A New Public Transit Option

Public transit in Southern California will grow just an little more this weekend.

After over five years of construction the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority's six-mile Gold Line extension to East Los Angeles from downtown Los Angeles opens Sunday.

With eight new stations along the way the $898 million extension of The Gold Line, which currently operates between Pasadena and Union Station in downtown L.A. that opened in 2002, will provide service from Union Station to Atlantic Boulevard and 3rd Street in East L.A., just south of the Pomona Freeway near East Los Angeles Community College.

Through Boyle Heights the light rail runs underground with two subway stations.

On the urging of politicians and residents original plans for the extension called for the Gold Line to be built underground, however MTA officials decided it would be cost efficient to build the rails above ground.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina believed an underground light rail would have been much safer than running above ground in the middle of an busy street through an heavily populated area.

Nonetheless MTA officials insist the Gold Line extension is safe and $4.5 million has been spent for, what the MTA describes, safety enhancements.

Residents are asked to give it an try, for free. On opening day Sunday rides on the Gold Line extension are free.

If all goes as planned gold may be lining the streets of the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire in the coming decades.

Ambitious plans by the MTA call for an Gold Line extension from Pasadena through the Foothill Freeway communities winding down to Ontario International Airport.

Plans also call for extending the Gold Line from East L.A. to Whittier and into El Monte.