Limited VTA light rail service resumes after three-month shutdown

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail is back this week, after a mass shooting in May at one of its facilities forced a three-month hiatus.

Light rail service first resumed on Sunday for a 49ers football game at Levi’s Stadium, but Monday marks a more substantial return.

Operations are not fully back to normal, but the transit agency is bringing back the entire Orange line, parts of the Green line and will continue its “bus bridge” service to fill gaps of the paused light rail.

The light rail service will be free throughout Sept. 13, the agency said.

VTA initially anticipated that light rail operations would resume in July, but trauma impacts on employees who survived the shooting and lost co-workers made it difficult. The agency said it has been focusing on providing necessary mental health services to employees since the tragic May 26 shooting at the Guadalupe light rail yard in San Jose.

As employees return to work, the VTA is intent on bringing back the remaining segments of the Green and Blue lines in phases, but did not provide estimated dates.

In the meantime, the following expanded services began Monday:

• The Orange line will run from 5:30 a.m. to midnight, every 20 minutes until 8 p.m. at which it will operate every half hour.
• The Green line, which will run from Civic Center to Ironsides, starts at 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. A train will operate every 20 minutes until 8 p.m. at which it will run every 30 minutes.
• The “bus bridge” which runs along First Street from Paseo de San Antonio to Baypointe and onto Milpitas Transit Center/BART station will run 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every 30 minutes.