Update: 50k boardings today
As of 4:45 p.m. Metro officials estimate a total of 50,000 boardings on the Gold Line Eastside Extension today. With the lines I saw at Union Station, that seems about right.
Metro celebrates 30 years
Various photos from Gold Line Eastside Extension opening day festivities
Steve and I rode the line, battled the crowds, and joined in the festivities of the Eastside Extension’s opening day. When we started our day at about 9:00 a.m., crowds were relatively light and the lines were short, but around 11:00 a.m. there was a notable increase in the crowds. [continue reading]
Big weekend for Gold Line begins to wind down
At this point, it’s obvious that there will be substantial lines the rest of the afternoon on the Eastside Gold Line. We probably won’t get a true feel for commuters’ perspectives on how the train functions until revenue service begins Monday. My colleague Fred and I chatted with many passengers [continue reading]
Reader input: early morning photos the Gold Line Eastside Extension
Source reader Tim Adams of the local volunteer organization Transit People (they take kids on transit field trips… awesome!) sent us some gorgeous shots of the Gold Line riding through East L.A. on its inaugural day. All photos were taken in the wee hours of the morning well before we [continue reading]
Shuttle bus available to avoid long train lines
As expected — and in a replay of 2003, when the L.A. to Pasadena Gold Line opened — the line to board trains to East L.A. is more than an hour’s wait at Union Station. The line, in fact, snakes all the way into the parking garage. If you don’t [continue reading]
30K boardings today
Metro officials are estimating that there have been 30,000 boardings on the Eastside Gold Line so far today. The number will be updated this evening.
Avoid lines!
As of 1:30 there’s no line at the Little Tokyo/Arts District station. The small festival in the parking lot next to the station is not exactly crowded.
More lines!
You can also expect a line to board the Gold Line in both directions at Mariachi Plaza.
Long lines at Union Station for Gold Line
As expected, there is a monster line to board the train at Union Station. The wait for Pasadena trains is estimated at 20 minutes and it’s 45 minutes for trains to East L.A.