$188 Million ARTIC Transit Hub Opens in Anaheim

Emily Foxhall reports for the Los Angeles Times about the opening of the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC): "The $188-million transportation center in the heart of Anaheim, not far from Disneyland, is designed as a central hub where trains, buses, cars and bicycles will converge. Officials hope it ultimately will be the final stop for the state's proposed high-speed bullet train."

Foxhall's coverage describes the transit hub as a "statement about the future" of transportation in car-friendly Orange County. Also included are critics of the plan that call it a boondoggle. John Moorlach, a county supervisor and an OCTA board member, is quoted as calling the hub "just too much building for too little service."

Until the contested high speed rail and under-consideration streetcar line open: "Bus stops for Orange County Transportation Authority routes and private carriers surround the station," according to Foxhall, "while Amtrak and Metrolink trains pick up and drop off passengers on two tracks that passengers reach via a sky bridge.

Writing for the OC Register, Kellie Mejdrich reported from the ARTIC's opening day, when operations ran smoothly if not for a few minor glitches and, of course, questions about whether the station's price tag was worth the investment.