Over the last year, a pedestrian bridge and new east platform was constructed at Santa Ana Regional Transportation Centre. This would end the practice of passengers standing on the middle platform when southbound trains arrived. This story will take you through the construction phase all the way to the first train to use the new platform.
Pacific Surfliner 763 arrived before any construction started. 9/24/2005
The construction of the new northbound platform is underway. 10/16/2005
The location where the west tower of the future pedestrian bridge will connect with the existing building. 10/16/2005
The future east elevator. 11/02/2005
The east platform under construction. 11/24/2005
The future west elevator area. 11/24/2005
The location where passengers will exit the station if they choose to use the future pedestrian bridge. 11/24/2005
Construction has progressed well with the east platform being built. 12/16/2005
The structure for the east tower has been erected and progressing. 12/16/2005
The new east platform was progressing well. 2/4/2006
The east tower was slowly progressing. 2/4/2006
The new west tower has been completed. 2/4/2006
Both towers. 2/4/2006
The bridge towers with the east tower now with stair rails. 2/20/2006
Pacific Surfliner 763 stopping at the station during the construction phase. 2/20/2006
The view from the the top level of the parking structure. 2/25/2006
The first train under the new bridge was Pacific Surfliner 763. 2/25/2006
A station-side view. 2/25/2006
The view from the north balcony. 2/25/2006
Pacific Surfliner 571 arrived as I detrained. 2/25/2006
Pacific Surfliner 571 on its way north to Los Angeles. 2/25/2006
Those new shelters will keep the sun off you while you are waiting for a train, but when it rains and the wind blows, they will be useless. There is also no protection from the afternoon sun. 4/08/2006
The new bridge and east platforms at the south end of the station. 4/8/2006
Pacific Surfliner 583 arrived. 4/13/2006
The new northeast end wheelchair ramp. 4/29/2006
The future northwest end, where the new wheelchair ramp will be. 4/09/2006
The new waiting shelters. 4/29/2006
Construction of the new southwest wheelchair ramp. 4/29/2006
The bridge with scaffolding below. 4/29/2006
The view from the top level of the parking structure. 5/4/2006.
The new northwest wheelchair ramp was almost ready to be poured. 5/20/2006
The bridge was covered as crews work on it during the week. 5/20/2006
The west tower had had its elevator control room being added. 5/20/2006
Deadheading Pacific Surfliner 763 sped south on the way to Irvine. 5/20/2006
The future hall from the building to the bridge on the way to the parking structure roof. 5/20/2006
An overview of the area. 5/20/2006
Pacific Surfliner 763. 5/20/2006
Metrolink 852. 6/23/2006
Construction progress on our new east platform. 6/23/2006
The west tower showing the progress. 6/23/2006
The new northbound canopies at Santa Ana had all been tiled. 7/11/2006
The bridge towers were still being worked on. 7/11/2006
Pacific Surfliner 582 arrived first and it felt weird standing in the middle. All it would take for an accident is for someone to trip or get pushed down onto the tracks as the train arrived. 7/11/2006
Metrolink 851 departing as bridge construction was being completed. It still needed to be painted and roof tiles added. 8/16/2006
The tarpaulin was removed and this is what the west tower will look like. 8/16/2006
The east tower was progressing nicely. 8/16/2006
Work occuring to replace the former walkway with a true station platform; the middle platform will be removed once our east platform is complete. 8/16/2006
The shelter was being tiled to match the station. 8/16/2006
The blue tarpaulin had been removed on 8/16/2006 and a Metrolink train is seen departing for Los Angeles. Photo taken 8/29/2006.
The new steps to the west platform with the handicapped ramp to the right. 8/29/2006
The east side tower and bridge. 8/29/2006
The east side canopy rooves have been tiled but the final tile work was still to be completed. 8/29/2006
First Time Over the New Bridge and the First Train to Use the East Platform 9/28/2006I awoke early on this day because the new pedestrian bridge and new east platform was going to be put into service this morning. At 4:20 AM, I drove to the Santa Ana station and parked then went to get my Metrolink ticket for the trip to Los Angeles, but found the machine by the parking lot was no longer there. Looking over to the new platform, I saw its new location and walked over to use the bridge, only to find pink construction tape blocking my path. I ducked under and walked upstairs for the first time.
