Last Segment Of VTA Light Rail System Opens Saturday

SAN JOSE, CA —The Valley Transport Authority (VTA) announced Thursday that the Light Rail System will be fully operational Saturday for the first time since a May 26 mass shooting at the Guadalupe Light Rail Division left nine people dead, all of them employees of the transit agency.

When it opens Saturday, the Green Line from Diridon Station to Winchester Station, will become the last segment of the VTA Light Rail System to reactivated after the shooting, which was carried out by a VTA employee, who took his own life.

"We know it's been a long haul. We thank our passengers for their patience and support as we emerge from an unspeakable tragedy," the VTA said in a statement. "Our employees are still grieving, but most are glad to be back at work providing the service we know our community depends on."

According to a release, part of the Green Line from Old Ironsides to Diridon Station began running trains last Sunday. Before that, the Orange Line and part of the Blue Line opened August 29, with the full Blue Line opening on Sept. 4.

The VTA said Blue Line trains from Baypointe to Santa Teresa will run from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays. They will run every 20 minutes until 8 p.m., at which point they will run every 30 to 45 minutes.

The Green and Orange Line schedules go from 5:30 a.m. to midnight on weekdays every 20 minutes, with 30-minute headways after 8 p.m., the VTA said.

Weekend schedules and additional information about train times are available on the VTA website.

Additionally, the VTA said crews still are working to repair one of the two crossing gates damaged by automobiles last month at the intersection of Moorpark and Race Streets, near the Race Street Station. While the work is being completed, trains going through that intersections will stop and sound their horns as an added safety precaution.

The VTA said free fair for light rail will continue through Sept. 30.