The line to ride the Gold Line at the Azusa Pacific University/ Citrus College stop snaked away from the station and looped around and through the parking structure on March 5. Riders experienced up to 40 minutes in wait time to board or re-board the Gold Line. (Megan Bender/Clarion)
The opening of the six new stops in the Foothill Gold Line extension was both a celebration and growing frustration to residents of the San Gabriel Valley, who waited in Disneyland-sized lines to ride the new Gold Line trains during grand opening ceremonies on March 5.
Festivities started at the Duarte/City of Hope station with guests such as Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, the Metro Board of Directors and state senators.
Also present were Citrus College Board of Trustees, Sue Keith and Joanne Montgomery and Citrus College Vice President of Finances and Administrative Services Claudette Dain.
The Metro Board of Directors and Mayor Garcetti received the first ride after cutting a gold ribbon to officially open the new stations.
Meanwhile, riders had taken the Gold Line from Pasadena to the Azusa Pacific University/Citrus College stop expecting to easily ride it back home and discovered a large line to reboard instead.
Pasadena High School student, Jessica Najera and Pasadena City College student Nicholas Gianini were among those waiting around 40 minutes at the APU/Citrus College stop to head west again.
“We took the Gold Line out here and arrived around 11:50 a.m.,” Najera said. “It only took us maybe 20 minutes to board over there, this isn’t fun.”
Metro staff attempted to redirect the line into the APU/Citrus College stop’s parking structure as well as direct angry riders to a shuttle as they exited the train.
A staff member who declined to be named, said Metro staffed around 100 more people to prepare for the event and the crowd.
“There is a really large crowd and unfortunately due to the street closure [on Citrus Avenue] there’s not a direct route to the college,” he said.
Azusa Pacific University student Logan Marsial who started his trip in Pasadena, said the Gold Line ride only took about twenty minutes to get to the APU/Citrus College stop but was not happy with travel options upon reaching his destination.
“The street closure is an absolute crime,” Marsial said. “You have to walk a mile to get to campus, take the shuttle or call a Lyft or Uber.”
Claremont resident and one-time Citrus student, Harland Anderson, was among the first to ride the Gold Line east.
Anderson was approached by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority around 12 years ago to lobby money for the extension, as a civilian representative of cities east of the Pasadena stop.
He has attended every public Metro Board of Governors meeting that has been held since.
Anderson said the Gold Line is starting out at 12 minutes between pick ups and hopes to reduce that time to and is attempting to get down to three minutes but cannot get people on and off the trains fast enough.
“The system was never designed for this much capacity,” he said. “The real problem is the idiots who didn’t finish the paving underneath the bridge. Everybody has to come around to get up here and yet Citrus College is about 100-yards over there…pretty stupid.”
Anderson pointed out that it is a city’s responsibility to put in streets, although he is not sure what city line jurisdiction the paving falls under.
“All they need to do is finish,” he said.
The construction of Citrus Avenue to reach under the bridge to the APU/Citrus College stop is expected to be completed by July if all goes well according to city officials.
A free shuttle ran every 12 minutes from the stop back to Citrus College to compensate for the Citrus Avenue street closure, for riders who did not wish to re-board or needed to connect to Foothill Transit buses.
This shuttle will be available during the week for Citrus College and Azusa Pacific University students Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. till construction on Citrus Avenue is complete.
The Gold Line rides will be free till midnight and then return to $1.75 for a one-way trip, $7 for an all day pass., $25 for seven days and $100 for a 30-day pass.
Students can apply for $43 discounted monthly passes on the fares page of the Metro website.
Written with contributions from Darius Johari, Logos
