Results tagged “lightrail”

The Gold Line may have been slammed with people for Sunday's grand opening, but reality sets in this week. One big question is the daily ridership, which is expected to be a low 13,000 riders each day between East LA and Union Station, says the LA Times. However, that's not to say it's one piece of the larger puzzle--once the Regional Connector is built, the usefulness of all downtown-bound light rail routes should increase exceptionally.

Considering the lines at Union Station yesterday, you would think there was a new death-defying adrenaline-inducing roller coster. That's not even close, but the excitement was just as intense, if not a lot more.

Today is the long-awaited launch of the Gold Line's Eastside Extension, which links Downtown's historic Union Station via light rail to Little Tokyo, Mariachi Plaza, and heart of East Los Angeles, ending at Atlantic. To celebrate, rides from one end of the Gold Line to the other are free today, and there are four events that include food and music from the communities scheduled to happen at or near stations along the line

With the opening of the Gold Line Eastside Extension this Sunday, it's been quite the foodie fever here on the internetz. It's almost feels as if the six miles between Union Station and East L.A. never existed. Nevertheless, the laying down of light rail tracks means people are ready to explore the tastes and wonders there are to offer and with no car in tow. Here's what others are saying.

Metro staff yesterday recommended that the Crenshaw Corridor be light rail, not a rapid bus line. This comes after urging of many, including County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the area.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tomorrow is expected to announce his plans in building support for something he calls the "30/10" push to accelerate Measure R transit projects--the voted in half cent sales tax increase--from being completed in 30 years to 10 years.

Tomorrow, politicians and the media will test out the new 6-mile Gold Line Eastside Extension, but not before Metro's in-house media, former LA Times reporter Steve Hymon and transit blogger Fred Dennstedt, took a ride. In a post, they shared notes with the public.

Thanks to a U2 concert at the Rose Bowl this Sunday evening, train service will be extended into the wee hours of Monday morning. 100,000 people are expected to descend upon the stadium and officials with the Rose Bowl and Live Nation--both which paid for the extended service--are encouraging fans to take public transit.

According to a report posted on Metro's website, it appears the Gold Line Eastside Extension could be opening on Saturday, November 14th. It is listed in a powerpoint presentation (.pdf) meant for a board committee meeting this Wednesday.

A series of public meetings about the Crenshaw Corridor (you know, a train from Wilshire Blvd. to LAX) have ended, but there still plenty of planning (and dreaming) to be had for public transit in the Los Angeles region. From bicycling to bus lanes to subways, here's a wrap-up of meetings that remain this month.

The first of four public meetings about the Crenshaw Corridor project was last night, with 50 to 60 people reportedly showing up. Out of those who attended, "about a dozen spoke their two minutes — with nearly every public speaker in favor of the light rail option," wrote transit blogger LA Wad on MetroRiderLA. That included LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas who paid a surprise visit to the meeting in support of the light rail option.

If you see the Gold Line running through the Eastside and East L.A. on a regular basis next week, don't think you can hop on board at the nearest station. Metro officials announced today that pre-revenue light rail train testing will begin Sunday, lasting at least a month before opening to the public.

October is going to be a busy month for public meetings about transportation. The city of Los Angeles is hosting a set of them on the draft master bicycle plan while Metro will gather input at a series of meetings about the Wilshire bus lanes.

An option for Metro's Regional Connector in downtown won't be officially chosen until sometime next year (probably summer or fall), but Little Tokyo community members are severely concerned over one of the proposals that would bring some major changes to the neighborhood. The regional connector would connect the Blue, Gold and Expo lines into a more seamless system. Trains would travel from Culver City to East LA and from Long Beach to Pasadena making Metro's rail system more efficient. Currently, the Blue Line and future Expo Line end at the 7th Metro Station and the Gold Line circumvents the eastside of downtown through Little Tokyo.

On July 1st, our taxes in LA County increased a half penny on the dollar to fund a mix of transportation projects, whether they be rail, highway or something else, thanks to Measure R, which was voted in by the public last November. This Thursday morning, Metro will hold a Measure R committee meeting (.pdf) to discuss aspects of that and part of that discussion will be the possibility of moving up the timelines of three projects.

Starting next week and for four months after, Blue Line train service is going to be impacted as crews integrate the Expo Line, which will run between 7th/Metro station and Culver City, sharing two stations and track. Service will run every 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 on weekdays after 8 p.m. as crews work between the Washington and 7th/Metro stations. Weekend service will not be affected. The 8.5 mile line is expected to open in 2011 with the line extending to Santa Monica in the future.

