Long Beach : Rail Car Mock-Up to Arrive
A light-rail car mock-up, a full-scale model of one of the transit vehicles scheduled to ply between Long Beach and Los Angeles in two years, will be displayed Monday and Tuesday on the Promenade at 1st Street.
Mayor Ernie Kell, Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana and Councilman Ray Grabinski are among the dignitaries expected to join in a ceremony at noon Monday. They will unwrap a giant Christmas present, revealing the rail car.
The mock-up is 18 feet long and represents the front quarter of one of the 54 rail cars. They are being built in Japan at a cost of $1.1 million each for service on the Los Angeles-Long Beach Light Rail Line, according to the county Transportation Commission which oversees the project.
The model, which is being displayed at different places in the county to drum up interest in the project, features operator controls, power and braking mechanisms, seats, lighting, doors and exterior paint as they are expected to appear when the real cars are delivered.
The halfway point in construction of the 21-mile line is expected to be reached this month, the Transportation Commission reported. The $752-million project is the first of several rail transit projects planned in the county.
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