When it opens in late 2014, the 67,000-square-foot multimodal facility will serve the entire Southern California region, allowing passengers to transfer seamlessly among public transit services. ARTIC will house 10 different transportation modes when it opens, including Metrolink commuter rail, Amtrak, OCTA buses, taxi, bicycle, international buses, and tour and charter buses.

ARTIC is anticipated to provide service for the more than 40 million annual visitors to Anaheim and Orange County as well as the county’s three million residents. ARTIC is also planned for future modes of transportation services, as well as retail, restaurant, and office space, truly making it a multi-purpose civic space.

"This is a big day for Anaheim," said Mayor Tom Tait. "ARTIC will change the way people move around our city and our county. ARTIC will be Orange County's Grand Central Station."

OCTA Chair Paul Glaab, also mayor of Laguna Niguel, added: "As our county grows, so must our transportation networks. ARTIC will establish a regional hub for all transit modes, making it convenient for residents, commuters, and visitors to utilize our transit systems. OCTA is very pleased to see this project get underway and break ground on what will be Orange County’s transportation gateway."

Research cited by the Orange County Business Council indicates that traffic congestion costs California $20 billion per year in wasted fuel and lost time. Upon completion of ARTIC, existing public transportation options in and around Anaheim, Orange County and beyond can expand, leading to reductions in vehicle congestion, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

To accommodate the projected increase in commuters and travelers, ARTIC will house approximately 1,000 parking spaces, a railroad bridge, a pedestrian concourse bridge and tunnel, a baggage tunnel, rail station platforms, as well as aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly landscaping and artwork depictive of life in Southern California.

ARTIC’s three-level terminal building has been designed to meet LEED Platinum certification. It features steel framing; an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene roof system—the same material as the 2008 Olympic Games Water Cube Aquatics Center in Beijing—and glass cladding.