2023 Archives - LA Metro

L.A. METRO CELEBRATES ONE FULL YEAR OF CONTINUAL RIDERSHIP GROWTH

Tracy Smith — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 23:57:46 +0000

10 Freeway Closure Prompted Drivers to use Public Transportation

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency saw an 11.3 percent increase in total system ridership in November 2023 compared to November 2022 with more than 24 million boardings, marking the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s ridership in 2023 through November has now exceeded the level it posted for the entire calendar year of 2022. Through the first eleven months of 2023, Metro posted 261.5 million boardings, exceeding the 255.3 million seen in 2022.

In November, Metro had 24,218,275 boardings on its bus and rail services, which is 82 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership was at almost 81 percent of pre-pandemic (November 2019) levels, with Saturday boardings averaging 635,228 boardings (87 percent of pre-pandemic) and Sunday boardings averaging 524,632 (96 percent pre-pandemic) boardings. Average weekday ridership was 907,343 boardings, marking the third consecutive month that weekday Metro ridership surpassed 900,000 boardings, coming in at 82.5 percent of pre-pandemic (November 2019) levels for the month.

November 2023 marked the fifth month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines. The A Line, which serves customers from Azusa to Long Beach, saw 1,633,593 boardings in November 2023. The E Line, which serves customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica, had 1,136,150 boardings during the month. The subway, which includes the B/D lines, saw the largest number of rail boardings during the month with 1,743,434 trips taken.

Metro bus ridership in November saw a 13 percent year-over-year increase over November 2022. More than 19 million rides were taken on Metro buses, with total bus ridership in November 2023 at 88 percent of its pre-pandemic (November 2019) level. Thirty-eight Metro bus lines posted 20 percent or higher year-over-year ridership growth.

A fire under the I-10 Freeway in early November, which necessitated the closing of the freeway to vehicles for over a week, increased ridership on the A and E Lines during November as drivers chose to bypass the heavy traffic and detours by taking Metro. Notably, ridership on the E Line, which runs directly parallel to the 1-10 freeway, increased seven percent during the closure period over the previous week.

Metro’s service for weekend events, including the LA Auto Show at the convention center, USC/UCLA Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, LA Kings at Crypto.com arena and Rams and Chargers at SoFi Stadium also contributed to increased ridership on the weekends.

The agency’s heightened focus on safety, which has resulted in a 32 percent decrease in serious crimes across the system since June, improved reliability, frequency of service, and an increased number of Metro Ambassadors, who answer questions, provide direction and help customers navigate the system, are all having a positive effect toward increased ridership and the overall customer experience.

Metro’s reduced-price transit pass programs, such as the student GoPass pilot program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students, and its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers, are making it easier for many to ride by providing accessible and affordable transit.

In November, Metro’s GoPass pilot program saw a 28 percent year-over-year increase over November 2022. Student boardings measured 1,772,606 riders with 1,589,336 student bus boardings and 183,270 student rail boardings. To date the program has 343,980 registered students from 1573 participating schools in 115 participating school districts.

Metro’s LIFE program saw 1,390,470 boardings during November 2023 from the nearly 300,000 people enrolled in the program. Throughout the month Metro LIFE Program, street teams increased their presence and held 36 pop-up enrollment events. New LIFE enrollees receive a free 90-day pass and after the first 90 days, riders can either load 20 free rides or purchase a discounted pass from any of the LIFE participating transit agencies. The LIFE program helps qualifying Los Angeles County residents save money by providing free rides or deeply discounted fares on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.

Information on all Metro’s reduced fare programs, including discounts for seniors, persons with disabilities and college students can be found at: metro.net/riding/fares/

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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METRO IMPROVES LIGHT RAIL FREQUENCY, EXTENDS LATE NIGHT SERVICE ON BOTH A, E LINES, IMPROVES BUS SERVICE ON MULTIPLE ROUTES BEGINNING DEC. 10

Media Relations — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:10:00 +0000

Service changes are driven by customer and operator feedback, increased ridership, increased number of bus, rail operators

Continuing its commitment to improve riders’ travel experience, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today that effective Sunday, Dec. 10, it is improving frequency of service on its light rail service (A, C, E, and K lines), adding later trains on its A and E Lines and making changes to several bus lines.

A and E Lines

For the first time, weekday peak hour trains (5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.) on the A Line (Long Beach to Azusa) and E Line (Santa Monica to East Los Angeles) will operate every eight minutes instead of the current 10 minutes. Trains will operate every 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes during weekdays at midday and Saturday/Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Two additional trains will be added to the nightly schedule in each direction, extending service by an extra 40 minutes each night on both weekdays and weekends. Last A Line trains will depart APU Citrus (Azusa) and Downtown Long Beach at 11.45 pm nightly, with last E Line trains departing Downtown Santa Monica 11:54 pm and East LA (Atlantic) at 12:18 a.m. nightly.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback from riders about the need to improve rail frequency and to increase late-night service on our rail lines,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Over the past 18 months, Metro has worked hard to hire more than a thousand new people to support bus and rail operations. We can now increase rail operator staffing to support an expansion of our rail service to meet increasing demand. Rail ridership has grown by about 13 percent so far this fiscal year, so we are now offering 10-minute or better service on weekdays from 5 am-7 pm across our entire light rail system, and we are adding more trains to serve our late-night passengers. The new 10 minute off peak rail frequency is a level of rail service we haven’t ever offered in the past, which we hope will drive even more people to Go Metro.”

C and K Lines

Improvements in frequency will also be made to the C and K Lines, as weekday midday trains will operate every 10 minutes instead of 12 or 15 minutes. Saturday/Sunday C Line service will also increase to every 10 minutes instead of every 15 minutes. However, K Line trains will operate every 20 minutes on Saturday and Sunday due to construction and testing work through May 2024 to connect the C and K Lines and the forthcoming LAX/Metro Transit Center Station, set to open in late 2024. K Line weekend frequency is planned to increase to 10 minutes as soon as these works are completed.

Bus Service

Metro is also making changes to several bus lines, including schedule adjustments to improve on-time performance and added trips on some lines to provide more room on lines where ridership has increased. There are six weekday, 14 Saturday, and 24 Sunday Metro bus lines that have exceeded pre-COVID ridership levels as of September 2023. A small number of lines have route changes to more conveniently connect people to their destinations or other transit lines and to address the impacts of construction.

A complete list of the new timetables is available at metro.net/mybus.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post METRO IMPROVES LIGHT RAIL FREQUENCY, EXTENDS LATE NIGHT SERVICE ON BOTH A, E LINES, IMPROVES BUS SERVICE ON MULTIPLE ROUTES BEGINNING DEC. 10 appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO’S RIDERSHIP GROWTH CONTINUES FOR 11th CONSECUTIVE MONTH

Tracy Smith — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:59:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency saw nearly a 12 percent increase in total system ridership in October 2023 compared to October 2022 with more than 26.5 million boardings, marking the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 79 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership is now at 92 percent of pre-pandemic (October 2019) levels and 78 percent for average weekdays. The increased focus on safety, and the resulting 43 percent decrease in crime across the system since April, improved reliability and frequency of service, plus more Metro Ambassadors helping customers navigate the system, are all helping to drive increased ridership.

In October, Metro had 26,528,697 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 956,754 rides were taken each weekday, highlighting the second consecutive month that weekday Metro ridership has surpassed 900,000 boardings. Saturday boardings averaged 667,506 and Sunday boardings averaged 562,017.

Weekends continue to show the greatest gains in post-pandemic ridership recovery, with average boardings on Saturdays reaching 89 percent of their (October 2019) pre-pandemic level and average boardings on Sundays reaching 95 percent of their (October 2019) pre-pandemic level.

October 2023 marked the fourth full month of operation for the A (Blue) and E (Gold) Lines. The A (Blue) Line which serves customers from Azuza to Long Beach saw a 9.5 percent increase in month over month ridership with 1,737,608 boardings in October 2023 and 1,586,470 boardings in September 2023. The E (Gold) Line which serves customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica had a 7 percent increase in month over month ridership with 1,208,838 boardings in October 2023 and 1,130,105 boardings in September 2023.

The K Line, which celebrated its first anniversary in October, saw increased ridership on Saturdays boosted in part by the annual Taste of Soul festival on Oct. 21. The K Line saw a 200 percent increase in boardings for the event over the previous Saturday.

Sporting events such as college football and Rams and Chargers games are also contributing to increased ridership on the weekends.

In October 2023, Metro bus ridership saw a 12.5 percent year-over-year increase. Nearly 21 million rides were taken on Metro buses, with total bus ridership in October 2023 at 80 percent of its pre-pandemic level (October 2019).

Metro is making it easier for everyone to ride by providing accessible and affordable reduced-price transit pass programs such as the student GoPass pilot program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students, and its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program which provides free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers.

In October, the GoPass pilot program saw nearly 2 million student boardings with 1,777,199 student bus boardings and 194,424 student rail boardings. To date the program has 340,000 registered students from 1570 participating schools in 115 participating school districts.

Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program saw 1,437,046 boardings during October 2023 from the nearly 300,000 people enrolled in the program. New LIFE enrollees receive a free 90-day pass and after the first 90 days, riders can either load 20 free rides or purchase a discounted pass from any of the LIFE participating transit agencies. The LIFE program helps qualifying Los Angeles County residents save money by providing free rides or deeply discounted fares on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.

Information about all Metro’s reduced fare programs, including discounts for seniors, persons with disabilities and college students can be found at: metro.net/riding/fares/

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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DON’T CHANGE YOUR PLANS, CHANGE YOUR RIDE! GO METRO TO NATION’S MOST FAMOUS CROSSTOWN RIVALRY, LA AUTO SHOW, SPORTING, CULTURAL EVENTS

Media Relations — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 23:10:04 +0000

Who: L.A. Metro invites Angelenos and visitors alike to discover all the exciting events downtown Los Angeles has to offer this weekend – without getting in your car!

What: With the I-10 freeway closure in effect, Metro is connecting residents to fun sporting activities and special events taking place this weekend and sharing how to easily get there using Metro.

It’s easy to travel to Downtown and throughout L.A. County on Metro’s rail network. Check out the Metro Source blog for details or call 323-Go Metro for routing help. To plan your bus or rail trip, we recommend using Google Maps, Apple Maps, the Moovit app, the Transit app, or visit www.metro.net./trip-planner/

A few upcoming events accessible via Metro include:

Where/When:

USC vs. UCLA Football Game – L.A. Memorial Coliseum – Nov. 18

E Line train to either Expo Park/USC or Expo/Vermont Stations — both are a very short stroll to the stadium.
J Line to 37th St/USC Station — about a 10-minute walk to the Coliseum.

