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The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) marked its 25th anniversary on Jan. 1.

The agency opened its first light-rail line in 1987, a nine-mile, 12-station route that would be the first of nine segments to be developed over the next two-and-a-half decades.

Today, VTA spans 42.2 miles and 62 stations with connections to VTA bus and paratransit services, Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express, the Capitol Corridor and, one day, to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), VTA officials said in a prepared statement. The agency registers about 10.5 million trips per year.

By 2018, when BART service will extend through Milpitas and into the northern area of East San Jose, Calif., VTA plans to operate express trains throughout the entire system, connecting riders from the Bay Area to Silicon Valley through its light-rail and bus network, agency officials said.