Everything old is new again. This 1934 map via the Big Map Blog shows what Los Angeles looked like before freeways but after an extensive rail and bus line system had been built. more ›

in Downtown, where many of the city's light rail and subway lines have terminal points, not all the lines intersect. To make getting from one line to another easier, Metro has just approved plans for a connecting line. Thursday, The Metro Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report for the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project. more ›

Metro swears the Expo Line will open soon, but they're still in the testing phase of the light rail route. Now Metro says they are expanding their testing to better simulate regular service on the line, and will be running test trains from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week on a schedule of every 12 minutes. more ›

Fare dodgers, your days of free rides on Metro subways are numbered: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted Thursday to look into finally locking the gates at dozens of subway stops," reports the Daily News. Their plan is to have the gates locked within six months. more ›

Hip, hip and almost hooray: The Expo Line is sooooo close to opening, and will get one step closer as of Monday, when the light rail service goes into what's called the "pre-revenue testing" phase. more ›

Could it be? Is it true? Is there a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for an opening day for Phase 1 of Metro's Expo Line? L.A. Now reports that Metro has gone into the final testing phase along the first segment of the light rail line, which could be "a signal that the train could open to the public by early April." more ›

A light rail line connecting Metro's Green Line and Expo Line through a busy corridor has received a crucial approval from the Federal Transit Administration. more ›

Hey, guess what? The Expo Line's opening has been delayed. Again! Now it is semantics and technical issues hanging up the light rail--err, subway?--line. more ›

Metro has fired back at the Reason Foundation for their recent pro-bus video "17 Miles in Just 78 Minutes! Light Rail vs. Reality in LA." Describing Reason.TV's video as "amusing and "a little factually challenged," Metro posted the following corrections and suggestions to its blog, The Source. more ›

Today's video lunch forces viewers to weigh the pros and cons of commuting via train, bus and car. Numerous fact pop-ups crowd the screen, offering information on transportation costs and travel times. more ›

Nine people were injured on Friday when a Metro Blue Line light rail train en route to Long Beach collided with a car just south of Downtown L.A. The incident occurred near Flower Street and 18th Street around 2:52pm when a sedan crossed into the train's path. more ›

We think we can, we think we can: The Expo Line's Phase 2, which extends light rail transportation from Culver City to Santa Monica, is going to happen, and things are getting going this morning. A groundbreaking event is being held to officially mark the beginning of construction on the project. more ›

How many times have gotten behind the wheel, cursing the fact that if Metro had lines and service to go where you needed it to, you'd be among the ranks of the regular transit users in the city? Sometimes imagining a better city can help build one. One reader shares his map and vision for transit in L.A. more ›

Metro says they have cleared another hurdle in their current endeavor to (finally) put in place an efficient transit link to serve Los Angeles International Airport. Wednesday, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave approval to release the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (FEIS/R) for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, says the transit agency, and local politicians are already cheering the train's arrival. more ›

As part of a recently-launched campaign to get rider input about extending the current Green Line to the Los Angeles International Airport, Metro has put out a new video extolling the virtues of their plan to explore their options on the matter. more ›

Of Metro's Red Line subway and Gold Line light rail, which puts commuters at more of a risk of exposure to potentially hazardous air pollutants? A study conducted by the University of Southern California finds that Red Line riders are exposed to up to twice as much unhealthy air as those on the Gold Line. more ›

You may be so bowled over by the sight that you spazz out and get into some sort of traffic accident, so Metro this morning is cautioning folks that they are, indeed, going into the testing phase for the Expo light rail line, and a train car will be moving along a portion of the line between Downtown and Culver City. more ›

After approving the Westside Subway Extension, the Metro Board of Directors this afternoon also voted in favor of another major public transit project: a fully underground regional connector in downtown Los Angeles. The 1.9 mile light rail line would fill a gap missing in Metro's transit network. more ›

Sunday's Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon will find thousands of runners taking to the streets of Los Angeles following a course that begins in Griffith Park and ends in the heart of Downtown. more ›

As work crews hit the home stretch on finishing the first phase of the Expo Line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City, one politician is calling for more accountability. Unlike many Metro projects, the Expo Line is currently under the control of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority and doesn't have any objective and critical oversight. more ›

Metro officially announced on Friday that gates at rail stations have been completed and that at some date -- who knows, really -- to be they will be locked, meaning the system is basically an honor system (and how often do you encounter Sheriff's Deputy personnel checking tickets these days?). Completion actually took place a month ago, but the announcement could have been timed to put some facts out before the Daily News ran a Sunday feature about the $46 million project. more ›

A controversial segment of the Expo Line today was put to rest when a state commission officially approved an at-grade crossing near Dorsey High School. Fierce opposition led to much discussion over the years about the street level crossing at Farmdale Avenue, which would have put trains running through the area at speeds that could have been dangerous for students. more ›

Since last week, this fun video featuring a portion of the right-of-way for the Expo Line's second phase has been making the rounds. "A lot of people are very excited about having a rail line come to West L.A. The video captured places people don't have access to," explained Bart Reed of The Transit Coalition, which produced the steady-cam stop motion video, complete with music by California's rock star classical composer, John Adams. "It's sort of a treat for everybody to see the first two miles" of Phase 2. more ›

City officials in Santa Monica are trying to decide how the downtown Expo Line station should be developed, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. Ideas being floated around include ground floor retail and residences above for a mixed use development or a vision to keep the station in a more park-like environment featuring open space. more ›

The 11-mile extension from Pasadena to Azusa just broke ground, but the Gold Line Foothill Extension goes beyond that. Phase 2B takes the light rail even further, about 13 more miles east to Montclair (some want it to go out to the Ontario airport) and Tuesday big news about funding was announced. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, said $650,000 has been included in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, according to the San Gabriel Tribune. The money will go towards environmental clearance. Cities served in Phase 2B will be Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair more ›

Where there's a Will, there's a way. 10 years in the making, on Saturday the first phase of the Gold Line Foothill Extension -- Pasadena to Azusa -- will break ground (.pdf). The 11-mile light rail extension will go through five cities with six stations. Those cities are Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa (where two stations will be built). more ›

Is this growth on track or too slow? "LA's nascent rail system attracted 7,664,748 boardings in March 2008, 8,064,477 in March 2009 (a 5.2 percent increase), and 8,471,487 in March 2010 (a 5 percent uptick)," notes Curbed LA, which also points out New York City's drop in transit numbers--of course, ridership there still dwarfs L.A.'s. more ›

It's been a topic for some time now. The Warner Center in the West Valley is one place that could use a local circulator, perhaps a "people mover," some believe. Three years ago, 300 residents came out to work towards an integrated transportation network for the Woodland Hills neighborhood and now, with state money available via grants, Los Angeles wants in. more ›

A Metro committee Thursday is poised to vote on a move that would fully fund the first of two phases extending the Gold Line along the 210 Freeway. If the $690 million transfer is approved, Phase IIA would extend the light rail line 11.3 miles from Pasadena to Azusa, mostly along the 210 freeway, by 2014. There would be six stops in the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. The vote is to transfer Measure R dollars from Metro to the Goldline Construction Authority so it can break ground in June. “This historic vote will secure victory for the San Gabriel Valley and move us toward our goal of a truly regional transit system,” said County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who has been pushing for this project. The move then must be approved by the full board next week. Correction: The committee vote was last week and the full board vote is Thursday. more ›