The Los Angeles Auto Show – L.A. Convention Center – Nov. 17-Nov. 26

A Line train or E Line train to Pico Station — which is one block away from the Convention Center.

Clippers and Lakes Games – Crypto.com Arena

A or E Line to Pico Station — it’s a one block walk to the arena and L.A. Live.
D or B Line to 7^th Street/Metro Center Station and transfer to A Line (Blue) Line for one stop to Pico station – it’s a one block walk to the arena and L.A. Live.

Pershing Square Holiday Ice Skating Rink – Opens Nov. 16

B or D Line subway to Metro’s Pershing Square Station.

Rams vs. Seahawks Game -SoFi Stadium – Nov. 19

C Line to Hawthorne/Lennox Station – Metro will offer free SoFi Stadium Express shuttle bus service to/from stadium

Broad, Disney Concert Hall and the Music Center – Downtown Los Angeles

A or E Lines to our new Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill Station.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post DON’T CHANGE YOUR PLANS, CHANGE YOUR RIDE! GO METRO TO NATION’S MOST FAMOUS CROSSTOWN RIVALRY, LA AUTO SHOW, SPORTING, CULTURAL EVENTS appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO’S ON THE MOVE RIDERS PROGRAM WINS ACCESS SERVICES’ SPIRIT OF ACCESSIBILITY AWARD

Missy Colman — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 20:29:39 +0000

(L to R) Jennifer Mendoza, Sr. Director Rail Projects and Mobility Programs, Metro and Lilly Ortiz, Community Relations Manager, Metro celebrate the On the Move Riders Program winning Access Services’ Spirit of Accessibility Award, which honors persons and organizations that have made significant contributions toward making transit more accessible.
Photo Credit: Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) On the Move Riders Program was recognized for its work to improve mobility for seniors in L.A. County as this year’s recipient of Access Services’ Spirit of Accessibility Award. Instituted in 2000, the award honors persons and organizations that have made significant contributions toward making transit more accessible.

Created in July 2013, Metro’s On the Move Riders Program works to empower older adults with the information and confidence to travel on fixed-route transportation within L.A. County The program hosts workshops, events, and tours to educate older adults on Metro’s transportation system. Riders 62 years of age and older who sign up through Metro receive discounted fares when using their TAP cards. The base fare of $1.75 drops to $0.35 off-peak one-way, and $0.75 during peak hours.

“Public transportation can be a valuable transportation option for older adults,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Metro’s On the Move Riders Program gives older adults tools and guidance so they can ride transit with confidence, be more independent, and access a better quality of life. I’m thrilled that our On the Move Riders Program is being recognized, and I thank Access Services for its partnership to give older adults greater access to social activities, healthcare, friends, and family.”

The program currently has 54 volunteers who lead 32 peer-to-peer travel training clubs. The volunteers who are referred to as travel buddies, work to provide monthly practice traveling on public transportation with the older adults in their community. The clubs travel to fun destinations on public transportation and are oriented to the bus and rail system. The clubs have many benefits. Not only do participants learn how to navigate the system, but they also make new friends, and are exposed to people and places that they may have never encountered.

To learn more about Metro’s On the Move Riders Program, please visit onthemove@metro.net.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro Releases Measure M Five-Year Comprehensive Assessment, Equity Report

Media Relations — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:23:00 +0000

The Measure M Five-Year Comprehensive Assessment and Equity Report is the first evaluation of the performance and impact of the overall Measure M program in its first five years

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today released its first assessment and equity report on Measure M, a sales tax supported by over 70 percent of voters in 2016, to invest in Los Angeles and a better transportation system. The robust 189-page report provides an overview of the first five years of Measure M funding (July 2017 – June 2022), and a fresh approach to assessing sales tax revenue through an equity framework that focuses on people first and the role Measure M, and Metro by extension, play in quality-of-life outcomes.

Earlier this month, the Measure M Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee (the MMITOC) met and unanimously voted to accept the findings and recommendations of the five-year assessment and equity report of Metro’s Measure M sales tax program. The MMITOC is a panel of citizens whose mission is to ensure sales tax revenues are spent as intended. The assessment reviewed the projects and programs funded by Measure M, evaluated the program for its effectiveness and made a series of recommendations as Metro continues to implement Measure M.

“The Measure M Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee was formed as an independent committee to monitor and ensure that its tax revenues are spent effectively and efficiently,” said MMITOC committee chair Richard Stanger. “Metro has made impressive progress toward its goals over Measure M’s first five years as can be seen in the Five-Year Assessment Report. The Oversight Committee approved the Report unanimously. It also made several recommendations for improving the program in the future.”

The Measure M Expenditure Plan was conceived as a road map to guide 40 years of transit investment in LA County. The measure’s original eight goals ranged from reducing traffic congestion, to expanding regional transit and improving neighborhood streets, allowing Angelenos to get around more safely and easily. While Metro was able to shift gears in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other impacts, the related disruption shifted the baseline for Measure M, as well as the future of Los Angeles. This five-year assessment has primarily shown that Metro made difficult course adjustments, while heightening its focus on equity and customer experience; however, the longer-term successes of these adaptations remain to be measured.

The report concluded that overall, Metro has advanced projects, programs, and services that address many of the Measure M goals, particularly congestion management, transit expansion, local infrastructure repair, and efforts around safety and affordability. Much was accomplished before and during the pandemic, but there is more work to be done, and Metro is primed to continue adapting and working to bring a world-class transportation system to every county resident, employee, traveler and visitor.

“I applaud Metro for its progress on these goals and for leading initiatives that are making public transportation more accessible, convenient and affordable,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “Metro’s ongoing programs help bring down the costs of travel for K-12 and community college students, riders who are income eligible and riders with disabilities. Metro is demonstrating its strong commitment to creating a world-class transportation system through these programs and its progress toward its goals.”

The assessment period of this report was notably marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended the way people approach health, work and travel and, by extension, the patterns and values driving the transportation industry. At the same time, Metro was initiating the largest transportation investment program in the country, while it continued to fulfill its role as a regional service provider, employer, economic development catalyst and funder—all while elevating a commitment to equity.

“When LA County voters approved Measure M in 2016, they declared their intention to remake our region into a more equitable, multimodal, accessible, and economically prosperous place where the mobility benefits of transportation projects reached every corner of the county,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Though the last five years have brought tremendous change, at Metro, our priorities related to Measure M remain the same: to deliver on our promises to LA County voters in an equitable, timely and cost-effective manner.”

About Measure M
Measure M outlined funding programs and major projects in the ordinance’s Expenditure Plan, mapping a 40-year forecast to advance the eight Measure M goals:

Improve freeway traffic flow; reduce bottlenecks and ease traffic congestion.
Expand the rail and rapid transit system; accelerate rail construction and build new rail lines; enhance local, regional and express bus service; and improve system connectivity.
Repave local streets, repair potholes, synchronize signals; improve neighborhood streets and intersections, and enhance bike and pedestrian connections.
Keep the transit and highway system safe; earthquake-retrofit bridges, enhance freeway and transit system safety, and keep the transportation system in good working condition.

Embrace technology and innovation; incorporate modern technology, new advancements, and emerging innovations into the local transportation system.
Create jobs, reduce pollution, and generate local economic benefits; increase personal quality time and overall quality of life.
Provide accountability and transparency; protect and monitor the public’s investments through independent audits and oversights.

As part of the Measure M Ordinance, five objectives were identified for assessment and approved by the Metro Board in early 2023:

Assess Metro’s performance on the efficiency and effectiveness in delivering Measure M projects and programs
Identify and evaluate any potential barriers in the delivery of the Expenditure Plan
Identify and evaluate opportunities for process improvement
Identify and evaluate best practices to be used going forward
Identify and evaluate any organizational changes needed to improve coordination

Adopted in 2018, Metro’s Equity Platform guides equity implementation across the broad scope of the agency’s work and services provided. While a moral imperative, advancing equity also improves health and economic outcomes for marginalized communities, by increasing access to education, economic opportunity, health and social services, and other quality of life resources.

“Beyond the assessment criteria laid out in the Measure M ordinance, this report takes a deeper dive into issues related to equity and Angelenos’ quality of life,” said Wiggins. “In this way, we’re taking a fresh approach to looking at Measure M and its value to LA County taxpayers. We go beyond the dollars and cents to the way that Measure M affects people, their access to opportunity, and their quality of life.”

Key takeaways from the assessment are as follows:

Efficiency and effectiveness in delivery
In its first five years, Measure M sustained Metro’s service and project delivery by strengthening LA’s “local match” competitiveness for other grants, helping to leverage over $3 billion in state and federal funding in the five-year period.

Potential barriers in the delivery
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of people’s lives. Transit agencies saw dwindling ridership, except for essential workers and those without other mobility options, and had to adjust to altered travel behavior. Metro worked to adapt and pivot during this period, adopting new strategies for project delivery and strategically leveraging funding opportunities.

Opportunities for process improvement
Led by its focus on equity and customer experience, Metro has further prioritized community engagement in project planning processes which sometimes impacted early project schedules but focused on community input and ownership for stronger future project outcomes.

Best practices to be used going forward
The tumultuous change that characterized much of the five-year assessment period has underscored the value of adaptability, partnerships and equity for Measure M implementation.

Metro continues to work to incorporate equity into Measure M implementation, doubling down on reliable tactics, such as robust community engagement and equity data-driven service planning while initiating innovative ones, such as incorporating cultural competency strategies into project implementation for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Corridor project.

Organizational changes
While Metro has adapted in response to the many external and internal changes, the foundational element for future success remains in having people to do the work. Early in the assessment period, the agency underwent a hiring freeze, an incremental return to hiring only essential positions, and incentivized retirement. Since then, Metro conducted a 2021 agencywide reorganization of major internal departments that consolidated departments to better coordinate, As part of Metro’s priority to restore service for riders, the agency initiated an aggressive bus operator hiring campaign, and has worked to streamline hiring processes where possible. The operator hiring push has shown early success, with transit service returning to pre-pandemic levels in late 2022 (shortly after the five-year assessment period). Metro has focused efforts to rebuild office workers and professional services staff. Future efforts to build back Metro’s workforce will have major impacts on Measure M implementation, including project budgets and schedules.