The view from the second level of the hallway that will take one from the parking structure and courtyard stairs to the bridge.
To reach the bridge over the tracks, one can either use these stairs or the elevator.
The view inside the bridge before one walks through.
Once across, the early morning view looking north.
Looking back from where we came from.
Down the stairs I went, but the north stairs on the east side were not yet finished, however, there were south stairs.
I had reached the new east platform for the first time.
The canopies had been tiled, but there were no benches at this point.
Metrolink 681 arrived on time at 4:34 AM and was the first train to use the new eastern platform at Santa Ana.
Passengers boarded Metrolink 681 to Los Angeles, as did I. I tried to nap while the train travelled to Orange, Anaheim and Fullerton, but noisy passengers boarded. We stopped at Norwalk then made the final sprint to Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, arriving there early, where I detrained and was soon off on an morning walk, going to the east side of the station, down Cesar Chavez Boulevard and under the station tracks to Alameda Street, then back into the station. I stopped at Union Bagel for an expensive orange juice before going to Track 12 to wait for my train back to Santa Ana.
Pacific Surfliner 562 The Sunrise Express 9/28/2006Two trainsets arrived late from the yard and they were then separated, with one of them becoming Pacific Surfliner 562. I boarded the rear Superliner coach and settled in for the trip home, noting there were locomotives on both ends. We departed five minutes late and once on the move, I went to the café to visit with Peter Televick, the lead service attendant working this train, for a cup of herbal tea than returned to my seat to enjoy the morning.
A few minutes later, our train rounded the curve at Buena Park and the tower for the future pedestrian bridge at the future Buena Park Metrolink station could be seen.
The train then curved at Basta before stopping at Fullerton. Running back on time, we sat at Anaheim before going to Orange to wait eight minutes for Metrolink trains then once on the move again, it quickly returned me to Santa Ana, where I returned to my car and went to work at McFadden Intermediate. It had been an interesting morning being one of the few to ride the first train out of Santa Ana using the new bridge and east platform.
Finishing the Construction
The next phase was moving Track 2 over four inches as was done with Track 1 before the project commenced. Here is the tamper working near the new bridge. 10/8/2006
The truck on the track carries the supplies and equipment the workers need. Here they are welding the rails back together. 10/8/2006
Looking south down the new east platform. 10/8/2006
Close-up of the tamper. 10/8/2006
The tamper putting down the spikes and rail fasteners. 10/8/2006
It works at a walking pace and is most efficient. 10/8/2006
The ballast spreader follows the tamper to evenly fill in the ballast. 10/8/2006
A dump truck then dumps more ballast as needed. 10/8/2006
Pacific Surfliner 577 departed just as Pacific Surfliner 578 arrived. 10/22/2006
The north stairs were now complete. 10/22/2006
Benches had been added to the new platforms. 10/22/2006
A Metrolink ticket machine and ticket validator was installed. 10/22/2006
The location of the future fence posts. 10/22/2006
The location of the southern gate across the tracks. 11/05/2006
The fence frame. 11/05/2006
Pacific Surfliner standing in the station. 11/06/2006
The station while all the work was being done. 11/06/2006
The location of the northern gate. 11/06/2006
The lower fence is so that Metrolink engineers can clearly see the crossing at Santa Ana Boulevard 11/06/2006
The motor for opening the north gate. 12/16/2006
The north gate in the closed position. 12/16/2006
The finished canopy on the east platform. 12/16/2006
The motor for the south gate. 12/16/2006
The south gate was open. 12/16/2006
The finished station from the east. 12/16/2006
The finished station from the west. 12/16/2006
Pacific Surfliners 577 and 578 meet on December 16, 2006.
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