Public Grand Opening Saturday, July 26; MTA Joins Elected Officials, Olympic Gold Medal Winners in Official Dedication of the New 13.7-Mile Metro Gold Line

LOS ANGELES, July 25 -- MTA joined an array of local, state and federal officials today including several past Olympic Gold Medal winners at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to officially dedicate the opening of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line. The 13.7-mile light rail line opens to the public Saturday, July 26 and links Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and Sierra Madre Villa in East Pasadena via Chinatown, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena.

"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," said MTA Board Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky.

Free rides will be offered on the Metro Gold Line this Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27, and there will be free family fun at a number of stations along the Metro Gold Line alignment. Those stations featuring community events include Union Station, Chinatown, Heritage Square/Arroyo, Highland Park, Mission Street, Memorial Park and Sierra Madre Villa.

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 was constructed by the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Construction Authority. Testing of the system was turned over to the MTA in mid-April. MTA has over the last three months conducted extensive pre-revenue train and systems testing.

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.

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.