Station Starts Off on the Right Track

As Claremont officials staged trackside ceremonies with speeches, carolers and a bluegrass combo last weekend, another Metrolink station opened amid hopes that the new commuter rail service will boost local economies as well as ease the woes of freeway-weary drivers.

With the addition of the newly refurbished Claremont depot, the San Gabriel Valley and the Glendale area now have five stations for trains serving downtown Los Angeles. Four more are expected to open next year.

In spite of a modest start of 63 passengers Monday, Claremont officials predicted that their depot--which cost $2.8 million to renovate to a condition reminiscent of its original 1927 glory--will be a “transit center” and a social gathering place in the European sense of a train station.

Buoyed by the presence of hundreds of upbeat spectators who scooped up toy trains, commuter schedules and Metrolink refrigerator magnets handed out at the dedication on Saturday, Claremont Mayor Diann Ring declared the depot as “the gem of the entire Metrolink system.”

At the least, Councilwoman Judy Wright said: “This will definitely enhance our downtown.” The depot is just north of the San Bernardino Freeway and next to “The Village,” a business district filled with bookstores, galleries and restaurants that cater to clientele from the Claremont Colleges.

In October, the fanfare was less with the openings of the more modest Metrolink stops in Pomona, Covina and El Monte, which essentially are trackside platforms with automated ticket machines and surrounding parking lots.

Community officials hope that, even without the architectural grandeur of the Claremont depot or even the depot feeling of the down-on-the-heels but waiting-to-be-renovated Glendale station, the added presence of commuters will spark a new liveliness around the stations’ neighborhoods.

“There is great deal of residential and commercial development, which we think will be enhanced by the Metrolink,” said Margo Wheeler, Pomona’s community development director.

Next year, Pomona, with its current stop in the northern part of the city, will be getting a second Metrolink station. This will be on the new Riverside-to-Los Angeles line paralleling the Pomona Freeway, and it will be located in the city’s downtown on the Union Pacific tracks.

City officials, who have an ambitious $12-million plan for the station area, hope the vacant depot building can be transformed into either a restaurant or a store and that spinoff projects will occur. (Each city owns and maintains its Metrolink stop and therefore has more than a passing interest in the success of the commuter system.)

Developers, Wheeler said, have inquired about constructing multifamily housing near both the Pomona stations, and there have also been inquiries about commercial development.

In Claremont, Councilwoman Wright said: “Real estate agents already are saying that people have bought houses here because they wanted to be able to take the train to L.A.”

If commuter train stations elsewhere in the country can be used as an indicator, Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said, communities with stations can expect to see property values increase in the vicinity of the stops.

Joint public and private ventures to develop both residential housing and commercial structures are common, he said. In addition, businesses such as day-care centers often locate near station stops.

Covina officials say they hope Metrolink will improve the city’s business district along Citrus Avenue where the station is located. But Covina Mayor Henry Morgan said it is premature to say what the effects might be.

But Covina Chamber of Commerce executive director Randy Gordon said: “We have had some favorable early reports.”

Similar to Claremont, Glendale is banking that its downtown area will benefit by refurbishing the city’s 67-year-old depot, even though it is a mile south of the booming central business district.

Glendale plans to spend $20 million or more to transform the Southern Pacific depot into a transportation hub for commuters.

Initially, consultants envisioned a center costing more than $33 million, fashioned after a European village, complete with flower vendors, dry cleaners and restaurants.

But a year ago, those plans were scaled back by $13 million when the City Council, concerned that proposals had become overly grandiose and costly, asked for a more conservative approach.

Ultimately, the station is to have parking for up to 1,500 vehicles and serve hundreds of passengers a day riding Metrolink commuter trains and the proposed Blue Line light rail.

The initial plan earmarks $1.2 million for rehabilitation of the old train station. A restoration specialist was hired by the city to ensure preservation of the distinguished Spanish-Colonial Revival architecture of the depot, which has undergone minimal repairs in the last 50 years.

Claremont officials say they expect their station, which has a broad walkway leading to the massive front doors, to become a focal point for community activities. A large clock is to be erected in this plaza, and a Los Angeles artist has been commissioned to create depot sculptures inspired by trains.

Although there was some criticism of Claremont officials buying and renovating the depot, Councilwoman Wright--who serves as an alternate on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission--said the expense will prove to be a good investment.

The other day, she said, someone stopped her on the street to complain about the newly painted colors of the pink building with teal trim, and Wright told her: “I don’t care.”

Wright said: “It’s a miracle just that the building is still here.” Likewise, she said, it is a miracle that passenger trains are returning.

Free Rides Saturday

The Metrolink commuter train system is offering free round-trip rides to downtown Los Angeles Saturday from Glendale, and on Dec. 19 from Glendale and the San Gabriel Valley.

For those in the Glendale area, the Ventura County line will stop in Glendale at 9:34 a.m. and arrive at Union Station in Los Angeles at 9:50 a.m.

From there, train riders can use DASH buses for a quarter a ride to get to downtown, Chinatown, Exposition Park, and the garment and jewelry districts.

The return trip to Glendale will leave at 3:15 p.m., and the train arrives at 3:31 p.m..

On Dec. 19, the train is to leave Glendale at 9:43 a.m. and arrive at 9:59 a.m. It is scheduled to depart Union Station at 3:30 p.m. and arrive 16 minutes later.

The Glendale depot is at 400 W. Cerritos Ave.

There will also be free rides on the San Bernardino line on Dec. 19. The train is scheduled to leave Pomona at 9 a.m., Covina at 9:12 a.m. and El Monte at 9:28 a.m.

It is to arrive at Union Station at 9:50 a.m. The departure is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the train is to arrive in El Monte at 3:51 p.m., Covina at 4:06 p.m. and Pomona at 4:18 p.m.

The stations are at 205 Santa Fe St. in Pomona, 600 N. Citrus Ave. in Covina, and 10925 Railroad St. in El Monte.

More information is available by calling (800) 371-LINK.