For additional information about Measure M, please visit https://www.metro.net/about/measure-m/.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. Metro Releases Measure M Five-Year Comprehensive Assessment, Equity Report appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro to Host Community Meetings for Sepulveda Transit Corridor, I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes, Traffic Reduction Study

Patrick Chandler — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 23:45:02 +0000

Learn more about Metro’s plans to alleviate congestion and expand transit service.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is hosting a series of community meetings, both in-person and virtual, for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes Project and the Traffic Reduction Study. These meetings aim to gather public input, offer project updates and engage with the community. The sessions are scheduled for Oct. 24, 28, and 30, as well as Nov. 1, 6, 7 and 8.

Metro is pursuing three separate projects designed to overcome the natural barrier posed by the Santa Monica Mountains, each of which would independently enhance transportation options between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside.

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, currently in the environmental review phase, is considering six rail alternatives that would benefit communities by providing a fast, reliable alternative to driving and improving access to key destinations and employment centers in the San Fernando Valley and the Westside of Los Angeles. It would connect to the future East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Line, G Line (Orange), D Line (Purple) and E Line (Expo), as well as Metrolink’s Ventura County Line.

Also in the environmental phase is the I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes Project. Metro is working in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to evaluate alternatives to convert the existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes or carpool lanes into dynamically priced, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, also called ExpressLanes. The ExpressLanes would serve both directions of I-405 between I-10 and US-101 and are intended to provide additional mobility options and improve traffic flows, travel times and trip reliability.

The third project, Metro’s innovative Traffic Reduction Study, aims to tackle congestion in high-traffic areas of Los Angeles by exploring congestion pricing strategies. Revenues generated from tolls will be reinvested to broaden transportation choices and establish discount programs for low-income residents.

The meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

In-Person Community Meetings:

Sepulveda Combined Project Fall Meeting (STC/TRS/I-405 EL) #1
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, 5:30 – 8 p.m., Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 

Sepulveda Combined Project Fall Meeting (STC/TRS/I-405 EL) #2
Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 – 12:30 p.m., Marvin Braude Constituent Center, 6262 Van Nuys, Van Nuys, CA 91401

Traffic Reduction Study Meeting
Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, 5 – 7 p.m., Metro Gateway Headquarters, Plaza Level, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles 90012 (Downtown Los Angeles)

Virtual Community Meetings:

I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes- Virtual Community Meeting #1
Monday, Oct. 30, Noon, Zoom link: tinyurl.com/405EXP
Webinar ID: 899 7243 4900                     
Call-in number: 669.444.9171

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project – Virtual Community Meeting
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, 6 p.m., Zoom link: bit.ly/SepulvedaNov1
Webinar ID: 828 7236 2799
Call-in number: 669.900.6833

Traffic Reduction Study – Virtual Community Meeting
Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, Noon, Zoom link: https://bit.ly/TRS1162023
Webinar ID: 885 3966 0629
Call-in number: 213 338 8477

I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes – Virtual Community Meeting #2
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, 6:00 p.m., Zoom link: tinyurl.com/405EXP-2
Webinar ID: 899 7243 4900
Call-in number: 669.444.9171

Metro is committed to ensuring accessibility for all, including those with disabilities. Those requiring an interpreter or other accommodation should contact Metro at least 72 hours prior to the virtual and/or open house meetings at (323) 466-3876. 

For more information about these projects, please visit the following project pages:

Sepulveda Transit Corridor: metro.net/sepulvedacorridor 
I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes: 405ExpressLanes.info 
Traffic Reduction Study: metro.net/projects/trafficreduction/

The post L.A. Metro to Host Community Meetings for Sepulveda Transit Corridor, I-405 Sepulveda Pass ExpressLanes, Traffic Reduction Study appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO SURPASSES 900K DAILY RIDERS IN SEPTEMBER, ACHIEVES HIGHEST DAILY RIDERSHIP SINCE PANDEMIC

Tracy Smith — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 20:46:35 +0000

Ridership Up with Help from Improved Safety, Back-to School Riders

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency saw a 10 percent year-over-year increase in total system ridership in September 2023 compared to September 2022 with more than 24.5 million boardings, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at nearly 80 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership is now at 91 percent of pre-pandemic (September 2019) levels and 77 percent for average weekdays. The increased focus on safety, and the resulting 53 percent decrease in crime across the system since April, is helping to drive increased ridership, along with improved reliability and frequency of service.

In September, Metro had 24,671,730 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 938,167 rides were taken each weekday, the first time since February 2020 that weekday Metro ridership has surpassed 900,000 boardings. Saturday boardings averaged 637,957 and Sunday boardings averaged 543,721. Post-pandemic ridership recovery continues to be strongest on the weekends, with average boardings on Saturdays reaching 86 percent of their (September 2019) pre-pandemic level and average boardings on Sundays reaching 92 percent of their (September 2019) pre-pandemic level.

September 2023 marked the third full month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines, thanks to the opening of the Regional Connector project in June 2023. The Regional Connector project consolidated three of Metro’s legacy rail lines, the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines, into two: the A Line, serving customers from Azuza to Long Beach, and the E Line, serving customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica. The project also opened three new stations in downtown L.A.

During September 2023, ridership on the A and E Lines was 23 percent higher than the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines on weekdays in September 2022. Ridership on the weekends in September 2023 rose 33 percent compared to the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines in September 2022.

In September 2023, Metro bus ridership saw an 11 percent year-over-year increase. More than 19.5 million rides were taken on Metro buses, with total bus ridership in September 2023 at 81 percent of its level in September 2019, before the pandemic. Average weekday bus ridership increased by 50,000 riders in September 2023 over August 2023, with more than 750,000 average weekday riders.

In its third year, Metro’s GoPass pilot program, which offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools, had over 1.6 million student boardings in September 2023, a 23 percent year-over-year increase over September 2022, which saw 1.3 million boardings. In September 2023 GoPass boardings were 103 percent higher than August 2023 which saw 801,163 student boardings. The program observed 1,458,992 student bus boardings and 164,806 student rail boardings during September 2023. To date the program has 345,907 registered students from 1,537 participating schools in 110 participating school districts (including public districts, charter networks, community college and private schools). Since the program launched in October 2021, there have been more than 25 million boardings by students using the free fare student GoPass.

Metro also provides accessible and affordable transit through its reduced-price transit pass program LIFE. Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program gives free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers. Those new to the program receive a free 90-day pass. After the first 90 days, riders can either load 20 free rides or purchase a discounted pass from any of the LIFE participating transit agencies. The LIFE program helps qualifying Los Angeles County residents save money by providing free rides or deeply discounted fares on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.

In addition, Metro offers reduced fare programs for college students, seniors and persons with disabilities. Information about Metro’s fare programs at: metro.net/riding/fares/

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO SURPASSES 900K DAILY RIDERS IN SEPTEMBER, ACHIEVES HIGHEST DAILY RIDERSHIP SINCE PANDEMIC appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro to Host Telephone Town Hall on Thursday, Oct. 19 to Gather Input about FY25 Budget Process

Patrick Chandler — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 23:57:07 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) invites the public to participate in and provide feedback about the agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget process during a live, interactive Telephone Town Hall on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, from 6 to 7 p.m.

The Telephone Town Hall allows participants to share their comments and provide suggestions on Metro’s initiatives, including public safety, cleaning and customer experience on Metro’s system. Public participation and input are integral to ensuring that the budget reflects the public’s priorities.

Metro will randomly contact approximately 100,000 residents from various ethnic and economic backgrounds across L.A. County through an innovative automated system to participate in the public forum. Residents can also pre-register to participate. When residents answer their phones, they will be automatically connected to Metro’s English-language meeting with the option for Spanish-language participants to select Spanish. Participants can provide input and ask questions in their designated language.

Participants can register in advance for Metro’s Telephone Town Hall meeting at https://tthm.wufoo.com/forms/metro-telephone-town-hall-signup/ or get more information on joining the event at http://budget.metro.net/tth.

Alternatively, the public may also join the meeting using the following phone numbers (please only call on the specific date and time of the meeting):

English: On the day and time of the meeting, the toll-free call-in number is 888-400-1932

Spanish: On the day and time of the meeting, the toll-free call-in number is 888-400-9342

The English Audio Webcast Link is:

https://janus.teletownhall.us/?id=Metro&eid=97372

The Spanish Audio Webcast Link is:

https://janus.teletownhall.us/?id=Metro-sp&eid=97373

Links go live one hour before the event starts.

ADA Language Accommodation: Those requiring an interpreter or other accommodations should contact Metro at least 72 hours prior to the telephone town hall meeting at 323-466-3876 or California Relay Service at 711.

# # #

Budget Background

The Metro budget identifies the priorities, programs, and initiatives the agency will pursue in the year ahead. The budget kicks off with Metro’s Office of Management and Budget forecasting the resources available for the upcoming year. This is followed by an extensive schedule of outreach activities planned with key stakeholder groups, customers, and the public. The FY25 Budget process will wrap up with a legally required public hearing in mid-May 2024 followed by the adoption of the budget at the Metro Board of Directors’ May 2024 meeting.

For more information about Metro’s Budget, visit budget.metro.net.

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Federal Railroad Administration Grants $38.3 Million to Metro for Doran Street Grade Separation Project to Improve Safety

Jose Ubaldo — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0000

Rail Crossing near border of Glendale, Los Angeles One of Most Dangerous in LA County

Press conference B-roll, photos and speeches

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today welcomed the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Amit Bose to the site of the Doran Street Grade Separation Project, the recent recipient of a $38.3 million Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant from the FRA. The project will improve safety at the Doran Street crossing, which has one of the highest numbers of safety-related incidents involving vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians in Los Angeles County.

“Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are helping build safer and more connected communities. FRA is proud to partner with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund a grade separation and safety improvements at the Doran Street crossing, one of the most dangerous in Los Angeles County,” said Amit Bose, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. “With a $38.3 million federal grant, we are making daily life safer for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians and investing in a rail corridor used by millions of riders each day.”

The project will make it easier for traffic to get around railroad tracks by building a grade-separated structure that links Los Angeles and Glendale by connecting West San Fernando Road to the Fairmont Avenue bridge, closing the at-grade crossing, and improving the second busiest intercity rail passenger corridor in the United States, serving 8 million riders per day by Metrolink, Amtrak, and freight trains.

“LA Metro is taking steps to make Los Angeles safer for people who are walking, biking or taking public transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration’s grant will help us make progress toward that goal at the Doran Street crossing, an area well-known for safety incidents. I helped pass the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law while I was in Congress and I am glad to see that investment going to an important safety and transportation project in Los Angeles,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass.

The federal funding provided for the Doran Street Grade Separation Project was made possible through the FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. This grant will enable Metro to begin construction in 2025. Metro is providing a 28 percent local funding match for the FRA grant award to help pay for the $61.8 million project. The project is now fully funded and will officially begin construction scheduling.

