The Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Pasadena to Azusa tested its first light rail vehicle last week. The test train, which has been equipped with specialized gear for testing and protective purposes, was pulled just over five miles by a hi-rail vehicle from the Sierra Madre Villa station in East Pasadena through the cities of Arcadia and Monrovia, periodically stopping for crews to take measurements. The train will begin the official testing process between California Avenue in Monrovia and the San Gabriel River Bridge in Irwindale as early as this week.

“Reaching the beginning of the testing period for this project is an important achievement for our team,” commented Habib F. Balian, CEO of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. “It allows us to test critical elements of the project within specific areas and identify any issues needing to be resolved.”

Over the next two weeks, the test train will be used to test clearances at stations and with the Overhead Catenary System (OCS), wheel/rail interface, rail switches and more. This phase of testing will also include live wire testing of the OCS system within the segment of the line where power is now energized.

The test train is a light rail vehicle from Metro’s current fleet. The $4 million AnsaldoBreda P2250 weighs more than 100,000 pounds and was escorted along the rail corridor by a specialized crew. Because most of the grade crossing safety equipment is not yet installed on the project, the train was flagged across intersections by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Metro Ambassadors were also out at each crossing to answer questions and help make sure the area was safe when the train crossed.

For information on the Foothill Gold Line construction, visit foothillgoldline.org.