It's been heard on the streets, but Metro says no date has officially been set. That's not to say August will end up being the opening date, as rumored, but there's no telling when it will really open, says Marc Littman of Metro in an e-mail: "Ignore the rumors. No official opening date has been announced and won’t be finalized and announced until we complete critical testing of tunnel ventilation and other safety systems and components. The PUC also must give us approval to begin revenue operations. We also need at least a month to do pre-revenue service so our operators and control staff become familiar with the alignment and the eight new stations. We’re still ahead of schedule, within budget and construction has achieved an unparalleled safety record - 4 million hours without a lost time work injury. So stay tuned. If all goes well, we should announce an opening date soon but, again, we need to go through the testing phase first."

After the death of a man crossing the Metro Blue Line tracks yesterday afternoon, a 49-year-old woman was left in critical condition when she was hit and trapped beneath the train shortly before 8 p.m. near Flower and Venice in downtown. Yesterday's incidents increase the train line's statistics to 93 deaths and 826 accidents, according to transit advocate Damien Goodmon who today is calling for Congressional investigation and hearing. "It is the deadliest light rail train in the nation," a news release from his Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line group said. On Wednesday, a woman was killed by a Metro bus downtown when she was hit near City Hall

Phase Two of Metro's Gold Line Eastside Transit Corridor project is poised to move ahead into the community meeting phase, as plans to add on rail service extending the line from East Los Angeles to cities further east are in motion.

A car was hit this morning when it crossed the right of way of the Metro Blue Line near 1384 E. Washington Blvd., just south of the 10 Freeway. Luckily, "it was so minor, [the driver] declined treatment and transport," explained d'Lisa Davies of the LA Fire Department. The light rail line has experienced over 800 incidents and accidents since it opened 19 years ago.

Although not approved by Metro's Board, that staff report with timelines of projects has created quite some talk around town.

     

When the Gold Line Eastside extension opens this summer whisking commuters from downtown to East LA, that won't be the end of the line if Metro gets their way. Metro staff has four light rail routes they are studying and proposing that would go from unincorporated East LA to the possibility of other cities such as Monterey Park, Whittier, Montebello, El Monte and others.

Metro (not Metrolink) will be offering 24-hour service on all its rail lines (that's Red, Purple, Blue, Green and Gold) tonight in celebration of New Year's Eve. They'll be running every 20 minutes from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and you don't have to pay for a fare between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. (and that includes buses, too). Then, Thursday morning to facilitate the large crowds for the Tournament of the Roses and the game, Gold Line trains will run every 7 to 8 minutes between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m., every 10 minutes between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and again every 7 to 8 minutes between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Enjoy your night!

Daily News' transit writer Sue Doyle today explores the Orange Line and why some people are frustrated with it. Namely, to go 14-miles between North Hollywood and Warner Center, it takes 40 minutes. That's too slow so how can it be sped up? Some want light rail, others say put gates at the intersections and give the buses a right-of-way so they don't have wait at lights. But a light rail could be too costly and inflexible, some say. Gates can be costly too and if you add syncing lights to that equation, it could gridlock crosstraffic.

Measure R, the ballot initiative that sought to raise LA County's sales tax a half percent on the dollar barely won by a 1% margin--it needed a two-thirds vote. Even though about 3.5 million county residents voted, over a million of those voters opted to not vote for the measure that is expected to bring in $40 billion in transportation funding over the next 30 years.

The gas price spike may be over, but it would seem that some are sticking to public transit. The latest numbers coming from Metro show that the Orange Line continues to grow in popularity. September saw the highest ridership ever for the Orange Line in the Valley at 28,000. Which has us asking, when will that feared and applauded (depending on who you are) proposal to turn the dedicated busway into a light rail happen?

Imagine a day when the Gold Line Eastside Extension to East LA and the Expo Line to Culver City are completed (2009 and 2010, respectively). But if you're traveling from Culver City to Little Tokyo, you'll have to take the Expo Line to the Red Line to the Gold Line. Headache, right? That's what Metro's Regional Connector project is seeking to fix. One possible goal, as the conceptual graphic above shows, is to have travelers commute between Pasadena and Long Beach or East LA and Culver City with no transfer.

Have you ever noticed that Google Maps displays Metro Subway and Light Rail stations but not Orange Line ones, even though the buway pretty much acts like train on rubber wheels (yeah, cheesy description). We posed that question to Google and a spokesperson quickly responded saying those stations would be marked on the map if Metro joined the Google Transit program.

Metro has been looking into connecting the Blue, Gold and future Expo Lines for some time now. Currently, if you want to go to Long Beach from Pasadena, you take the Gold to the Red to the Blue. With the regional connector, imagine taking just one train from start to finish. While Metro has not posted the next group of meetings yet, Little Tokyo UnBlogged has the info for two meetings later this month. Plans for a downtown streetcar are also in the works.