LOS ANGELES—The 11.5-mile extension of the Foothill Gold Line light rail between Pasadena and Azusa is nearing completion. The train tracks are now complete and the project has entered the testing phase, where the train will run on the tracks between California Avenue in Monrovia and the San Gabriel River Bridge in Irwindale. The testing phase marks the 10-month countdown until the light rail is open to the public.

The test train was initially pulled for five miles by a hi-rail vehicle from the Sierra Madre Villa station in East Pasadena through the cities of Arcadia and Monrovia, before running the train tracks. The train is equipped with testing gear for protective purposes. The construction team will test clearance heights at each station over the next two weeks, as well as testing wheel/rail interface, rail switches and conduct a live wire testing of the OCS system. Testing will continue until September, when the construction crew will hand the project over to the Metro for pre-revenue service.

According to Habib F. Balian, CEO of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, the testing stage is an important milestone in the project and allows the construction team to locate any issues and resolve them before the train is open to the public. The $4 million test train is from the Metro's current fleet. The train is not yet flagged for crossings, so the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Departments is flagging intersections as the train crosses for the test period.

This is hopefully one of many Gold Line light rail extensions to achieve this milestone. Earlier this year, the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority hosted a pre-proposal conference with 80 representatives from local consulting firms to both push the Metro Gold Foothill light rail line extension project to design/build procurement. The proposed 12.3-mile extension would run from Montclair to Azusa.