“I am encouraged that the FRA has decided to direct robust federal funding to a critical rail safety project in our region,” said Metro and Metrolink Board Member and Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian. Najarian is the immediate past chair of the Metro and Metrolink boards of directors. “The Doran Street Grade Separation project – once completed – will enhance the safety of thousands of individuals in Glendale and the City of Los Angeles who drive, bike, and walk across this busy intersection every day. I want to thank FRA Administrator Amit Bose for his leadership in making this welcome news possible.”

Up to 90 trains per day use the tracks in this area and train volumes are anticipated to increase to 116 trains per weekday by the time the project is complete in 2027.

A second $220.7 million project phase will also build a nearby overpass at Salem and Sperry streets in Glendale. This project element will increase non-motorized access employment, residences and recreational opportunities in an area that is currently blocked off by the Los Angeles River and the 134 Freeway.

“As a longtime proponent of the Doran Street Grade Separation project, I want to wholeheartedly thank FRA Administrator Amit Bose for providing $38 million in federal funding for this crucial safety project,” remarked Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro and Metrolink Board Member Kathryn Barger. “I valued holding a productive dialogue with Administrator Bose previously this year in Washington, DC. I commend the FRA for directing Railroad Crossing Grant dollars to the Doran Street Grade Separation project. It will undoubtedly result in far-reaching improved safety for Metrolink, Amtrak, and freight trains operating in the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale.”

In addition to the grant for the Doran Street Grade Separation project, Los Angeles County received two grants from the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program: one grant was for the Rail Crossing Elimination Master Plan (up to $600,160) and a second grant for the Sierra Highway Crossing Elimination Planning Project (up to $704,000).

“This project, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is critical to increasing pedestrian and vehicle safety along this busy intercity passenger rail corridor,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Thanks to the strong partnership between our agency, Metrolink and FRA, thousands of Los Angeles County residents will soon have a safer route to work, school, or wherever they need to go. I thank the Federal Rail Administration, Administrator Amit Bose and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Metro Board of Directors for making this needed investment in rail safety.”

The Doran Street Grade Separation Project is part of Metro’s Regional Rail Program, which leads the planning, design and construction of capital improvements along 140 miles of Metro-owned railroad right-of-way. Metro’s Regional Rail program team also helps plan and coordinate plans for the future high-speed rail program in Los Angeles County, among other rail initiatives.

“Safety is always Metrolink’s top priority, and the Doran Street Grade Separation Project will benefit the riders of both our Antelope Valley Line and our Ventura County Line,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to our partners at Metro and the Federal Railroad Administration for this commitment. It’s these types of collaborative initiatives that are essential for ensuring rail safety.”

For more information about the Doran Street Grade Separation Project, please visit http://metro.net/projects/doran-street-railroad-crossing/.

The FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program was authorized in Section 22305 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. No. 116-260). As noted in a Notice of Funding Opportunity issued in July of 2022, the purpose of the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program is to fund highway-rail or pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. For additional information, please visit FRA’s website at https://railroads.dot.gov/.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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METRO BOARD FUNDS RESTORATION OF METROLINK’S ANTELOPE VALLEY LINE, ADDITIONAL WEEKEND SERVICE

Missy Colman — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0000

Funding Will Get Service for Residents Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels, Study Strategies to Reduce Train Horn Noise

Riders of Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line (AVL) will see its services restored to pre-pandemic levels and enjoy increased weekend service with the approval of $1.6 million in unspent FY23 Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) operating funds to this service, as decided by the board of directors during The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) monthly meeting. Metro is one of five county transportation agencies that fund Metrolink.

“I am pleased that my fellow board members recognize the value and critical role that the Antelope Valley Line has in the lives of residents from the Antelope, Santa Clarita, and San Fernando Valleys,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro and Metrolink Board Member Kathryn Barger. “It will be the first line back to pre-pandemic levels and the first to introduce predictable schedules. Service restoration during the week and weekends will increase a steady ridership base by providing more frequent service options and supporting more transit flexibility. I’m proud to have helped lead this effort.”

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted ridership on the Metrolink AVL, which historically had been the third busiest line on the Metrolink system, averaging 7,000 riders per weekday, pre-pandemic. These additional funds will add four trips each weekday including late night service and will significantly expand weekend service with hourly trains between Santa Clarita and Union Station and bi-hourly trains between Lancaster and Union Station.

“Thank you to the Metro Board for approving the necessary funding to meet the changing needs of our Antelope Valley Line riders,” said Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle. “This funding will allow us to expand existing service by increasing mid-day and late-night options on weekdays and will double our weekend trains. The new schedule will improve the customer experience and, thanks to the Metro Board’s vision, preview what regional rail service could look like across our entire system soon.”

Many of the Antelope Valley residents live and work in Equity Focus Communities and have lower income and non-traditional jobs that require non-traditional, non-peak service opportunities. The AVL serves as a transit alternative to the congested SR-14 freeway and provides a vital link between the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.

“The Antelope Valley Line is a critical link for North County residents to access jobs, entertainment, and services across the greater Los Angeles region.” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “The Metro Board action today will empower more North County residents to leave their cars at home and use public transportation to get to and through the rest of LA County. That’s a good thing for people and the planet.”

Additionally, to help combat the added noise that has been historically experienced by residents near the corridors, especially the Glendale Station and along the AVL corridor, the Metro board passed a motion for Metro to help fund a study with Metrolink on reducing train horn noise. The purpose of the study is to ensure and preserve safety at rail crossings while looking at potential options, including possible rail crossing elimination. Metro will report the results of its study to the board in April 2024.

For more information, please visit; boardagendas.metro.net/events/

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

About Metrolink (metrolinktrains.com)

Metrolink regional passenger rail service offers reliable, safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation throughout Southern California. The Agency’s 545.6 total service line miles and 66 stations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties connect people, communities, and businesses and is an essential link in the region’s mobility network. Metrolink’s Arrow service, which launched in October 2022 with nine miles of track and four new stations between San Bernardino and Redlands, provides greater local and regional rail connectivity.

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Metro to begin connecting power lines from Westchester/Veterans to LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station on Sept. 29

Jose Ubaldo — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 22:08:44 +0000

K Line service will run every 20 minutes through Oct. 15

On Friday, Sept. 29, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will begin connecting the power lines from the Westchester/Veterans Station to the future LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station

The work is scheduled to begin on Friday, Sept. 29, and last until Sunday, Oct. 15. As a result, train service on the K Line will be every 20 minutes weekdays and weekends between the Westchester/Veterans Station and the Crenshaw/Expo Station.

The installation of power lines (Overhead Catenary Service) is the first phase in preparation for integrating the K Line with the LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station, which is tentatively slated to open in fall 2024.

The shuttle bus C & K Line Link 857 that connects the K Line and the C Line will continue service from the Westchester/Veterans Station to the Aviation/LAX Station on its regular service schedule.

The LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station will be the ninth station along the K Line and will connect directly with the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) People Mover Train project – presently being built –that connects directly with the airport passenger terminals.

The new LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station is located at Aviation and 96^th Street and it includes platforms to access Metro light rail trains, and an expansive 16-bay bus plaza that will serve Metro and other municipal bus operators, including Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, Culver City Bus, Torrance Transit, GTrans (Gardena) and Beach Cities Transit.

The K Line opened in October 2022 with seven rail stations including Crenshaw/Expo, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood and Westchester/Veterans. An eighth station, Aviation/Century, will also open at the same time as the LAX/Metro Transit Connector Station opens.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO’S AUGUST RIDERSHIP GREW SWIFTLY, MARKING NINTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH OF RIDERSHIP GROWTH

Tracy Smith — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 21:45:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency saw a 13 percent year-over-year increase in total system (bus + rail) ridership in August 2023 compared to August 2022 with more than 25 million boardings, marking the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 79 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership is now at 75 percent of pre-pandemic (August 2019) levels and 79.5 percent for average weekdays.

In August, Metro had 25,124,083 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 889,573 rides were taken each weekday, with Saturday boardings averaging 663,475 and Sunday boardings averaging 502,501. Post-pandemic ridership recovery continues to be strongest on the weekends, with average boardings on Saturdays reaching almost 88 percent of their (August 2019) pre-pandemic level and average boardings on Sundays reaching almost 83 percent of their (August 2019) pre-pandemic level.

August 2023 marked the second full month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines, thanks to the opening of the Regional Connector project in June 2023. The Regional Connector project consolidated three of Metro’s legacy rail lines, the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines, into two: the A Line, serving customers from Azuza to Long Beach, and the E Line, serving customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica. The project also opened three new stations in downtown L.A.

During August 2023, ridership on the A and E Lines rose 29 percent on the weekdays compared to the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines in August 2022. Ridership on the weekends in August 2023 rose over 45 percent compared to the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines in August 2022.

The increased focus on safety, and the resulting 54 percent decrease in crime across the system since April, is helping to drive increased ridership. On the B Line (Red)/D Line (Purple) subway, ridership in August 2023 rose on both the weekdays and the weekends at 5 percent on weekdays and 4 percent on weekends compared to August 2022. On weekdays in August 2023, an average of 74,157 trips were taken on the B and D Lines, compared to 71,512 in August of 2022. On the weekends, Saturdays in August 2023, saw an average of 65,011 trips on the B and D Lines, compared to 63,078 in August 2022. Sunday trips taken were 57,549 in August 2023 compared to 54,720 in August 2022.

Special event service provided during the month for the Taylor Swift Eras Concerts and the Hard Summer Music Festival raised Metro ridership by 180,000 riders. Taylor Swift fans were able to take the K and C Lines with service directly to Sofi Stadium, with last mile services provided by Metro shuttles from the Downtown Inglewood Station on the K Line, and the Hawthorne/Norwalk Station on the C Line. Attendees of the Hard Summer Music Festival used Metro’s B, D & E Lines to get to their event.

In August 2023, Metro bus ridership saw a 12 percent year-over-year increase. More than 19.5 million rides were taken on Metro’s buses, with total bus ridership in August 2023 at 79 percent of its level in August 2019, before the pandemic.

