The following story originally appeared on the The Source website on November 5, 2013.
Work scheduled to begin later this month on tying Gold Line Foothill Extension into existing Gold Line!
By Steve Hymon
Progress has been speedy on the construction of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension, the 11.5-mile addition that will extend the Gold Line from its current terminus in eastern Pasadena to Azusa with six new stations.
And now comes the next step: tying the future extension into the existing Gold Line in Pasadena. Initially this work will be done over several phases through this fall and the upcoming winter. Most of the work involves building and/or reworking the overhead wires and infrastructure that delivers electricity to light rail trains.
At this point, most of the work will be done on some Sundays or after 8 p.m. on some weeknights. Impacts on service will be minimal for most of the Gold Line during the work. Most of the impacts will be on service between the Allen and Sierra Madre Villa stations in Pasadena.
All work is subject to weather postponements. The first work is scheduled for Sunday, November 17, when there will be bus shuttles replacing train service between the Allen and Sierra Madre Villa Stations. Otherwise, trains will run on regular intervals between Atlantic and Allen on that day.
We’ll update you frequently on any service impacts. As always, any service impact is a pain but it’s a necessary pain that will make the Gold Line a lot more convenient to use for residents in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa and western Glendora.
The project is funded by Measure R and is being built by the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, an independent agency that will turn the project over to Metro when it’s complete. Kudos to the Construction Authority for reaching this key milestone; more construction updates can be found on their website. Metro is currently forecasting an early 2016 opening to Azusa.
The Construction Authority is also planning the second phase of the project that would extend the rail line to Montclair. That segment is not funded at this time but is in Metro’s Long Range Transportation Plan.
