Gold Line (Sacramento RT)

Gold Line
Overview
Type Light Rail
System Sacramento Regional Transit District
Status Operational
Locale Sacramento, California
Termini Downtown (west)
Folsom (east)
Stations 27
Services Route 507
Operation
Opened March 12, 1987 (as Watt/I-80-Downtown-Butterfield)
Operator(s) Sacramento Regional Transit District
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map

The Gold Line is a light rail transit line in the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) light rail system. It runs primarily east-west in Sacramento, portions of unincorporated Sacramento County, Rancho Cordova and Folsom. Portions of the Gold Line run along the original initial alignment between 16th Street and Butterfield stations.

History

The first light rail line of the RT, which opened in 1987, was an 18.3-mile (29.5 km) route between Watt/I-80 station in North Sacramento, through downtown, and continuing east on Folsom Blvd. to Butterfield Way station. It was built at a cost of $176 million USD (1987), including the cost of vehicles and maintenance and storage facilities. Much of the line, when it was first built, was single-tracked, though improvements over the 1990s allowed much of the original system to be double-tracked. The line was built mainly using a railroad right-of-way, coupled with use of structures of an abandoned freeway project. A limited portion of the route runs on streets, mainly in downtown Sacramento.

Surprisingly, the line became more popular than anyone anticipated—in fact, so popular that further expansions and improvements were necessary. Two new stations at 39th and 48th streets opened in 1995, and a 2.3-mile (3.7 km) extension to the Mather Field/Mills station opened in 1998. In June 2004, a further extension from Mather Field/Mills to Sunrise was opened.

On September 26, 2003, the South Line (now part of the Blue Line) opened for 6.3 miles (10.1 km) between the 16th Street station on the Watt/I-80-Downtown-Mather Field/Mills line and a station at Meadowview Road in the south end, which is the first phase of a planned longer 11.2-mile (18.0 km) line to Elk Grove. Much of the extension follows a railroad right-of-way. When it opened, 7 new stops were added to the system.

In June 2005, following a reconfiguration of the light rail system, the Sunrise-Downtown Line was created (it formerly continued beyond the downtown St. Rose of Lima Park station to Watt/I-80); it runs from St. Rose/K-Street to Sunrise with an extension to the Folsom area that opened on October 15, 2005. It has since been redesignated in color as the Gold Line. On December 8, 2006 it was extended even further to the downtown Amtrak depot (a.k.a. the Sacramento Valley Station), connecting the light rail system to the national rail system for the first time.

Listing of stations on the Gold Line

Station Opened Bike lockers Transfers
Sacramento Valley Station 2006 No Amtrak
RT buses 30,31
7th & I/County Center (outbound only) 2007 No      Green Line
Many RT buses
8th & H/County Center (inbound only) 2012 No      Green Line
Many RT buses
8th & K (inbound only) 2006 No      Green Line
Many RT buses
St. Rose of Lima Park (7th & K) (southbound only) 1987 No           Blue and Green Lines
Many RT buses
7th & Capitol (outbound); 8th & Capitol (inbound) 1987 No           Blue and Green Lines
Many RT buses
8th & O 1987 No           Blue and Green Lines
Many RT buses
Archives Plaza 1987 No           Blue and Green Lines
13th Street 1987 No           Blue and Green Lines
16th Street 1987 Yes      Blue Line
RT bus 6
23rd Street 1987 Yes No transfers on site
29th Street 1987 No RT buses 38, 67, 68, e-tran, El Dorado Transit, Mercy Hospital Shuttle, Sutter Hospital Shuttle
39th Street 1995 Yes RT bus 213, 214, UCDMC Shuttle
48th Street 1995 Yes No transfers on site
59th Street 1987 Yes No transfers on site
University/65th Street 1987 Yes RT buses 26, 34, 36, 38, 81, 82, 87, Amador County Transit
Power Inn 1987 Yes RT bus 61
College Greens 1987 Yes RT bus 61
Watt/Manlove 1987 Yes RT buses 72, 80, 84, 255
Starfire 1987 Yes RT buses 80, 84
Tiber 1987 Yes No bus transfers on site
Butterfield 1987 Yes e-tran 70 and Roseville Transit 51
Mather Field/Mills 1998 Yes RT buses 21, 72, 74, 75, VA Hospital Shuttle
Zinfandel 2004 No No transfers on Site
Cordova Town Center 2004 No RT bus 28
Sunrise 2004 Yes RT bus 74
Hazel 2005 No No transfers on site
Iron Point 2005 No Folsom Stage Lines
Glenn 2005 No Folsom Stage Lines
Historic Folsom 2005 No Folsom Stage Lines

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