My L.A. Metro Train Tour

          On Saturday August 21, 2010 I was part of a tour of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) light rail system.  The participants of this tour were interested residents of the city of Pico Rivera, which is located on the eastern side of Los Angeles County. 

           Currently, MTA is studying a proposal to extend rail routes and one of the options would be to pass through Pico Rivera and end in Whittier.  To alleviate concerns and educate community members about the impact of light rail upon the community this tour was offered to show residents currently existing portions of the light rail system.  Tour participants were given passes which allowed them to ride for the entire day after the tour was over.

           We met in the parking garage at the terminus of the East L,A. portion of the train known as the Gold Line.  This route currently has one end in the largely Hispanic area of East Los Angeles and follows a C shaped route for about 20 miles, ending in Pasadena.  This route stops at about twenty stations, including the downtown L.A. Union Station where other trains can be taken to other parts of the city and other surrounding cities.  The Gold Line includes stops in Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and Old Town Pasadena. 

                                                                                            

Gold Line Terninus Station in East L.A.

                                                                                             

       Our hosts for the tour were two representatives from Arellano Associates, the public relations firm which coordinates the community affairs for the MTA Gold Line Extension Project.   These very congenial hosts, Chester K. Britt and Melissa Holguin, greeted attendees at the new and modern commuter parking garage.   I was disappointed to see only about eight of the twenty-some community members who said they were going to attend.  Our hosts took it in stride and led us to the station platform pictured above.

        On the platform we were introduced to our MTA tour guides:  Kimberly Yu, Transportation Planning Manager, and Diego Cardoso, MTA Executive Officer.  As the train pulled up the first thing I noticed was that I could barely hear it.  Unlike heavy rail trains that we usually think of, the light rails run on electric and only have a few cars.  There was no shaking of the ground like one might expect either.  Trucks and buses that pass near my house on a regular basis are far more disrupting than the light rail train.

        Depending on where they are running, these light rail trains may run separate from traffic on their own right-of-ways, underground, above the ground, or in the middle of the street with traffic.  In traffic they run at fairly slow speeds and do not really present much danger to vehicles or pedestrians.  Despite the frequent stops, commuters can reach their destinations with relative ease and with no parking hassles.  They might have to connect with another train or a bus, but there is usually not much wait during the busiest times of the day.  Trains are comfortable and immaculately clean.

Farmer's Market at East L.A. Civic Center

Another view of the Saturday Farmer's Market

Performance stage at Civic Center Park

           Our first stop on the tour was the East L.A. Civic Center, where on Saturdays is one of the many Farmer's Markets sponsored by VELA, an organization that organizes projects and events to help serve and vitalize communities in the Los Angeles area.  We were greeted by Josie Cervantes, a progrram manager, who showed us through the Farmer's Market and told us about some of the vendors who were there.  We were given samples of some of the produce for sale.  I decided that I would come back on another Saturday to stock up on some of the delicious produce that the market has to offer.   Josie also told us about some of the other programs and events that are held at the civic center such as concerts on the stage which sits out in the duck pond.
 

East L.A. Civic Center Station Platform

       

           We returned to the station platform and boarded the next train, which came in a matter of minutes.  Our tour now continued for several miles as we passed through East L.A and  the edge of downtown Los Angeles.  The ride was very quiet and relaxing.  I watched the passing neighborhoods and business districts of areas where I had never or rarely been.  As we traveled, Kimberly and Diego explained many interesting facts about the train system, called out points of interest, and answered our questions.  This was a great way to ride through town and not worry about being behind the wheel in traffic.  I plan to return and get off at some of these stations in the future and do some exploring--there was a lot to keep a person busy for many trips.
 

South Pasadena residents talk about the experience of living near the light rail station

             Our last tour stop was a station in a quiet South Pasadena neighborhood.  A couple of residents who live nearby the train station greeted us and described their experience with the train being so near to them.  First they allayed any concerns about noise, a point which had already become evident to us from what we'd seen already.  They also said there had been no accidents or traffic disruptions in their area.  They felt safe and confident in proximity to the rail system.  They felt their property values had gone up with the train station so close and characterized this area as having become gentrified.  They pointed to the examples of coffee shops, fine restaurants, and boutiques that had sprouted up since the arrival of the station.  There was now a greater sense of community.

             Kimberly explained that this was typical of areas where the trains had gone into operation.  Local city governments encouraged development in station zones which resulted in new businesses and more jobs. I could see the vitality of the business areas around the station stops that we visited.  Communities that had previously been somewhat blighted were starting to show a new improved face and enticing outsiders to visit.  These areas were becoming safer, cleaner, and more desirable for development.  

Sculpture at South Pasadena station

             This was the official end of our tour.  The rest of the tour members continued on to downtown Pasadena.  I needed to get home to meet my wife for lunch.  I plan to return with my wife and granddaughter--I think she'd really get a kick out of riding the trains.  In the weeks to come I hope to get back out on the train and go to some of the stops where I didn't get off this time.  When I do this I will take some pictures and do some blog posts.  In fact, I could see a lot of potential blog posts from just riding the light rails and sightseeing in Los Angeles.

               As far as building a light rail line near my neighborhood and having a station within walking distance of my house, I'm all for it.  I've ridden the trains here in L.A. many times.  It's a great way to get to Universal Studios, Hollywood, Staples Center, Long Beach, and many other places.  If I didn't have to drive seven miles to the park and ride lot to catch the train it would be all the better.  Why, if I could just walk to the train station, I could almost get rid of my car.   I said almost---after all, this is Los Angeles and you still need a car to go some places.

           Tomorrow my Debate Day topic will be the pros and cons of light rail.  I hope you will join me to give your opinions.  However, today I'd like to know if anyone has ridden the light rail in Los Angeles and if so, how was your experience?   What about light rail in other cities?  If you are planning to visit L.A., I would encourage you to ride the rail whenever it is feasible to do so.   Does anybody have any plans to visit Los Angeles any time soon?  

Below is a video of the grand opening of the Gold Line extension to the East L.A. Terminus Station.  You can get an idea of what the train is like in this video.  There are a number of other videos on YouTube that show L.A. Metro trains.