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Post by darrell on Jul 30, 2015 12:10:03 GMT -8
A few more photos yesterday (be sure to see my Santa Monica photos and YouTube videos on the previous page!): Two Siemens cars parked west of Palms station, the one on the right painted gray Steve Hymon on his beat for The Source An update of the views from BB&B east toward Barrington and west toward Bundy
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Post by bzcat on Jul 31, 2015 14:09:39 GMT -8
So exciting to see trains in Santa Monica!
The opening is so close yet so far away.
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Post by davebowman on Aug 3, 2015 10:20:07 GMT -8
A couple trains were left parked at Bergamot station over the weekend (sorry, no pictures). I don't know if it was for logistical reasons, but leaving them visible near a busy intersection is a good way to get people used to the idea that the trains are coming and we need to be aware of them, as both drivers and pedestrians.
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Post by tramfan on Aug 3, 2015 16:03:08 GMT -8
I sent some pix of this to Expoline fan
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Post by gatewaygent on Aug 3, 2015 17:12:36 GMT -8
Fabulous news; great pictures! So when do the barriers/fences get installed to keep people from randomly crossing the tracks where they're not supposed to? Personally, I prefer the clean look of no barriers/fences, but sooner or later an impatient teen on a skate board or an absent-minded person with small kids and grocery bags is going to try to beat the train and then calamity strikes.
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Post by darrell on Aug 3, 2015 17:14:24 GMT -8
A couple trains were left parked at Bergamot station over the weekend (sorry, no pictures). I don't know if it was for logistical reasons, but leaving them visible near a busy intersection is a good way to get people used to the idea that the trains are coming and we need to be aware of them, as both drivers and pedestrians. I happened to get this of the four cars as a drive-by photo on Saturday afternoon.
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Post by darrell on Aug 6, 2015 13:33:17 GMT -8
"The First Passenger Train to Glide Through Santa Monica Since 1953" -- Eamon Vahidi's video, via Dwight:
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Adrian Auer-Hudson
Junior Member
Supporter of "Expo Light Rail - Enabler for the Digital Coast".
Posts: 65
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Post by Adrian Auer-Hudson on Aug 7, 2015 23:13:58 GMT -8
Waited 21 years to see that. It was worth it. :-)
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 12, 2015 13:46:17 GMT -8
Repeating the original dates on the Skanska/Rados contract:
Substantial completion: July 10, 2015 Length of testing and start-up: 150 days ROD (revenue-operation date): December 7, 2015
So, they are about four months behind schedule.
Testing has now stopped, waiting for the Phase 1 & 2 connection, to be completed by the end of August. Also, they aren't allowed to test by the Stewart Street Yard, as construction is taking place there. Testing is supposed to resume in September. Testing around maintenance facility could be delayed a little more but the facility is expected to be fully completed sometime in October.
With the standard 5-month (150-day) testing schedule, we should still see an early April 2016 or so opening if full testing starts in early November. I doubt Metro is willing to open before late March anyway, due to car availability as well as human-resource and funding availability.
We should hear the official word on latest substantial-completion date and expected ROD at the September 3 Expo board meeting.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 13, 2015 13:16:40 GMT -8
The cost of leaving things unfinished for many months and years: It looks like a strange emergency escape is being built in Palms between Clarington Ave and Jasmine Ave. It looks like a sound-wall panel will permanently be removed. A sound wall wasn't needed in this area in the first place: I wonder if some people will use it as a western entrance to the Palms Station.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Aug 13, 2015 14:33:41 GMT -8
The cost of leaving things unfinished for many months and years: ^^^ This space is big enough to squeeze in some revenue-earning commercial space for say, a coffee or sandwich shop rather than an unused blank wall/landscaping. I believe I have seen it in Germany/Japan where they use the space under highway and train overpasses to host small businesses and shops that activate and bolster the pedestrian space around what would otherwise be an undesirable area. Edit: New York's DUMBO area activates the space under the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn not far from York Street F Line station.
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Post by joshuanickel on Aug 13, 2015 15:04:31 GMT -8
It looks like a strange emergency escape is being built in Palms between Clarington Ave and Jasmine Ave. It looks like a sound-wall panel will permanently be removed. A sound wall wasn't needed in this area in the first place: I wonder if some people will use it as a western entrance to the Palms Station. They also installed a staircase near the 405 underpass but they installed a green fence with a gate around the bottom of it. They may do something similar here. Here is a picture of the staircase before the fence was installed: Emergency ROW Access steps Just West of the Sepulveda Station
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 14, 2015 11:10:44 GMT -8
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Post by bzcat on Aug 17, 2015 11:54:46 GMT -8
The Palms station stairs with a landing in the middle of the flight is much better design than phase 1.
It's not as intimidating.
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Post by joshuanickel on Aug 17, 2015 13:55:19 GMT -8
The Palms station stairs with a landing in the middle of the flight is much better design than phase 1. It's not as intimidating. I do not know what you mean. The stairs at Culver City have two different landings before you get to the top. The only difference between that and this station is that Palms is not as high as Culver City so the treck up the stairs in not as long.