Metro continues to provide accessible and affordable transit through its fareless and reduced-price transit pass programs. Metro’s GoPass pilot program offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools. Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program gives free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers. In addition, Metro offers reduced fare programs for college students, seniors and persons with disabilities. Information about Metro’s fare programs at: metro.net/riding/fares/

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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Metro continues power line upgrades on C Line with rail service changes effective September 25

Jose Ubaldo — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 21:07:07 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will continue the replacement of the C Line (Green) light-rail power lines between Redondo Beach and Aviation/LAX stations modifying its rail operations as follows:

From Redondo Beach to El Segundo stations rail service trains will be single tracking and running approximately every 20 minutes.
From El Segundo to Norwalk stations regular rail service will be every 10 to 12 minutes.
Metro ambassadors will be available to assist patrons at affected stations.
The shuttle bus service that has been operating in place of rail service in the Aviation/LAX – Redondo Beach area since mid-August last few months will be discontinued from September 25.

This new rail service schedule will begin on Monday, September 25, and will continue for approximately 2 months until late November, unless otherwise indicated.

Work will allow Metro to conduct maintenance and repair work at all closed stations and along tracks. Customer experience and safety improvements will also be made to lighting, signage, PA systems, cameras and passenger/emergency telephones.

Metro will perform intensive cleaning on the stations, including painting, weed removal and several other tasks to ensure these transit facilities remain in good condition for riders.

Upgrades are expected to take several years to complete.

Maintenance of its rail lines is a critical Metro priority and will ensure rail customers have a safe and reliable trip. Metro thanks its passengers for their patience during these power line upgrades and apologizes in advance for any inconvenience.

For the latest information on service impacts call (323) GO-METRO. For additional information on Metro services, visit metro.net.

About Metro 

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO, LADOT, LOS ANGELES, WEST HOLLYWOOD CELEBRATE BUS PRIORITY LANES ON LA BREA AVENUE

Patrick Chandler — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 18:33:09 +0000

Quicker, more reliable bus service through one of the most congested corridors in Los Angeles

As part of the ongoing citywide effort to save customers time and increase the reliability of bus service, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), City of Los Angeles and the City of West Hollywood officially opened 5.7 lane miles (2.8 miles end to end) of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue today in West Hollywood. With these new bus priority lanes, Los Angeles will have 40 miles of bus priority lanes across the city.

“Angelenos deserve a Metro system that can get them where they need to go reliably, quickly and safely. Infrastructure improvements like the La Brea bus priority lanes help us make progress towards those goals and help us deliver for our riders who rely on the Metro system,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “These are the solutions we must continue pursuing, and I want to thank the Metro Board of Directors,” “The Department of Transportation and all partners for working together to make the La Brea bus priority lane a reality.”

The first phase of the La Brea Avenue Bus Priority Lanes Project, from Sunset Boulevard to Olympic Boulevard, will improve bus speeds by 15 percent or more, increasing service frequency and reliability, as well as enhancing mobility by moving more people without widening streets or adding more infrastructure. This project also provides a faster and more reliable multi-modal transit network, benefiting over 8,900 daily riders who typically ride Metro Bus Line 212.

“The La Brea bus priority lanes will provide improved access to job-rich centers along the Santa Monica business corridor, bringing people into Hollywood and West Hollywood quicker and with more ease,” said LA County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath. “With the future opening of the D (Purple) Line, these priority lanes will drastically improve service and increase access for our residents who rely on safe, efficient transportation to move throughout the region.”

Bus priority lanes will give buses priority access during weekday peak hours, between 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Buses will run every ten minutes during bus lane hours. Additionally, West Hollywood’s Cityline shuttle service will use the lanes to access the Hollywood/Highland B Line (Red) Station in Hollywood.

The second phase of bus priority lanes on La Brea Avenue, which are still in the planning and study stage, will eventually add 5.2 lane miles from Olympic Boulevard in Mid-Wilshire to Coliseum Street in South Los Angeles, providing additional access to the Expo/La Brea E Line (Expo) Station.

“Peak-hour bus priority lanes are a key part of our NextGen Bus Network strategy to make public transit better and more reliable for the millions of Angelenos who go Metro,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “The lanes will save thousands of Metro bus riders time and help make our buses more reliable on the La Brea corridor. We’ve opened almost 40 miles of these Bus Priority Lanes across Los Angeles, and we’re planning to open more than 100 miles of these lanes in the coming months and years to further improve our service.”

Additional quotes:

“Increasing mobility and achieving equity for Angelenos is key to providing more access to jobs, education, recreation, and commerce, thus changing the lives of all Angelenos, especially those that use public transportation,” said Metro Board Member Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker. “Many depend on buses as their daily mode of transportation. Therefore we must do all we can to improve their quality of life through excellence in Metro services.”

“LA Metro has an incredible, expansive bus network, but it’s clear that we need faster and more reliable service. That’s why these new bus priority lanes are so important,” underscored LA. City Councilwoman and Metro Board Member Katy Yaroslavsky. “La Brea Boulevard is one of our city’s most congested corridors, but Metro Bus riders will now be able to skip that traffic entirely, making it easier for them to get where they need to go.”

“The new La Brea bus lanes are a great example of what can happen when agencies work together, alongside residents and business owners, to deliver results for those who need it most,” said LADOT Interim General Manager Connie Llanos. “The improved bus service on this corridor will improve the lives of tens of thousands of Angelenos daily who will be able to get to where they need to go safely, reliably and with dignity. “

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO TO HOST COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE MEETINGS FOR K LINE NORTHERN EXTENSION IN LATE SEPTEMBER

Patrick Chandler — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 18:28:59 +0000

An opportunity to learn more about the progress of this project.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host three community open house meetings for the K Line Northern Extension Project to provide the public with project updates. Metro invites community members and stakeholders to participate in either in-person or virtual open house sessions scheduled for September 19, 23, and 26.

The K Line Northern Extension will extend the existing K Line light rail line north to the D Line (Purple) subway on Wilshire Boulevard and then continue to the B Line (Red) subway in Hollywood. The three routes under study follow busy travel corridors, serve major destinations and employment centers and intersect with five of the busiest bus routes in the region. The routes will follow parts of San Vicente Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue or La Brea Avenue.  Metro is currently drafting the project’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The open houses will be held on the following dates and times:

Virtual Open House:
Tuesday, September 19, 2023, Noon to 1:30 p.m., Zoom link: ttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87336933668

In-Person Open Houses:
Saturday, September 23, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Community Room, 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center, Doheny Room, Second Floor, 8750 El Tovar Pl., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Under the Measure M schedule, the project is slated to begin construction in 2041 and begin service in 2047. Metro, in partnership with the cities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles, is advancing the planning work to potentially accelerate the project. 

For more information about the K Line Northern Extension Project, please visit metro.net/kline_northern_extension. The project team can be reached at klinenorth@metro.net or 213.418.3093.

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L.A. METRO’S LOW-INCOME FARE IS EASY (LIFE) PROGRAM HITS OVER 250,000 ENROLLMENTS

Missy Colman — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 22:25:08 +0000

LIFE has provided more than 17 million Free or Discounted Rides since 2021

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today that its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program has achieved over 250,000 enrollments. The LIFE program helps qualifying Los Angeles County residents save money by providing free rides or deeply discounted fares on 13 transit systems across Los Angeles County.

Metro launched an improved LIFE program in 2019, which has provided more than 17million free or discounted rides on 13 transit systems since late 2021. To qualify for LIFE, an applicant must be 18 years or older and earn $44,150 a year or less, as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Applicants who are under the age of 18, must be enrolled with an adult as head of the household.For a family of four, the income threshold is $63,050. Those new to the program will receive a free 90-day pass. After the first 90 days, riders can either load 20 free rides or purchase a discounted pass from any of the 13 LIFE participating transit agencies.

“Public transportation is an everyday lifeline for Angelenos, and as a result of the LIFE program, we’re helping make Metro more accessible and affordable for L.A. County residents,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “Whether riders are headed to school, the office, visiting friends and family or to a favorite destination, we want to ensure that everyone has the means to access public transportation.”

Residents can easily enroll by email, mail, in-person at various Metro Customer Centers, online, or at one of the programs designated locations or at a community event.

Since January 2022, Metro has hired 24 community-based organizations to assist with the dissemination of LIFE collateral materials across L.A. County. Late last year, Metro established a pilot program with the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), where case workers shared details about the program and to date, more than 13,000 people have enrolled.

“Transportation is the second largest household expense behind housing, and we’re committed to reducing those costs for families,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We’ve focused on expanding LIFE Program participation over the last two years, nearly tripling participation in the last two years. Our work continues as we strive to enroll even more people in the LIFE program through partnerships with community-based organizations and local governments.”

The LIFE program works with two administrators: FAME Assistance Corporations, a community partner and leader in addressing social and economic inequalities affecting low-income, underserved communities in Los Angeles, and the International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) who are responsible for screening eligibility, outreach, accountability, transportation subsidy security, record keeping training and procedures for distributing transportation subsidies such as taxi vouchers. These administrators partner with more than 150 agencies in their respective areas to support enrollments, outreach and distribution of four-ride tickets and taxi vouchers to help riders get to doctor visits, shelters, food banks and other appointments.

To learn more about Metro’s LIFE program, please visit; www.metro.net/riding/life/

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METRO WANTS INPUT FROM LA COUNTY YOUTH TO IMPROVE ITS TRANSIT EXPERIENCE

Tracy Smith — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 22:07:45 +0000

Teens ages 14-17 are encouraged to apply to Metro’s Youth Council

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced the opening of the application period for the Metro Youth Council. Los Angeles County teens, ages 14 -17, are encouraged to apply by the October 3 deadline to be considered for the 2024 Metro Youth Council.

The Metro Youth Council is comprised of young people from the communities throughout Los Angeles County that Metro serves. Each Youth Council member commits to a one-year term on the council during which they will share their ideas and perspectives about Metro’s projects and initiatives and, importantly, how to improve the transportation system for everyone. Since its launch in October 2021, Metro’s GoPass program has had more than 23 million student boardings.

“I’m amazed and inspired by the dedication and thoughtful feedback of the young people who are part of Metro’s Youth Council,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “They have their eyes on the future and are committed to helping us make transportation better now and in the years to come.”

Throughout their Youth Council membership, students obtain experience and training valuable for their future lives. Members also can become part of the Youth Council Cabinet, composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Communications Officer, and Special Event Coordinator, which provides additional leadership opportunities.

Through the program participants experience civic engagement, leadership development and networking opportunities. They also attend and participate in Metro events and activities and connect with their peers from across L.A. County. At the end of the Youth Council term, each member receives a certificate of participation and a stipend.

Each year the Youth Council hosts a Youth Summit event for others who may be interested in joining and to discuss important topics affecting them. This year the summit is scheduled for Saturday, September 23, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at L.A. Union Station. The theme is Traveling Sustainably, and the council and guests will discuss how to explore LA’s best destinations while lowering their carbon footprint.

