New riders fill Folsom's light rail

Two weeks after light rail opened in Folsom, Regional Transit officials have declared the Gold Line a success."There have been between 1,800 and 2,000 additional riders to the line since light rail opened in Folsom," said RT spokesmen Mike Wiley. "We're also seeing a significant number of people take the train for commuting purposes into Folsom."He said they were expecting a lot of people to ride, but not this quickly. The parking lots at the three Folsom stations fill up completely in comparison to others heading into Sacramento.One of those new riders is Orangevale resident Gabriel Arrostuto, who comes to the Sutter Street Station to jump on the train to take him to work in Sacramento.He first started taking light rail when his car wound up in the shop, but he said even after it's fixed, he'd continue to use light rail."Economically, it's better than spending the money on the gas," Arrostuto said.A light rail monthly pass costs $40, which is what some people spend in a week on gas.Folsom resident Edee Allender took the Folsom Stage Line to commute to Sacramento before light rail opened. She likes the switch to light rail service."It's dependable and cheaper," she said.She said she paid $3.50 one-way to take the bus into Sacramento, while light rail costs $1.75 one-way.Both commuters said that once the trains leave Folsom, it's getting to be standing room only.Wiley said the tracks are running at capacity. In order to have more trains into Folsom, RT would have to have dual tracks so trains could run in both directions at the same time.Neither Allender nor Arrostuto have to worry about that because they get on at the start of the line. Allender said she takes it to the end, so she doesn't have to worry about the crowding getting on there either."I like it overall," Arrostuto said. "It's convenient for me.Security guards working at both the Sutter Street and Iron Point stations said people are ready to get on when the first trains begin to run around 5 a.m. The return commute starts around 3 p.m.Even the weekends are busy.Wiley said that normally one car trains normally run on Sundays, but demand has been so high that RT now runs two car trains on Sundays.