On Sunday VTA light rail service started up again for the first time after more than three months of hiatus, according to reporting by KPIX.
The service has been sorely missed by commuters in the South Bay.
"I feel like waving and thanking the light rail drivers," said frequent rider Diana Mecum, "I’m so grateful to them. Thank you VTA light rail drivers for coming back on the job. You are appreciated!"
A mass shooting at the railyard in San Jose in May, where a gunman killed nine of his co-workers and then turned the gun on himself, effectively shut down all trains.
"Our first priority was to make sure our employees were ready and confident, feeling safe and ready to get back to work," VTA spokesperson Stacey Hendler Ross said. "We brought people back in small groups so they could do trauma recovery counselling and training as well. It has been a fairly long road back, but the priority was to make sure that our employees were ready to get back to work."
The Orange Line is back in operation, which goes to the Mountain View Caltrain Station, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Milpitas Transit Center/BART Station, and the Alum Rock Light Rail Station in East San Jose. Trains are scheduled from 5:30 a.m. to midnight every 20 minutes until 8:00 p.m., and then every 30 minutes the rest of the night.
The Green Line is back as well, in a limited route, from Civic Center to Old Ironsides. Those trains go from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every 20 minutes until 8:00 p.m., and then every 30 minutes the rest of the night.
And the bus bridge along First St. from Paseo de San Antonio to Baypointe and onto the Milpitas Transit Center/BART Station is set to run every 30 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
According to the VTA, the Blue Line and the full Green Line will return in staggered phases.
"All of our employees are working diligently to try and get the rest of the system back up and running as soon as possible," Hendler Ross said. "We have people working practically around the clock to make sure our service is going to be brought back safely and efficiently, and that our employees feel good about doing their jobs."
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