Los Angeles, CA - The following is the full text of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard's (CA-34) statement distributed today (12/15/05) at a press conference in Boyle Heights held to announce next month's start of the tunnel boring phase of the construction of the six-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line that will link Union Station in downtown Los Angeles with Little Tokyo and the Arts District, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles by late 2009:

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"My duties in the House of Representatives have kept me in Washington, DC, and I am sorry that I am unable to join you in Los Angeles. 

Today, we take the next important step toward fulfilling our community's long held dream of rail transportation.  The arrival of boring equipment and the start of tunneling is an exciting sign that we're making progress and that the construction of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is on the move!

I want to again thank my fellow Members of Congress, local leaders, and the community who worked tirelessly with me for years to make this historic project a reality.  I especially want to acknowledge U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Congressman Xavier Becerra, my former colleague, Esteban Torres, Supervisor Gloria Molina, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for their unwavering support.  And let us not forget the pioneering work of my father, the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal. 

I also thank the MTA, the members of the Review Advisory Committee, local business owners, and the entire Eastside community for their patience, and especially for the commitment and determination they have always shown in our constant fight for fairness and equality.

For them and all the families of East Los Angeles whose transportation needs have been ignored for far too long, this is truly a day to celebrate.

However, while this is a day of celebration because the Eastside community is moving closer to getting a badly needed transportation system many of us have championed, the fact remains this is a bittersweet victory.

There is no question that this community deserved to have the seamless underground transportation system that for decades we had fought for and unquestionably needed.

Our dream for a subway was for practical reasons.  The streets of our community are narrow and a street-level rail system has the potential to disrupt traffic, take up already limited street parking, and pose safety concerns to pedestrians.  These are challenges our communities will continue to face even after this light rail system is built.

What makes this victory even more bittersweet is the fact that the politics that denied a subway to the Eastside are now shifting to build a subway to the Westside.

Let me be very clear, I have championed the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension and I wholeheartedly support the project because it will help enhance the quality of life of this community by bringing more efficient, reliable transportation to the transit dependent families of downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.  But the fact remains that a light rail system was our second choice and only after we were denied a subway.  

As the proud representative of this congressional district and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work with all of you to monitor the progress of this transportation system to ensure it is delivered on time, on budget and according to the promises made.

I look forward to continuing to work with all of you on the completion of the Gold Line Eastside Extension project.

Thank you."