In its second year, the Metro Youth Council has shared with Metro the importance of learning how to use the system and how to connect with other transit agencies throughout the region. As part of the upcoming Youth Summit, the council and attendees will begin creating a digital Youth Destination Guide that includes places they like to visit and how to get there using transit. When complete, the guide will help other youth navigate the system and help Metro better service youth riders.

To learn more about the Youth Council visit: metro.net/youthcouncil

Youth interested in attending the summit: metroyouthsummit2023.eventbrite.com

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L.A. METRO TO PROVIDE SOFI STADIUM EXPRESS SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE TO 2023-2024 NFL HOME GAMES

Tracy Smith — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 21:06:20 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced it will again offer its popular SoFi Stadium Express shuttle bus service from Hawthorne/Lennox C Line (Green) Station to SoFi Stadium for all L.A. Rams and L.A. Chargers home games during the 2023-2024 NFL season.

Going Metro makes game day even more fun. The comradery with other fans, saving time and money, plus Metro’s express shuttle bus service takes passenger straight to SoFi Stadium. The express shuttle will operate from the C Line (Green) Hawthorne/Lennox Station and will run every 7-8 minutes beginning three hours before kick-off and will operate every five minutes for ninety minutes after the game ends. The shuttle bus is free; however, riders will need a TAP card or the TAP app for rail fare, if connecting from the C Line. Metro will operate its regular schedule for all NFL games.

The pick-up/drop-off location for the shuttle bus off the C Line is on the northbound side of Hawthorne Boulevard just south of the station exit. At SoFi Stadium the drop-off/pick-up location is in the transit lot adjacent to the southeast corner of the intersection of Prairie and Arbor Vitae. During games the shuttle will run as needed.

For fans driving to the shuttle, parking is available at Metro’s Hawthorne/Lennox Station for $25 pre-sale online or $30 on-site on game day if not already sold out. Thousands of free or discounted parking is available at other stations along the C Line. The Norwalk Station, located just off I-605 Freeway at Imperial Highway, is a good option and is free on weekends and just $3 on weekdays. Trains from the Norwalk Station run up to 65 MPH between stations for a 23-minute trip from the Norwalk Station to the shuttle pickup point at the Hawthorne/Lennox Station. The Crenshaw/I-105 Station also has parking available priced at $3 on game days and is only 1 train stop away from the shuttle pickup point. To park at Crenshaw Station, enter the lot from 120^th Street west of Crenshaw. More information on parking is available at: metro.net/parking.

In addition to the SoFi Stadium Express shuttle service, the following Metro Bus lines offer service to SoFi Stadium and operate year-round: Line 115 (Manchester Ave.), Line 117 (Century Blvd.) and Line 212 (La Brea/Prairie). These bus lines may encounter traffic delays and detours during event traffic. Customers can plan their trip using Google Maps, Apple Maps, Transit App, or Metro.net.

Other transportation options include G-Trans which links the Harbor Gateway Transit Center to SoFi Stadium and offers service for Sunday games only, and starting September 10, 2023, Torrance Transit is offering new NFL gameday service from the new Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center to SoFi Stadium on Line 10X, which is offering $2 fares and free parking.

Additional trip planning information is available at: Metro.net/gameday.

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L.A. METRO’S JULY RIDERSHIP GROWTH FUELED BY NEW A, E LINES

Tracy Smith — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 22:53:52 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that the agency saw a 15 percent year-over-year increase in ridership in July 2023 compared to July 2022 with more than 23.3 million boardings, marking the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 76 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership is now at 88 percent of pre-pandemic (July 2019) levels and 72 percent for average weekdays.

In July, Metro had 23,337,404 boardings on its bus and rail services. An average of 843,459 rides were taken each weekday, with Saturday boardings averaging 643,234 and Sunday boardings averaging 542,009. Post-pandemic ridership recovery continues to be strongest on the weekends, with average boardings on Saturdays reaching more than 86 percent of their (July 2019) pre-pandemic level and average boardings on Sundays reaching almost 90 percent of their (July 2019) pre-pandemic level.

“These new numbers reflect the value Metro can provide by helping more people travel to more places in Los Angeles. As ridership continues to increase, I want to encourage past and potential eligible riders to sign up for Metro’s GoPass and LIFE programs, which provide free rides for eligible riders,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “I look forward to seeing more increased ridership as Metro continues its efforts to make it safer and easier to take its buses and trains.”

July 2023 marked the first full month of operation for the newly reconfigured A and E Lines, thanks to the opening of the Regional Connector project in June 2023. The Regional Connector project consolidated three of Metro’s legacy rail lines, the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines, into two: the A Line, serving customers from Azuza to Long Beach, and the E Line, serving customers from East L.A. to Santa Monica. The project also opened three new stations in downtown L.A.

During July 2023, ridership on the A and E Lines rose 26 percent on the weekdays compared to the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines in July 2022. Ridership on the weekends in July 2023 rose nearly 42 percent compared to the combined ridership on the A (Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) Lines in July 2022.

Ridership also rose on other parts of the Metro rail system. On the B Line (Red)/D Line (Purple) subway, where there has been an increased focus on safety and a sharp decrease in crime, ridership in July 2023 rose on both the weekdays and the weekends (13 percent on the weekdays and 4 percent on the weekends) as compared to July 2022. Average Sunday ridership on the B Line and D Line is now 99 percent as compared to July 2019, before the pandemic. On Sundays in July 2023, an average of 61,290 trips were taken on the B Line and D Lines, compared to 61,923 in July 2019 before the pandemic. Ridership on the C Line rose 13 percent on the weekdays and 16 percent on the weekends year-over-year. K Line year-over-year information is not yet available as the line opened in October 2022.

Weekend ridership was driven in part by special events supported by Metro, the Anime Expo (A Line), NoHo Summer Nights (B Line), Riverfest (A Line), Rock the Block (K Line), and a soccer match-up between the LA Galaxy and LAFC at the Rose Bowl (A Line).

In July 2023, Metro bus ridership saw nearly a 12 percent year-over-year increase. Almost 18 million rides were taken on Metro’s buses, with total bus ridership in July 2023 at 75 percent of its level in July 2019, before the pandemic.

“We continue to be encouraged that more people are choosing to go Metro on both bus and rail,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We believe these ridership gains can be directly tied to our proactive efforts to improve the customer experience over the past year, from restoring our pre-pandemic level of bus service to making big improvements related to safety, security, and cleanliness on our rail system.”

Metro provides accessible and affordable transit through its fareless and reduced-price transit pass programs. Metro’s GoPass pilot program offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools. Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program gives free rides and reduced fares to low-income customers. In addition, Metro offers reduced fare programs for college students, seniors and persons with disabilities. Information about Metro’s fare programs at: metro.net/riding/fares/

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1.3 MILLION STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR METRO’S GOPASS PILOT PROGRAM

Tracy Smith — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 21:11:24 +0000

B-roll and Photos here

GoPass provides unlimited free rides for students in K-12 and community college

As the new school year begins, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) encourages students, families and school districts to participate in its GoPass pilot program which allows students in K-12 and community college unlimited free rides on Metro bus and rail. The popular program, renewed by Metro’s board in April for a third year, currently has 274,915 registered students using GoPass for travel to school, work, and fun, and has helped Metro grow its student ridership by 43 percent over pre-pandemic levels.

All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will offer GoPass to their students this school year, with activation codes available through the LAUSD student portal. The Torrance Unified School District is joining the program this fall.

“We are excited to bring back the successful and popular GoPass pilot program and make it available again for a third year to even more K-12 and community college students. I look forward to seeing how we can continue this program further,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “Thank you to Metro and CEO Stephanie Wiggins for recognizing how important fareless transit is for our students and helping ensure that cost never stands in the way of getting to school.”

Metro’s GoPass pilot is available to all students whose school district has registered with the program. Participating schools distribute TAP cards and activation codes so students can ride transit to school, extracurricular activities, or work without the worry of paying fares. Students can activate their cards on the online GoPass portal or by calling 866.TAPTOGO. They also have the option of using a virtual TAP card on the TAP LA App.

Entering year three of the pilot program, Metro is pleased to share that 102 school districts and charter networks, with a combined 1,441 schools, are participating in the program. There have been more than 22 million boardings since the program launched in October 2021.

“The GoPass pilot has helped hundreds of thousands of L.A. County students get to school, work and extracurricular activities, while also reducing family expenses,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “GoPass is central to our strategy to build transit ridership by introducing young people to the benefits of using transit long before they drive. We look forward to welcoming even more students onto our system in the coming school year.”

GoPass participants can take unlimited free rides on Metro bus and rail, AVTA (beginning September 2023), City of Commerce Transit, Culver CityBus, Foothill Transit, Glendale Beeline, GTrans, LADOT DASH, LA County Shuttles, Long Beach Transit, Lynwood Trolley, Montebello Bus, Norwalk Transit, Pasadena Transit, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Torrance Transit. Together we are opening destinations for young people to experience throughout the region. Now museums, parks, the beach, concerts, and more are available to them with no transportation costs.

For more information on the Metro GoPass program visit: Metro.net/GoPass.

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TAYLOR SWIFT, HARD SUMMER FANS SET NEW RIDERSHIP RECORDS

Tracy Smith — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 21:00:40 +0000

Sing-alongs, selfies, friendship bracelets made experience fun for all

B-roll and Photos

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today that the agency experienced over 150,000 additional Metro Rail boardings during Taylor Swift’s six-night concert tour in Los Angeles representing a nearly 25 percent increase in Metro Rail system ridership over same day averages in July 2023, shattering post-pandemic ridership records, with the previous record set during the Regional Connector opening earlier this year. In addition, special event shuttle bus service carried over 30,000 additional boardings bringing the rail and bus total to over 180,000 boardings carried over the concert series.

The largest increase came on the K Line which saw a nearly 250 percent increase in ridership with nearly 5,000 additional trips taken each night over same day averages last month. This was the first time a SoFi Stadium Express route was added on the K Line at Downtown Inglewood Station, and fans took advantage of the easy 1.7-mile trip from the rail line shuttle stop to SoFi Stadium.

Metro saw ridership grow each night of Swift’s concert dates. On the C Line, Metro offered the 5.1-mile SoFi Stadium Express route from Hawthorne/Lennox Station and saw nearly 35 percent more rail boardings with nearly 6,000 additional C Line trips taken each night. As Swiftie excitement built night after night, so did Metro ridership.

Additionally, both SoFi Stadium Express shuttle routes and the extra Line 117 buses from LAX-area hotels provided over 5,000 shuttle boardings on average per night, or over 30,000 boardings during the concert run.

