congressman David Dreier with Authority CEO Habib Balian and a few elected officials as passengers (more on that later).

Elected Officials Remind Crowd of Past, Look Forward to Future

While the event was a joyous occasion to celebrate the prospect of thousands of new jobs, economic benefits, a cleaner environment, and more transit alternatives for the folks of the San Gabriel Valley, it also marked a time for our lawmakers to reflect on the difficult and hard-fought path that brought us to this point.

Monrovia Mayor Mary Ann Lutz, while thanking every Foothill Extension supporter from top to bottom, took a quote from former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in saying, “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” If you’ve been a supporter these past few years, that’s a pretty good way to sum it up. Assemblymember Anthony Portantino stated that the incredible levels of support from all levels (from residents all the way up to our federal delegation) was an indicator of just how important the Foothill Extension was to the region. Not to take anything away from other transit projects, but very few other projects can claim they’ve had this level of support for years – even from their federal delegation.

Speaking of federal delegations, Metro Board Chair Ara Najarian – with the infamous Congressional letter still in mind – reminded the crowd (besides that Metro CEO Art Leahy was in the crowd wearing a USC cap and that he was a Gold Line fan at heart) just how fortunate we were to have the likes of Congress members Judy Chu, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano, and David Dreier fighting endlessly for the San Gabriel Valley. Despite a few heated debates going on these days in the House of Representatives, they took the time when it mattered most to make a strong stand for the region. Bravo.

However, according to Congresswoman Judy Chu, it doesn’t end there. During her speech, she shared with the crowd that she dreams of the line going all the way to Ontario Airport. Not only do our residents share that dream as well, but so does former Glendale mayor and current California Transportation Commissioner Larry Zarian – who stressed that he was a fan of the line going to Ontario and that our economy depends on a healthy transit line that connects people to work.

Highlighting the speech portion of the ceremony was Congressman David Dreier, who reminded the crowd that we all share responsibility for our region’s environment – and that the Foothill Extension was solving a county-wide regional issue because, while it DSC_4735 (2)can bring people to work in Downtown Los Angeles, it also brings people who want to be in the San Gabriel Valley to the San Gabriel Valley. Then he proceeded to dare any elected official to ride the kid train while he drives it. As you can see on the left, a few took him up on his dare.

Where We Go From Here

There’s five more station signs we haven’t seen yet for the cities of Arcadia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa (two). And then we head towards the groundbreaking in the early summer of 2010 – which also happens to be the FIRST groundbreaking of any Measure R rail project. Neat.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Round up of Articles on Rail Maintenance Yard Location

Round up of Articles on Rail Maintenance Yard Location
Article 1

The Argonaut: Santa Monica

Santa Monica City Council endorses hybrid proposal for light rail maintenance yard location

BY GARY WALKER
(Created: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 4:12 PM PST)

Despite objections from residents who believe that their neighborhood is not the best place for a light rail maintenance facility, the Santa Monica City Council has voted to back a site recommended by the Mid-Cities Exposition Light Rail Construction Authority.

The council also pledged to look into claims made by Stewart Park neighborhood residents that levels of methane gas near the proposed location were higher than previously reported and to urge the construction authority to do so as well.

The Mid-Cities Exposition Light Rail Line, commonly known as the Expo Line, will have three stations in Santa Monica — 26th Street and Olympic Boulevard, near Bergamot Station, 17th Street and Colorado Avenue and at Fourth Street and Colorado.

Kate Vernez, assistant to the city manager for governmental relations, said that city staff members had investigated the methane claims at the proposed location, which is the city-owned Verizon telephone maintenance facility on Exposition Boulevard and a portion of a parking lot used by Santa Monica College (SMC).

“The environmental concerns have been addressed and were found not to be a hazard,” Vernez told the council.

Vernez gave the council and the public an update from an August meeting when the hybrid alternative was offered by Metro authorities instead of only the Verizon site, the original proposal. At the meeting, the council voted to consider the so-called hybrid location of the existing Verizon facility and the SMC parking lot, but a number of residents of the Pico and Stewart Park neighborhoods complained that their neighborhoods were being targeted for a facility that could bring noise and environmental complications.

Vernez mentioned that the new planned location had been redesigned to eliminate “wheel squeal” from the train and a car wash and cleaning platform would be relocated north of the Verizon property. A 110-foot sound barrier is also proposed to reduce noise from the train and the light rail yard.

“In addition,” Vernez added, “Metro has eliminated the paint and body shop, restricted access to Stewart Street, proposed adding directional lighting to reduce glare and installed landscaping to soften the building facade.”

