October 29, 2004
CONTACT-- 
Luis Inzunza/Marc Littman
Metro MEDIA RELATIONS
(213) 922-2711/(213) 922-2700
www.metro.net/press/pressroom
e-mail-- mediarelations@metro.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Metro Executives, Elected Officials Open New Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Community Relations Field Office

Local and federal elected officials today joined Metro executives in celebrating the grand opening of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension Community Relations Field Office for the light rail project now under construction.

On hand were LA County Supervisor and Metro Board member Gloria Molina, LA City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa and Congress member Lucille Roybal-Allard who joined Metro CEO Roger Snoble and other officials.

The field office, located at 1505 East First St. in Boyle Heights, is open to the public from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public can inquire about the light rail project or report construction concerns in person or they can call (213) 922-2259. Construction updates are posted on Metro's Internet web site at www.metro.net. The Metro Community Relations team also is hosting weekly community project update meetings at the field office Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

For the next five years, construction will take place along the six-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line that will stretch from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Atlantic and Pomona Boulevards in East Los Angeles via Little Tokyo/Arts District and Boyle Heights. The level of activity will vary at different locations as the project progresses. The light rail line is scheduled to open in late 2009.

The Eastside Extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail project will have eight new stations: Union Station, Little Tokyo/Arts District, Pico/Aliso, Mariachi Plaza, Soto, Indiana, Maravilla, East LA Civic Center and Atlantic. Two of the stations will be underground along a 1.8-mile tunnel under Boyle Heights.

This project will connect the Eastside with the 73-mile Metro Rail system that crisscrosses Los Angeles County from North Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach to Norwalk and El Segundo, Hollywood and Pasadena.

The Community Relations field office has partnered with and will be co-located with the Los Angeles Youth Opportunity Movement.

METRO-183

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