Over a thousand people turned out in the September heat to attend last Saturday's dedication celebration for two new Foothill Gold Line extension stations: Downtown Azusa and Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College. Though actual train service is anticipated to start in 2016, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority has been celebrating concluding station and rail line construction, as many speakers repeated, "on time and on budget." The new extension extends 11.5 miles from Pasadena to Azusa.
Federal, county, and municpal elected officials pledged to work together to continue to extend the Gold Line. Proponents want to extend the line to Montclair, and further to Ontario Airport.
Metro CEO Phil Washington gave some indication of the anticipated schedule for the line opening, stating that Metro will take control of the facilities this Wednesday, September 23, and will then begin extensive testing. Washington anticipated that roughly 30 days later, Metro will announce the opening date for the Foothill Gold Line Extension. Barring any unforeseen construction issues that may become apparent during testing, the opening is anticipated to be Spring, 2016. There are still a lot of moving pieces, but both the new Gold Line and Expo Line extensions potentially face somewhat infrequent (12-minute headways) initial service due to a short supply of light rail cars, with more frequent service likely commencing in late 2016, as new cars become available.
Additional Azusa station dedication photos can be found at The Source. For a tour of the then-under-construction Gold Line Extension, see the SBLA series of articles on the rail line, transit-adjacent development, bridges, and maintenance yards from 2014.
