SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Groundbreaking Held for Metrolink Station

After months of delay, city officials from Los Angeles and San Fernando broke ground Monday morning on a $1.7-million Metrolink station, scheduled to serve residents from the eastern San Fernando Valley by July. Bulldozers were busy leveling the 5.8-acre site, third of five stops on the commuter line from Santa Clarita to downtown Los Angeles, as politicians donned hard hats and dug into the dusty earth with gold shovels.

Real estate negotiations had delayed construction for months. The station will consist of a canopy, platform and 420-space parking lot, said Phil Aker, supervising transportation planner for the city’s transportation department.