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Post by Gokhan on Aug 18, 2015 14:57:37 GMT -8
The Palms station stairs with a landing in the middle of the flight is much better design than phase 1. It's not as intimidating. I do not know what you mean. The stairs at Culver City have two different landings before you get to the top. The only difference between that and this station is that Palms is not as high as Culver City so the treck up the stairs in not as long. Palms Station stairs feel less intimidating probably because there are only 40 steps, as opposed to 50 steps of La Cienega Station and 55 steps of Culver City Station. This is due to the difference in bridge heights. Imagine if they had a western entrance -- it would even have had less number of steps. Speaking of a western entrance, here is the emergency exit located just west of Clarington Avenue -- sound-wall panel still to be removed:
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Post by bobdavis on Sept 4, 2015 0:21:01 GMT -8
How far can the test trains run on electric power? I watched the video of the car being "helped along" on its journey to downtown Santa Monica by the Peterbilt Hi-Railer. I'm curious because the Santa Monica section is powered by Edison (I'm a SCE retiree)
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 4, 2015 12:57:33 GMT -8
OCS is finished everywhere.
Expo Authority has just announced the expected Metro handover and opening dates as late October/early November and March, respectively.
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Post by masonite on Sept 4, 2015 13:40:17 GMT -8
OCS is finished everywhere. Expo Authority has just announced the expected Metro handover and opening dates as late October/early November and March, respectively. Any idea on the tie-in between Phase 1 and 2? If they didn't complete last weekend, I wonder when are they going to do? We are now into USC football season, so it takes those weekends out.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 4, 2015 15:02:53 GMT -8
OCS is finished everywhere. Expo Authority has just announced the expected Metro handover and opening dates as late October/early November and March, respectively. Any idea on the tie-in between Phase 1 and 2? If they didn't complete last weekend, I wonder when are they going to do? We are now into USC football season, so it takes those weekends out. My guess is that the Phase 1 & 2 connection is completed but they won't remove the car stops and red lights until the handover to Metro about a couple of months from now.
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Post by John Ryan on Sept 8, 2015 18:04:21 GMT -8
EXPO ON TRACK FOR MARCH May OPENING By Jason Islas The countdown to Expo opening all the way to Santa Monica has begun. Phase two of the Expo light rail line will connect the beach with downtown Los Angeles and with the region’s growing rail transit system by train for the first time in 50 years. Expo phase two is on track to open in March, according to a staff report [ PDF] given to the Expo Construction Authority Board last week. According to the report given at the Board’s September 3 meeting, Expo II is “still working towards a Revenue Operations target date of March 2016.” Also, according to the report, the Expo Construction Authority is expected to turn over control of the right-of-way to Metro for nonrevenue testing by “late October or early November.” For more see the story.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Sept 9, 2015 2:58:37 GMT -8
Here's a test of a new type of 360° video on the Expo line. Look for the arrow controls in the top left corner of the screen and click them to look around the car as it moves.
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Post by usmc1401 on Sept 9, 2015 8:45:49 GMT -8
Too bad it will be a March 2016 open. The Los Angeles Marathon has it's finish in Santa Monica in mid February.
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Post by Transit Coalition on Sept 9, 2015 9:38:56 GMT -8
Too bad it will be a March 2016 open. The Los Angeles Marathon has it's finish in Santa Monica in mid February. Actually, the Expo Line will open in May 2016. Much misinformation is unfortunately posted here. The Expo Authority has no control of the revenue operations of the Expo Line. Without the storage division complete, the new fleet can't be burned in. And, Metro says they don't expect the division to be in their hands in time. The Metro Rail Activation Team actually determines when Expo will open. These are the folks that make the decision. It will then be passed on to the Metro CEO and there will be a public announcement. Non factual information coming from the Expo Authority is just non factual. Don't believe, as they don't control the game.
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 9, 2015 14:12:29 GMT -8
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 15, 2015 12:13:11 GMT -8
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 16, 2015 14:02:39 GMT -8
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Post by joshuanickel on Sept 16, 2015 15:26:11 GMT -8
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Post by Gokhan on Sept 17, 2015 8:13:38 GMT -8
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Post by bobdavis on Sept 17, 2015 23:07:00 GMT -8
Regarding fare gates: On the Gold Line, we have fare gates at Sierra Madre Villa, not sure about other currently active locations. No fare gates at Arcadia or Duarte; I'll be at Azusa Downtown Saturday morning for the final dedication.
We were supposed to start getting more P3010 (Kinki-Sharyo) LRVs delivered to Monrovia, but so far only 1005-1006-1007 have been seen on site. I have an inquiry it to Metro asking when more cars can be expected; one report says that Metro has been issuing change orders that slow up the process. Breda cars 737 and 746 have been in Monrovia for testing, and were at the station dedication last Saturday.
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