The A Line and the E Line also saw increases on Taylor Swift concert nights with a nearly 20 percent and 15 percent increase, respectively. This equates to nearly 15,000 additional trips taken each night on both lines combined.

Over the weekend, the E Line, which directly serviced the Hard Summer music festival in Exposition Park on Saturday and Sunday, was up 50 percent over regular weekend boardings welcoming over 20,000 additional customers during the music festival. The E Line has stops at Exposition Park to directly serve fans going to events at there.

“We are thrilled ‘Swifties’ and Hard Summer festivalgoers chose to take Metro to fuel their passion for music,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Introducing young people to the benefits of using public transit is a priority for Metro. Also a priority: building our capability to provide service to large-scale entertainment and sports events across the region, particularly as we see the strong growth in Metro’s weekend ridership.”

Average weekend ridership is now at 91 percent of pre-pandemic level and 76 percent for average weekdays.

“We will continue to focus on learning about our customers and their needs – no matter when they ride – and improve their experience so it exceeds their expectations for convenience, reliability, safety, and cleanliness. It’s the only way we can become Angelenos’ first choice in transportation,” Wiggins added.

Concertgoers followed Metro’s social media pages for the latest updates on service and all that was happening around the fun and excitement. And they shared their thoughts about the service.

Metro Ambassadors and staff were positioned at stations on the system to help new riders purchase tickets and navigate the rail system and shuttle buses. Metro staff joined the excitement and fun and sang along with riders on platforms and buses, exchanged friendship bracelets, and took selfies with fans at our station take-over signs “Taylor Nation Station” on the C Line and Speak Now/Taylor’s Station on the K Line. The 6-nights of Taylor mania proved to be an exceptional experience for fans and Metro staff alike.

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METRO C LINE (GREEN) POWER LINE UPGRADES SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SATURDAY, AUG. 12, 2023

Jose Ubaldo — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 21:24:17 +0000

Service will be suspended in phases to replace the light rail power lines between Hawthorne/Lennox and Redondo Beach Stations

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will suspend service and close selected Metro C Line (Green) stations as it begins the long-term replacement of its light rail power lines beginning Saturday, Aug. 12 to the early hours of Monday, Sept. 25. The ongoing replacement of overhead power lines is needed as the light rail line approaches 30 years of service.

Metro will provide a free shuttle bus service to replace suspended rail service at all closed stations, including Aviation/LAX, Mariposa, El Segundo, Douglas, and Redondo Beach. Metro recommends that C Line riders allow approximately 10 to 30 minutes of extra travel time when using shuttle buses between affected stations. Travel times will vary depending on the time of day and patron destinations.

The first series of station closures will take place in separate phases:

Stations between Hawthorne/Lennox and Redondo Beach will be closed from the beginning of service on Saturday, Aug. 12 until the close of service on Saturday, Aug. 19.
Stations between Aviation/LAX and Redondo Beach will be closed from the beginning of service on Sunday, Aug. 20 until the beginning of service on Monday, Sept. 25.

Metro Ambassadors will be available to assist patrons at the key transfer stations and board shuttle buses as well as to provide other wayfinding assistance.

The power line upgrade project is part of Metro’s State of Good Repair Program, which seeks to keep existing and future transit assets in good working order while upgrading the overall transit system. Work will allow Metro to conduct maintenance and repair work at all closed stations and along tracks. Customer experience and safety improvements will also be made to lighting, signage, PA systems, cameras and passenger/emergency telephones.

With the absence of train traffic during these times, Metro will perform more intensive cleaning on the stations, including painting, weed removal and several other tasks to ensure these transit facilities remain in good condition for riders.

Dates for all future work will be announced in advance. Upgrades are expected to take several years to complete.

For the latest information on service impacts call (323) GO-METRO. For additional information on Metro services, visit metro.net.

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L.A. METRO CONTINUES TO INCREASE RIDERSHIP WITH WEEKEND RIDERS DRIVING GROWTH

Tracy Smith — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:34:07 +0000

B-roll/photos here

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today shared that in June the agency had a 13.3 percent year-over-year increase in ridership with nearly 24 million boardings, marking the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth. Metro’s monthly bus and rail ridership is now at 81 percent of its 2019 pre-pandemic level. Average weekend ridership is now at 91 percent of pre-pandemic level and 76 percent for average weekdays.

In June, Metro had 23,824,620 passengers board its bus and rail services. An average of 866,670 rides were taken each weekday, with Saturday boardings averaging 646,743 and Sunday boardings averaging 542,727. Ridership recovery continues to be stronger on the weekends than the weekdays, with average boardings on Saturdays, reaching almost 89 percent of their (June 2019) pre-pandemic level and average boardings on Sundays reaching almost 94 percent of their (June 2019) pre-pandemic level.

“I’m excited that people continue to return to our buses, trains and rideshare services,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass. “With the opening of the Regional Connector last month, Metro has made it more accessible and affordable to travel by public transit across the region, and the benefits of this new connectivity are translating into increased ridership. I look forward to seeing ridership continue to grow as we work to expand the system and make it safer and move welcoming for all.”

Bus ridership continued to lead overall with 18,679,084 rides taken during the month, and total bus ridership in June 2023 was almost 84% of its level in June 2019, before the pandemic. Metro has made a concerted effort to restore bus ridership, which accounted for 78.4% of its overall ridership in June. The agency has hired more than 1,000 bus operators since declaring an operator shortage in February 2022, and it fully restored its pre-pandemic level of service in December 2022. In addition, the agency, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, has installed more than 30 miles of bus priority lanes, the most recent of which opened on Venice Blvd. in June.

More than 5 million (5,145,536) trips were taken on the rail system in June, an increase of 14.2% over June 2022. Rail ridership growth was led by gains on the B Line (Red)/D Line (Purple) subway. Average weekday ridership on the B Line and D Line is up 15.5 percent year-over-year, and up 5.6 percent since January 2023. Average Sunday ridership on the B Line and D Line now exceeds its level in June 2019, before the pandemic.

Weekend ridership was driven in part by special events on the weekends such as the Pride Parade, Pride Night at Dodger Stadium, Pride in the Park, and CicLAvia South L.A. The opening of the Regional Connector stations in the Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway and Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill also generated some

excitement, with more than 100,000 riding the new A and E lines on opening day. More than 82,000 people continued to ride the new lines over opening weekend.

“Metro’s three new downtown stations stitched together the A, L and E lines, and made getting around Los Angeles easier and more fun,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Our riders can now easily visit downtown restaurants and events, and travel through three beautiful art filled stations which are quickly becoming destinations in themselves.”

Metro has taken proactive steps to ensure its transit service is safe, friendly, fast, and frequent by:

Implementing a new multi-layered public safety approach to increase the visible presence of both armed and unarmed security and customer care personnel on the system.
Executing a Drug-Free Metro campaign focused on drug-related crimes with increased enforcement by our law enforcement partners targeting the hotspots throughout the system resulting in cleaner, safer transit experiences for our riders
Engaging more than 300 Metro Ambassadors to help customers navigate the transit system and improve their experience.
Hiring more than 1,000 new transit operators to ensure adequate staffing levels for buses and trains.
And fully restoring bus service making many lines faster and more frequent.

Metro also continues to provide more accessible and affordable transit through its fareless and reduced-price transit pass programs. Metro’s GoPass program offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools, and Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, gives free rides and discounted fares to people with low incomes.

About Metro

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LA METRO ‘TAYLORS’ SERVICE TO HELP SWIFTIES AVOID ‘CRUEL SUMMER’ TRAFFIC AND BE ‘THE 1’ TO GET THEM TO SOFI STADIUM ON TIME

Tracy Smith — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:19:27 +0000

Metro to add frequency, late-night service, shuttle buses from C, K lines to stadium

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is “cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop movin” Taylor Swift fans to her concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Aug. 3 – 5 and 7 – 9. In response to fans asking, “Can I Go With You,” Metro will add service and extend service hours to accommodate the more than 60,000 fans expected to attend each concert. Swifties attending concerts in cities across the country have relied on public transportation in large numbers and L.A. Metro is ready to join the fun.

Fans can leave their “White Horse” at home because Metro will provide shuttle bus services to connect Metro rail lines C and K to SoFi Stadium, add bus service on Line 117 for people staying at LAX area hotels, and expand Metro rail with greater frequency and longer service time on all lines.

Swifties “need to calm down” because they can take the C Line from Redondo Beach or Norwalk or park at the Hawthorne/Lennox station and board a shuttle to SoFi Stadium at Hawthorne/Lennox beginning at 3:30 p.m. Additional trains will run on the K Line to accommodate more E Line riders coming from Santa Monica or downtown LA/East LA, and those who park at the Expo/Crenshaw station. After each event, Metro will provide shuttle bus services back to both the C and K Lines with the last shuttle bus departing 90 minutes after the concert ends.

Those who miss a train should just “Shake it Off” because all Metro rail lines will operate at 15-minute intervals or better, saving riders time over the usual 20 minutes between trains. And fans shouldn’t worry, when it’s time to “Call It A Day” Swifties will have extra time to get home because the last trains on the rail network will depart downtown Los Angeles at the 7th/Metro Center station at approximately 2 a.m. on concert nights. This will ensure connections can be made to the A Line (Azusa to Long Beach), B Line (to North Hollywood), D Line (to Wilshire/Western), and E Line (to Santa Monica or East Los Angeles).

Those looking for a place to park their “Getaway Car” will find Metro has parking available at stations throughout the system and many parking spots at stations on the C and E Lines. Parking rates vary by station and range from free to $30 depending upon location and proximity to the event venue. More information on parking can be found at Metro.net.

For the “Masterminds” who want to plan ahead, Metro strongly encourages everyone to purchase the $3.50 roundtrip fare and load TAP cards in advance of travel to save time on concert day. Fares can be loaded onto digital wallets through the TAP LA app (iOS or Android). Fares can also be purchased at station TAP Vending Machines. And students who are part of the GoPass pilot program will be able to use their passes to get to SoFi.

No need for anyone to feel like “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” Metro staff will be at key stations to help new riders purchase tickets and navigate the rail system and shuttle buses including Los Angeles Union Station, the Norwalk and Hawthorne/Lennox stations on the C Line; the Expo/Crenshaw and Downtown Inglewood stations on the K Line; and the Expo/Crenshaw station on the E Line.

