Yep, I'm not surprised. My former colleague Habib Balian and his team, which along with former CEO Rick Thorpe, who helped to originally put this together, along with some really great folks, like another old colleague, Lisa Levy, really do deserve the credit for a great job.

Habib also had an essential component working with him. He had an effective and committed Board, with many long time champions like Bob Barlett, John Fasana, and Mike Antonovich who had good sense, effective relationships, a willingness to both, fight when necessary, and compromise when necessary. Folks who gave the staff and consultants the support necessary, and kept the "faith", in building a first class project, on time and on budget (through all three phases....).

And, you need to thank folks like Adam Schiff, who saved the Gold Line from the ineptitude of LACMTA politics and bureaucracy, by creating the original Construction Authority legislation, when he was in the CA legislature. And gave it a charter which allowed the project to grow and evolve, politically and institutionally, with each opportunity to "go further".

When I compare this well planned and effectively managed project to a cluster F#@k like the CHSRA fiasco, or the "missed opportunities of other high potential LRT projects, such as the Gateway Cities- UP Long Beach/West Santa Ana Branch corridor, you see the difference. The importance of developing a good plan, with reasonable costs, clear purpose, realistic goals, strong community support, an effective message, and strong political support, does matter. And, you do really see it in the difference in outcomes that can be achieved.....

I know in the age of train hating trolls, irrational Nimbyism, "evil gubmint" paranoia, narcissistic self centered dickish politicians, who nowadays seem mostly to throw feces about their cages for attention, and the giant money sucking bureaucratic nightmares like CHSRA, that it's hard to belief anyone could be successful at doing something like this.

Which proves, despite what fools will tell you, that the "details" really do matter.....

Go figure?

Yep, they did a great job.