PHOTOS: Gold Line extension artwork

Artwork at the street entrance to the underground track at this Metro Gold Line stop has a bird motif. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Sept. 16, 2014 4:22 PM PT

The Gold Line extension’s opening gives the feeling that things are looking up for mass transit in L.A. Here’s a look back up toward the street from the underground track at the Soto station, one of the two new subterranean stops. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

This station was designed by architect Aziz Kohan and artist Nobuho Nagasawa. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The colorful street-level entrance pops out in Boyle Heights. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

This stop was designed by architect William Villalobos and artist Alejandro de la Loza. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

This is the first stop on the extension from Union Station. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The art here represents the state’s official flower, the California poppy. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Meet the eastern terminus of the six-mile Gold Line extension. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

George Raya is at the controls of a Metro Gold Line train. Nearly one-third of the six-mile extension (1.8 miles, to be exact) runs underground. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)