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Metro Gold Line's New Extension, Reviewed
Inside one of the two underground stations of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension | Photo: Metro
Inside one of the two underground stations of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension | Photo: Metro
Tomorrow, politicians and the media will test out the new 6-mile Gold Line Eastside Extension, but not before Metro's in-house media, former LA Times reporter Steve Hymon and transit blogger Fred Dennstedt, took a ride. In a post, they shared notes with the public.
"It took 20 minutes for the train to travel the six miles from Union Station to the end of the line in East L.A. and then 24 minutes for the return trip," explained Hymon. "Initially Metro said the line would do the trip in 17 minutes, but it looks like for now it won’t be quite that fast. The operator I spoke with said the trip is typically taking in the ballpark of 20 minutes."
By comparison, Hymon noted that the 13-mile Gold Line trip between Union Station and Pasadena takes 29-minutes, but has a right-of-way for several miles.
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And there's good news for those traveling between the original Gold Line tracks and the new one, says Hymon. "I like the fact that Gold Line trains from Pasadena are treating Union Station as just another stop — there’s no switching of train operators or needless delays. That should benefit passengers headed to Little Tokyo and the Arts District — it’s just another three minutes on the train past Union Station"
Dennstedt had one point that we share: "The stations featured the old-style scrolling LED transit information displays instead of the new LCD screens found in Red/Purple Line Stations. Seems odd that the newest stations in the system will be using older technology."
The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension between Union Station and East L.A. will open to the public on November 15th.
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