Officials Say Light Rail Line Plan Right on Track : Transportation: Early completion of an environmental report could give Burbank and Glendale a jump on funding. Public hearings on the line concluded this week.

Public hearings on a proposed light rail line linking Burbank and Glendale to downtown Los Angeles concluded this week with local officials predicting that early completion of an environmental report will boost chances of the line opening before the end of the decade.

A draft environmental impact report released last month on the Glendale-Burbank line is the first in a series of studies on potential routes being considered by county transportation officials for development of a regional mass transit system.

Only a few of the lines will get priority for early development; others could be stalled for years until funding is available. Although lengthy environmental studies on many of the other routes have not even begun, a series of public hearings on the proposed Burbank-Glendale line concluded on Tuesday.

Additional written comments will be accepted until Aug. 10, when officials expect to prepare a final report for adoption by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, possibly by October.

The environmental study suggests that extending a light rail line to Glendale and Burbank, similar to the Blue Line from Long Beach to Los Angeles, would significantly reduce traffic congestion and air pollution with few adverse impacts.

Ten commuter stations are proposed on the 11.9-mile route paralleling the Southern Pacific railroad tracks along San Fernando Road between the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport and the Taylor train switching yard in Cypress Park.

At an estimated cost of $500 million, the line would be one of the least expensive to build of all the proposed lines because it requires few bridges and little other major construction, officials said.

Early completion of the environmental report could give Glendale-Burbank an edge in competing with seven other areas for funding of rail lines, said Peter De Haan, LACTC project manager. “The cities of Burbank and Glendale have really been pushing this project along,” De Haan said.

The two cities, as well as Los Angeles, were among the first to contribute to the cost of an environmental study, even though the route for years had been given little priority by the commission. Local financial support was partly responsible for the route’s inclusion in a 30-year plan adopted by the commission in April.

Other cities, including several in the San Gabriel Valley and on the Westside, have since pledged local support in hopes of speeding planning, De Haan said. But Glendale, which first contributed toward initial studies in 1987 and was later joined by Burbank, “is ahead of most other projects,” De Haan said.

Funds from the 1980 Proposition A tax measure were set aside several years ago for initial routes in the 300-mile Metro Rail transit plan, including the Long Beach Blue Line already in operation, and routes to Pasadena and Santa Monica and an east-west line in the San Fernando Valley.

The 30-year plan provided for the use of Proposition A and Proposition C tax money for the eight additional routes, but the commission has not yet decided which routes will be built first. Those priorities are expected to be set within the next nine months, De Haan said.

Money is allocated to begin design plans next year so that construction can start in 1995 on one or more lines, which could begin operating by 1998. Glendale and Burbank are hoping that a completed environmental study will give them an advantage for an early start. Otherwise, construction on some routes could be delayed for two decades or more.

“We are probably one of the prime candidates” for early funding, said Glendale Mayor Carl Raggio, who said access to recreational areas along the route--such as Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum--should give added weight in determining priorities.

Raggio credited the Tri-City Transportation Coalition, formed two years ago by business and government leaders in Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, with boosting political support for a rail line from Los Angeles to the Burbank Airport, where a new passenger terminal is soon to be built.

A separate commuter train service called Metrolink, which will use existing railroad tracks, is scheduled to begin in October from Moorpark and the Santa Clarita Valley to Glendale and Los Angeles. Metrolink is designed for commuters traveling greater distances and will be different from the light rail system, which requires building a second set of tracks alongside the train tracks. The light rail service will provide more frequent stops and shorter intervals in service, officials said.

No one voiced opposition to the Burbank-Glendale-Los Angeles light rail line during public hearings this month, said Mark Dierking, LACTC public affairs officer. However, several groups and individuals suggested changes in the proposal, such as the location of rail stations.

Critics also suggested that quieter horns be used on trains to lessen the noise impact on neighborhoods and that steps be taken to reduce traffic congestion around commuter stations and at major intersections.

An Atwater Village resident urged that the light rail line be routed through the downtown Glendale redevelopment zone. Glendale officials rejected that proposal several years ago because they said that tracks and passenger depots in the downtown area would be too costly and disruptive. The city instead plans to provide shuttle service to the downtown area from the historic Southern Pacific train station at 400 Cerritos Ave., which the city purchased in 1989 and plans to convert into a transportation center.

Copies of the environmental report are available by contacting the LACTC or from local libraries. A comment hot line is available by calling (213) 244-6486. Written testimony may be sent to Judy Schwartze, government and public affairs manager, 818 W. 7th St., Los Angeles 90017.

Light Rail Line County transportation officials seek public comment on proposed 11.9 mile, $500-million light rail line to connect Burbank Airport to Union Station along the Southern Pacific railroad tracks that parallel the Golden State Freeway. The line, connecting to the Pasadena Line Junction at the former Taylor switching yard in Cypress Park (No. 10), would have 10 commuter stops in Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles. The period for comments ends August 10.

Source: Los Angeles County Transportation Commission