I Heart PCC (File Photo – Pasadena City College)
Pasadena City College is set to become the eastern terminus of Metro’s new North Hollywood–Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit line, a project expected to shorten commutes for students, employees and other travelers across the region.
By News Desk
Construction is underway on a full-service bus station at PCC’s Colorado Boulevard campus, including drop-off and pickup areas and charging infrastructure for the line’s all-electric buses. The station is scheduled for completion this fall.
The 19-mile route will include 22 new bus stations and dedicated lanes connecting North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock and Pasadena. With fewer stops and dedicated lanes, the line is designed to significantly reduce travel times. A trip that currently takes 90 to 120 minutes and requires one or two bus or rail transfers is expected to take less than an hour from terminus to terminus, with travelers needing only one connection.
The zero-emission buses will feature all-door boarding and serve passengers at enhanced stations. The new service is expected to improve regional transit access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more reliable east-west connection between the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys—areas that have had limited connected transit until now.
“The fact that the line has a terminus at our campus is not only convenient for our students, faculty and staff; it also represents our commitment to a sustainable future,” PCC President José A. Gómez said.
PCC serves 40,000 students, along with its faculty and staff. The college has made sustainability a central goal. In 2023, its Board of Trustees approved a resolution recognizing the effects of climate change on the health, safety and well-being of students, families and the broader community. The resolution also established goals for facility improvements, fleet electrification and expanded electric-vehicle charging capacity.
For Pasadena, the project represents both a transportation upgrade and part of the city’s recovery and rebuilding efforts following the Eaton wildfire.
“We’re rebuilding our community step by step,” PCC Board President Steve Gibson said. “Transportation is a critical component of our rebuilding effort. This new transit line is a positive development for our region.”
Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo said the line will provide sustainable transportation for residents and visitors while improving connections to the city’s restaurants, shops and neighborhoods.
“One of the city’s top priorities is moving Pasadena toward a carbon-free future, and this project gets us closer to that goal,” Gordo said.
The full project is scheduled for completion before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, giving visitors from around the world a clean and convenient way to reach the PCC campus.
“We have so much to offer,” Gómez said. “This new line will bring people to us in a way that is consistent with our values. We could not be happier to host this site and welcome future generations to campus.”
This project did not require all of this expensive wasteful construction in Pasadena whick will actually increase gridlock and delay all transit services on Colorado. More service frequency is all that was needed. Unsafe in traffic lane loading will create gridlock, blocking local bus routes and creating longer bus travel times on Colorado. PCC students that want to change the world need to study more math, this is an example of where uncritical thinking about the project fails to understand the real observed travel factors that affect bus speeds. If you want to increase bus speeds buy buses with double sized doors to speed up boarding of the buses, as loading and off loading passengers is up to 90% of bus delays.