Mayor Ken Genser, as Vernez did at the beginning of the meeting, reminded the audience that the final authority on where the rail yard will be placed lies with Metro. He also commented on what he sees as the transportation authority’s sense of urgency to determine where the maintenance yard should be built.

“It seems like Expo is moving ahead no matter what our position on CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) is,” said the mayor, referring to questions regarding environmental review at the suggested location. “Expo seems to be operating on the basis of ‘we’ll work with you as long as you don’t oppose us or what you’re doing does not slow us down.’

“That seems to be their (modus operandi,)” Genser asserted.

Samantha Bricker, the chief operating officer of the construction authority, said that her agency has been working diligently with Santa Monica officials as well as residents in the neighborhoods that will be affected. Bricker also said it was important to have a site selected so that any necessary environmental work can begin prior to submitting all necessary documents to Expo’s board of directors in January for its approval.

“We have reviewed the hybrid site regarding any environmental issues, and our team did not find anything that would be cause for concern,” Bricker said, echoing Vernez’s earlier statements. “Our final draft is a CEQA document that will give environmental clearance for both the Verizon site and the hybrid site.”

Residents who addressed the council represented a mixture of supporters of the hybrid site and those who remained concerned that Expo has not given sufficient mitigation regarding noise, traffic and potential environmental hazards. Some Stewart Park homeowners have also taken issue with the alignment of the rail station that will stop at nearby Bergamot Station, which will be at grade, or ground level, instead of an elevated track.

Sarah Devine, a Stewart Park resident who lives on Delaware Avenue, took exception with the site’s location, which she pointed out was close to an educational institution, private school New Roads School, on nearby Olympic Boulevard.

“How or why is this (site) so different from the other sites that were not selected because they were close to a school?” she asked.

Darrell Clarke, a former Santa Monica planning commissioner who is also a light rail proponent, commended the city’s staff and Metro officials for crafting a proposal that he feels will satisfy both parties.

“I hear about the impact of the (10) freeway all the time, said Clarke, who lives south of the Verizon facility and is a co-chair for the light rail advocacy group Friends 4 Expo. “A maintenance facility is not the same thing.

“I look forward to the completion of this excellent project,” he concluded.

Councilwoman Gleam Davis stated that it was important to separate safety and the potential impact on neighborhoods.

“There are a number of communities in the country that operate at-grade systems that operate very safely,” Davis noted. “I have seen nothing that leads me to believe that this will be a problem.

“Rail, as a method of transportation, is a safe method.”

Genser also mentioned that the selection of the hybrid site was predicated on approval of a land exchange with SMC officials.

Bricker said that Expo had been in contact with the college and city leaders about the land swap and did not anticipate any problems.

“It’s my understanding that the city and the college are both willing,” she said. “Everyone has been very cooperative and we’re very optimistic that we will be able to work with all parties.”

SMC officials did not return phone calls for comment.

Davis also discussed the environmental concerns that some members of the audience brought before the council.

“City reports show that the ambient levels (of methane gas) are safe,” the councilwoman said.

The Expo Line will begin in downtown Los Angeles and is set to arrive in Culver City in its first stage of construction next year. It is scheduled to arrive in Santa Monica in 2016.

Article 2


Curbed LA: Wheel Squeal Considered, Santa Monica Votes for Hybrid Yard
Wheel Squeal Considered, Santa Monica Votes for Hybrid Yard
Thursday, November 19, 2009, by Dakota

2009_08_expo.jpg Whenever the second phase of the Expo Line opens, there'll be three stops in Santa Monica: 26th Street and Olympic Boulevard, 17th Street and Colorado Avenue and, Fourth Street and Colorado. A light rail maintenance yard also needs to go up as part of the line, and today's The Argonaut reports that the Santa Monica City Council voted to back a recommendation to use a Verizon facility on Exposition Boulevard and part of a Santa Monica College parking lot for the site of the maintenance yard. Metro has the final say on the placement of the facility, but the proposed location has roiled some neighbors. Concessions have been made: A city official tells the paper that the "new planned location had been redesigned to eliminate 'wheel squeal' from the train and a car wash and cleaning platform would be relocated north of the Verizon property. A 110-foot sound barrier is also proposed to reduce noise from the train and the light rail yard." Meanwhile, there's also talk of methane gas. According to members of the Stewart Park neighborhood residents, "levels of methane gas near the proposed location were higher than previously reported," whic