Dignitaries and Civic Leaders Join to Celebrate Official Dedication of Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension

LOS ANGELES, CA, Nov 14 (MARKET WIRE) --
Federal, state and local elected officials, along with Metro executives
and community leaders gathered this morning at the new Metro East LA
Civic Center Station for the official dedication ceremony of the Edward
R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension.

Under construction for five years and coming in on budget with a flawless
4-million plus hour construction safety record, the six-mile Eastside
Extension links East L.A. with downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena, as well
as with the Metro Blue and Green light-rail lines, Metro Red and Purple
subway lines and the Metro Orange Line dedicated busway. Together these
lines crisscross Los Angeles County, connecting the Eastside with Long
Beach, Redondo Beach, Norwalk, Hollywood, Pasadena and the San Fernando
Valley. And now under construction, the Exposition light-rail Line will
connect L.A.'s Westside with downtown Los Angeles and the Eastside
Extension.

"The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension will become the mobility
centerpiece to an already vibrant community, as well as benefit the entire
region by reducing traffic and air pollution and encouraging business
development near and along the alignment," said Ara Najarian, Chairman of
the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. "And it's
representative of the many Measure R funded projects MTA will be
completing during the coming years that will reduce traffic and
jump-start the economy of our region."

The Eastside Extension train carrying officials from Union Station broke
through a banner as confetti and fireworks cannons fired and a band
played, marking the beginning of the hour-long event. Among those
attending were U.S. Congress members Lucille Roybal-Allard, Grace
Napolitano and Judy Chu, California Senator Gil Cedillo, California
Assemblyman Mike Eng, L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, L.A. Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, L.A. City Council member Jose Huizar, Board Chair
Najarian, Metro CEO Art Leahy and Diana Tarango and Art Herrera,
co-chairs of the community's Review Advisory Committee.

"With the opening of La Linea de Oro -- the Metro Gold Line Eastside
Extension -- Eastside residents now have access to jobs, schools, medical
centers, shopping, entertainment and cultural opportunities throughout our
county," said L.A. County Supervisor and Board Member Gloria Molina. "In
turn, the region will get the benefit of Eastside talent, our rich
cultural heritage, our dedicated work ethic and our welcoming business
climate. It's a winning combination for the whole county."

"For the first time in nearly half a century -- since the last trolley ran
down 1st Street -- rail will again carry passengers from downtown L.A. to
East Los Angeles," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "This caps
a 20-year battle to bring rail back to East L.A. -- one of the most
transit dependent communities in Los Angeles. But this is not the end of
the ride. Thanks to the passage of Measure R, there will be local funding
for half a dozen new rail projects in the next decade, which will give
Angelenos even greater transit access to jobs and other opportunities
throughout the county."

The Saturday morning official dedication was in advance of the public
opening of the Eastside Extension on Sunday. The Sunday event will feature
free rides and community celebrations at and around four stations: East LA
Civic Center, Mariachi Plaza, Little Tokyo/Arts District and Union
Station. Events will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular revenue
service will begin Monday.

The six-mile Eastside Extension has eight new stations, two of them
underground at Soto and Mariachi Plaza, and 1.7 miles of underground
track. It is decorated with art created specifically for each station and
landscaping that will grow to enhance the neighborhoods. This opening
brings the Metro Rail system to a total of 79 miles of rail -- all built
during the past 20 years. Groundbreaking for the line, which was
constructed by Eastside LRT Constructors, was in July 2004.

"Today we are here to mark the rebirth of Los Angeles' Eastside," said
Councilmember and Metro Director Jose Huizar. "After nearly 50 years, East
L.A. and Boyle Heights will once again have a rail line connecting them to
downtown Los Angeles and beyond. And with more than $500 million in
additional public improvement projects being completed in Boyle Heights by
2009, the Gold Line represents much more than a mode of transportation.
It's a mode of transformation, the vehicle we will use to create a more
vibrant, prosperous and successful community."

The Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is supported by a confluence of
buses to further extend its reach into the neighborhoods. More than 20 bus
lines -- including those serving L.A.'s downtown Union Station -- connect
the Eastside Extension with greater Los Angeles County. Atlantic Station,
for example, is the location of a mini-bus hub for East Los Angeles and is
served by six lines. Other stations, such as Indiana Station, are served
by local buses as well as municipal carriers including Montebello Transit.

"My father Edward R. Roybal, for whom the Eastside Extension is named,
would be so proud that the community in which he was raised and worked so
diligently to represent will now have a rail line which will benefit our
transit dependent neighborhoods and provide increased opportunities for
employment, education, recreation and commerce," said U.S. Representative
Lucille Roybal-Allard. "As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
for 30 years, he was a staunch supporter of efforts to bring rail to the
Eastside and he worked long and hard towards that end. It has been my
pleasure to continue that fight and today his dream of affordable, clean
and efficient transportation is becoming a reality."

For more information on the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside
Extension, go to metro.net. For advice on planning a travel itinerary via
Metro, go to the metro.net Trip Planner or call 1(800) COMMUTE.

Editors Note: "Metro" should be used when referring to this agency.

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Jose Ubaldo
Marc Littman
Metro Media Relations
213.922.3087
213.922.2700
metro.net/press/pressroom
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