The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), known at
that time as "County Transit," was on its way towards the goal
of building a mass transit system that would serve the ever-
growing urbanized area, becoming an alternative to the
automobile and a driver of economic development. It began with
the federal government supporting that vision with a $2-million
grant in 1982 to fund preliminary engineering of the first
phase. Construction of the line officially commenced with the
light-rail maintenance facility. The Guadalupe Light Rail
Division, located in downtown San Jose on Younger Street, was
completed in 1986 and is used to store, clean and repair light-
rail vehicles. The second phase of construction and first
segment of in-street track installation began in 1985. Although
the initial tracks only spanned 1.5 miles, they were essential
for testing the light-rail vehicles as they were delivered.
Today, Santa Clara VTA's light-rail service spans 42.2 miles and
62 stations, connecting with Santa Clara