Steve Grande sent me an e-mail about a pre-opening excursion on the new East Los Angeles Gold Line Extension which was organized by the San Diego Electric Railway Association and asked if I could cover this and I agreed. The group would meet in San Diego and take Pacific Surfliner 769 to LAUPT, have lunch and at 2:30 PM, ride the new line.
After two straight nights of concerts of "Ian Anderson plays acoustic Jethro Tull" at the Grove Theater and Dennis De Young, formerly of Styx with the Orange County Performing Arts Pop Orchestra, I woke up tired the morning of the trip but managed to get to Santa Ana station in time for the first train south.
Pacific Surfliner 564 arrived I boarded, then at Irvine, we were delayed twenty minutes waiting for both Metrolink 856 and Pacific Surfliner 565. As I usually rode Pacific Surfliner 562, I did not get off at Solana Beach in order to board Pacific Surfliner 769 there. Staying on at Sorrento Valley, we went into the siding and when I realized that we were passing Pacific Surfliner 769, I knew I blew it. I checked a schedule and learned that Pacific Surfliner 571 would get me to Los Angeles in plenty of time to meet the group for the trip.
I called Let's Talk Trains as I detrained from Pacific Surfliner 564 and waited for Pacific Surfliner 571 to board. Riding the cab car north, we ran on time to Los Angeles Union Station and while on board, I met Bob McMillian who was also going on the trip. At LAUPT, we detrained and walked to the south end of the platform to wait for a Gold Line train to cross the flyover across Highway 101.
A Gold Line Train crossed the Highway 101 flyover.
East LA Gold Line TourBack in the 1980's, Los Angeles RTD was going to build the subway to East Los Angeles. Due to construction and tunnelling problems, that idea was abandoned. When the Gold Line to Pasadena was built, the MTA promised that one day, the line would be extended into East Los Angeles. They broke ground in July 2004 for this extension and in September 2005, two tunnel drilling machines, Vickie and Lola, arrived to make the 1.7 mile tunnel under Boyle Heights. The tunnels were completed in winter 2007. The 5.8 mile line will open on Sunday November 15, 2009. The old LA Railway P Line once ran down First Street where our new line runs today.
The TripWe waited for the rest of the group to return from lunch and Chris Parker and Cliff Prather joined Bob and myself, then our train left the Gold Line station heading south on the new line.
Los Angeles Union Station.
The new access crossing at Los Angeles Union Station.
Crossing the Hollywood Freeway US Highway 101.
On the flyover
Los Angeles City Hall hides behind other buildings.
The Little Tokyo station at First and Alameda Street.
Our route turned east of First Street.
Los Angeles City Hall.
A building in Little Tokyo.
Our train started up the First Street Bridge across the Los Angeles River.
The arches on the old bridge are being reused on the new part of the First Street Bridge.
The Metrolink River Subdivision and Los Angeles River.
The Union Pacific line used by the Riverside Metrolink trains.
Another of the arches at the east end of the First Street Bridge.
The brand new East Los Angeles High School.
The Pico/Aliso station at First and Anderson Streets.
Our train nearing the Boyle Heights Tunnel.
We entered the 1.7 mile tunnel that took our route under Boyle Heights.
The Mariachi Plaza station at First and Boyle Avenue, which is underground.
The Soto Street station at First and 3rd Streets, also underground.
Exiting the tunnel and returning to the middle of First Street.
Welcome to East Los Angeles.
Our route turned onto Indiana Street.
Traffic stopped on First Street as we turned onto Indiana Street.
The Indiana Street station between First and Third Streets.
Our train turned onto Third Street.
A small curb keeps the traffic off the tracks.
Our train went under California Highway 60.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Another view of those small curbs.
The Calvary Cemetery.
Crossing the Long Beach Freeway.
Maravilla station at Third Street and Ford Boulevard.
We started down the Downey Dip on what is known as the roller coaster segment of this new line.
Business signs in East Los Angeles.
The East Los Angeles Civic Center Station at Third Street and South Mednik Avenue.
The East Los Angeles Civic Center.
The East Los Angeles Sheriff substation.
Crossing Beverley Boulevard.
The Atlantic station as we arrived.
Our Gold Line train had brought us to the end of the line at Atlantic station at Pomona and Atlantic Boulevards.
A spare trainset was stored here.
Our train at rest.
The trolley that brought us departed for Sierra Madre and we boarded the next car that would start the trip back. I relaxed during most of the journey but at Indiana Street, all but five of us detrained for a photo runby, although I stayed on to be certain to catch Pacific Surfliner 582 at 5:10 PM. At LAUPT, the five of us transferred to Amtrak and the train filled up with many Los Angeles Kings fans who saw their team lose 3-1 to the Nashville Predators today. Pacific Surfliner 582 took me down to Irvine and I waited for a northbound Metrolink train due to the single track work window, but I waited an extra twenty minutes for Pacific Surfliner 785, which returned me to Santa Ana, ending a fantastic day of train riding and the new East LA Gold Line Extension.
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