Amtrak took over passenger rail operations in 1971, serving Pasadena with trains such as the Southwest Chief, Las Vegas Limited, and Desert Wind. On January 15, 1994, the final Southwest Chief train arrived in Pasadena. ATSF sold the line between Los Angeles and San Bernardino via Pasadena (known as the "second division") following the 1994 Northridge earthquake which damaged a bridge in Arcadia used by the line. (Now the Southwest Chief operates over the transcon via Fullerton.) The LACMTA A Line uses the right-of-way after rebuilding the route to accommodate light rail in 2003. The old depot is still visible at the Del Mar station, though it has since been converted into a restaurant. Electrified Light Rail was the preferred alternative to Metrolink or similar style rail service due to the city of Pasadena voting against any further diesel locomotives traversing through the city. The construction of the Gold Line also allowed the closure of the former railroad crossing along Colorado Boulevard which meant that motorists and the Rose Parade would no longer be hindered by trains.
Amtrak took over passenger rail operations in 1971 serving Pasadena with trains such as the Southwest Chief, Las Vegas Limited, and Desert Wind. On January 15, 1994, the final Southwest Chief train arrived in Pasadena. ATSF sold the line between Los Angeles and San Bernardino via Pasadena (known as the "second division") following the 1994 Northridge earthquake which damaged a bridge in Arcadia used by the line. (Now the Southwest Chief operates over the transcon via Fullerton.) The LACMTA A Line uses the right-of-way after rebuilding the route to accommodate light rail in 2003. The old depot is still visible at the Del Mar station, though it has since been converted into a restaurant. Electrified Light Rail was the preferred alternative to Metrolink or similar style rail service due to the city of Pasadena voting against any further diesel locomotives traversing through the city. The construction of the Gold Line also allowed the closure of the former railroad crossing along Colorado Boulevard which meant that motorists and the Rose Parade would no longer be hindered by trains.