(Photo courtesy of Corinne Holliday - Valley Metro)

Arizona officials pose in front of the Center/Main Street station in Mesa.

The light rail is ahead of schedule in Mesa. A three-mile extension will open seven months earlier than expected.

The news came this morning from Valley Metro and Mesa officials. Valley Metro spokesperson Susan Tierney said lessons learned from the first 20 miles helped speed up the process.

“The contractor in the construction team that worked on the three miles did have previous experience working on the 20-mile extension, so that really did help,” Tierney said

Tierney said the project remains on budget.

Valley Metro and Mesa officials also advise drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to be cautious around the trains and to obey all traffic signals.