Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension on Track to Launch Full Service on March 5

Finalization and testing of Metro’s Foothill Gold Line extension is on schedule, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority announced in a recent release.

The announcement also said passenger service from Pasadena to the Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte/City of Hope, Irwindale, Azusa Downtown and APU/Citrus College Stations will begin on Saturday, March 5, 2016.

The extension adds six new stations in the five cities. Azusa has two stations – one at Alameda Avenue in downtown and one at Citrus Avenue, near Citrus College and Azusa Pacific University. To allow connection between the existing Sierra Madre Villa Station in East Pasadena and the future Arcadia Station, a new 584-linear-foot bridge was constructed over the eastbound lanes of the I-210 Freeway. The Gold Line Bridge replaces the one removed after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

The extension includes a maintenance and operations facility in Monrovia, which will be used for servicing, cleaning, painting and storing light rail vehicles for Metro’s growing fleet. The M and O facility will have a total storage capacity of 84 vehicles.

Parking will also be available at each station of the Pasadena to Azusa Extension.

Work on the extension started in June 2010 and was completed on time and on budget on September 23, 2015. After that, the 11.5-mile, six-station extension was turned over to Metro for pre-revenue service, an important phase when Metro continues to commission new vehicles, train their operators and local first responders and educate the community on staying safe near the train, before opening the line for passenger service.

Metro says it will publish the updated schedule for passenger service as the March 5, 2016 opening date approaches.