Gold Line Will be Golden Opportunity

Today I rode with Metro CEO Art Leahy, Mayor Villaraigosa and my fellow MTA directors for a test ride on the soon-to-open Gold Line Eastside Extension. With the media invited along, we rode from Union Station to the Soto Station, which has some very eclectic but beautiful art inside. The ride itself was very smooth and I look forward to riding the line more often once it opens on Nov. 15, 2009. I'm happy that Metro has committed to adding $4.5 million in additional safety improvements and I've asked that areas around Mendez and Ramona High Schools and El Mercado be given top priority, so that those new features, which will include buffers and fencing to discourage people from jaywalking across the tracks, will be installed as soon as possible. I will continue to monitor the situation well beyond the opening as safety is the top priority for me and the other MTA directors. Beyond that, I couldn't help but think today as someone who grew up in Boyle Heights, how much this train line is going to allow kids from Boyle Heights and East L.A. to explore other parts of the City. And visa versa. I like that idea. That we're not really connecting trains. We're connecting people.

Taking a Ride on the Gold Line

Today, I joined U.S Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Congressmembers Lucille Roybal-Allard and Grace Napolitano, LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Metro CEO Art Leahy on a tour of the Gold Line Eastside Extension to make sure everything is in place before it opens to the public. It was a smooth ride from Downtown Los Angeles, through Boyle Heights and East L.A. This new rail line will provide much needed transportation from the Eastside to Downtown, carrying riders over the historic First Street Bridge. This is the first time in more than 50 years that light rail has returned to the Eastside and it’s important that everything is in working order and that all safety precautions are being taken. While the Gold Line is of huge importance, we also want to make sure that people are safe and that all precautions are being adhered too. Please let your family and neighbors know about proper safety rules and enjoy the soon-to-open Gold Line. If you use Google maps to get around, Google Transit launched its Los Angeles version this weekend – be sure to check it out! Curbed LA had a good post on it.