Metro has been “dreaming of the day when you wake up and find” that Metro has been here the whole time and is making it easier to get to events downtown and throughout Los Angeles. The connectivity provided by three new stations at Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Av/Arts District, as well as the existing 7th St/Metro Center and Pico stations, have improved connectivity on the newly configured A and E lines. The special service for select events, such as the Taylor Swift concerts, is showing Angelenos and visitors how accessible their favorite events, restaurants and concerts are by taking Metro.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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METRO OFFICIALS MARK GROWTH IN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, RIDERSHIP, SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS; PLEDGE CONTINUED FOCUS ON CUSTOMER AND EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Dave Sotero — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:58:00 +0000

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass takes gavel as Metro Board Chair at the annual State of the Agency event

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board Chair and L.A. City Mayor Karen Bass, former Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian and CEO Stephanie Wiggins today provided their report to the community about the progress Metro has made toward the agency’s strategic goals in the last fiscal year (FY 2023) and its plans for the current fiscal year (FY 2024) at the annual State of the Agency event. The ceremonial passing of the gavel from Glendale City Councilman Najarian to L.A. Mayor Bass, who assumed the role of Metro Board Chair effective July 1, culminated the event.

The last fiscal year at Metro has been marked by increased ridership, expanded rail and bus service, and new programs related to safety, cleanliness, equity, and the customer experience on the transit system.

Under Najarian’s term as Chair in FY 2023, Metro improved and expanded rail and bus services that provide new transit options for Angelenos, including the opening of the K Line in South Los Angeles and Inglewood and the Regional Connector in L.A.’s downtown core. The agency also brought bus schedules back to pre-pandemic levels, hired 1,000 new bus operators to help ease the bus operator shortage, and reduced cancellation rates on the bus system to between 1-2%. In FY 2023, Metro also grew special fare programs designed to provide equity and support the next generation of Metro riders; 89,036 more people were enrolled in the LIFE program that provides steeply discounted fares to low-income customers, and K-14 students took more than 16.7 million free rides using the GoPass, which provides free rides to all students at participating schools.

At the same time, Metro began implementing its human-focused, multilayered public safety plan while also addressing significant societal challenges affecting customers and employees on the transit system. Metro piloted interventions across its rail system that have reduced crime by 53% in recent months. Metro also launched the pilot Metro Ambassador program which adds visible unarmed staff to assist transit customers and keep a watchful eye out for issues that need to be addressed on the system, working collaboratively with Metro transit security, law enforcement, and maintenance to help make the system feel safer for riders. In June, Najarian coauthored a motion directing Metro to prepare a comprehensive implementation plan, for Board consideration, to create an in-house public safety department. That plan should reflect Metro’s commitment to building a new culture of public safety centered on a robust multi-layered approach that results in more visibility and transparency.

In his remarks, Najarian cited living up to his commitments to making safety Metro’s #1 priority and to deliver more regionally integrated transportation projects.

“I was honored to serve as the board chair for Metro and I am extremely proud of what our Board was able to accomplish during my tenure,” Najarian said. “While this last year clearly presented us with major challenges and opportunities to improve, I think we met that challenge and are turning the corner on needed improvements. We put plans into motion that will certainly leave a legacy for how Metro better meets its customers’ needs in the coming years. I’m very proud of that.”

In introducing Mayor Bass, Janice Hahn, First Vice Chair of the Metro Board and Chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors, lauded the mayor’s collaborative leadership and her ability to find solutions even when everyone else might not think it can be done. “I believe she is the right person for this moment, for this city, for our region and for this agency, as so much of the work that needs to be done requires bringing a variety of stakeholders to the table, to agree to work together and to tackle challenges with innovative approaches that cross sectors, silos, and fiefdoms,” Hahn said.

Looking ahead, L.A. City Mayor Karen Bass, who took over the role as Chair on July 1, said she was committed to using the collective power of Los Angeles’ 88 cities and unincorporated areas to continue building the best public transit system in the nation. She aims to make Metro more accessible to all Angelenos while making it a competitive, desirable mode of transportation, as Los Angeles prepares to host the world for the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.

Bass seeks to continue Metro’s expansion to reach more parts of Los Angeles while working to get ridership to pre-pandemic levels. Also, a priority: to provide better service for riders who rely on public transit, and to continue improving safety on the system for the Metro community, including riders and operators on Metro buses, trains, and stations.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians depend on Metro to get to work, to school, and to their doctor’s appointments,” said Bass. “Metro is truly an essential service. But for Los Angeles to thrive – and for Los Angeles to survive in the future – Metro cannot be mostly a system of last resort. It must be a system of choice, and as we prepare to host the World Cup as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we will work towards that reality by building ridership and making our system safer and more accessible for all.”

Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins shared a message of hope and confidence in the Metro system as a connector and as a strong contributor to a rebirth for Los Angeles.

“Metro aims to revolutionize the way Los Angeles moves and establish Metro as the preferred choice for transportation among Angelenos,” said Wiggins. “We have a long way to go to reach that goal, but because of all the progress we made in the last fiscal year and because of the hard work of the 11,000 members of the Metro family, I have faith that we can get there. In the next year, we’ll continue putting people first by making our system faster, cleaner, friendlier, and safer.”

Citing the focus and collaboration of Metro staff that led to significant improvements in safety and security, and a sharp focus on putting people first to improve the employee and customer experience, Wiggins reported that ridership on Metro is coming back from pandemic-related lows, especially on the weekends. Metro consistently gained ridership year-over-year in FY23. In June 2023, Metro’s average weekday ridership was 76 percent of what it was in June 2019, and 91 percent of its pre-pandemic ridership level on the weekends.

“I believe we can not only reach our pre-pandemic level of ridership, but we can go beyond. We can deliver a world-class transit experience for our region that will make Metro Angelenos’ preferred choice for transportation.” Wiggins said.

For additional information, please visit metro.net.

About Metro The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries nearly 900,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines. Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS COMTO AGENCY OF THE YEAR AWARD

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 19:16:57 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the second largest transit agency in the nation, was honored with the prestigious 2023 COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials) Agency of the Year Award. This award recognizes Metro’s achievements in expanding Los Angeles’ transit system while promoting equity anddriving job growth and economic development across the region.

COMTO awards are highly regarded in the transportation industry, recognizing organizations and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion within the field.

“Congratulations to CEO Stephanie Wiggins, former Board Chair Ara Najarian and the entire Metro agency for earning COMTO’s Agency of the Year Award,” said the Mayor of Los Angeles and Metro Board Chair Karen Bass.  ”This recognition shows that the entire organization is dedicated to expanding access to the Metro system across Los Angeles while consistently working toward a more equitable, high-quality rider experience. I thank COMTO for their partnership, for raising the importance of diversity in the transportation industry and for acknowledging Metro’s leadership this year.”

Metro has one of the nation’s most ambitious transit expansion programs underway. In October 2022, the agency opened seven of the nine K Line stations in South Los Angeles and Inglewood. Metro also opened the Regional Connector in June, adding three new stations in Downtown Los Angeles and connecting the L, A, E, B and D rail lines and in doing so transforming the way people travel around the county. This new connection provides customers a one-seat ride from Azusa to Long Beach and East Los Angeles to Santa Monica and increases access to jobs, education, essential services and arts and cultural destinations.

Along with expanding Metro’s transit system, these projects have created thousands of jobs and opportunities for local businesses. Metro has an ambitious plan to ensure that 48 percent of Metro’s contracts and procurements include small, disadvantaged, and historically under-utilized businesses by 2028. This aspirational target includes Metro’s signature programs such as the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE), Small Business Prime (SB Prime) and the Local Small Business Preference.  So far, since 2015, Metro has awarded more than $1 billion to small businesses across all programs.

Metro has consistently promoted diversity in the transportation industry, but most of all the agency has ensured that all initiatives and programs are viewed through an equity lens. Metro’s Equity Platform has been implemented to assist in the development of new fare policies, expansion of the transit system and streamlining the process to build new housing, to name a few.

“I am so proud of the tireless efforts and dedication of our entire team in providing exceptional transportation services to our communities said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We are grateful to be recognized by COMTO and inspired to continue pushing the boundaries of excellence in public transportation.”

To learn more about COMTO, please visit comto.org.

About Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) 

Founded in 1971, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials is the nation’s premier multimodal non-profit 501(c)(3) advocacy organization for minority professionals and businesses in the transportation industry. COMTO has more than 38 chapters across the United States and Canada. Membership includes transportation agencies, private sector corporations, and nonprofit organizations.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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METRO MAKES REPAIRS TO OVERHEAD POWER WIRES ON METRO A AND E LINES IN DOWNTOWN L.A., REPAIRS TO CONTINUE UNTIL WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

Jose Ubaldo — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 22:04:37 +0000

Metro is making needed repairs to its overhead power wires on the Metro A and E lines in Downtown Los Angeles. Trains will operate every 18 to 20 minutes today through Wednesday, July 12 while repairs are made. Transit riders should plan approximately 20 minutes of additional time on these lines when traveling through the downtown L.A. area.

Rail services are as follows:

A Line

Trains traveling from Long Beach will single track from the Grand/LATTC Station to 7th Street/Metro Center Station.
Trains traveling from Azusa will single track from 7^th St/Metro Center to Grand/LATTC Station.

E line

Trains traveling from Santa Monica will single track from LATTC/Ortho Institute Station to 7^th Street/Metro Center Station.
Trains traveling from East Los Angeles will single track from 7^th St/Mero Center to LATTC/Ortho Institute Station.

Metro has made its ambassadors available on both A and E Line stations in Downtown Los Angeles to assist transit riders.

Metro maintenance crews are now working 24/7 to make repairs and return trains to full service. Metro apologizes in advance for any inconvenience to riders.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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LADOT AND METRO TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF THE VENICE BLVD SAFETY AND MOBILITY PROJECT

Media Relations — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:42:04 +0000

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), in collaboration with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), celebrated the completion of over 4 miles of safety and mobility improvements along Venice Blvd between Inglewood Blvd and National Blvd. The project includes new crosswalks, signal upgrades, parking-protected bike lanes, and a 24-hour dedicated bus lane.

The project creates a safer corridor, improving reliable bus, bike, and pedestrian connections between Palms and Mar Vista for the nearly 47,000 residents living within a five-minute walk of the project area. An average of 20,000 riders board the Metro 33 Line on Venice Blvd every day, and 8,000 of them board or depart the bus within the project area. On Metro Line 33, 93 percent of riders are people of color, 84 percent live in households making less than $50,000 a year, 82 percent do not own a car and rely on bus service, and 98 percent take Metro at least several times per week. The improvements also provide greater access for pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders to and from the Metro E Line (Expo) at the Culver City Station on the eastern edge of the project area.

“Whether taking the bus, driving, walking, or biking, Angelenos deserve to move around our City safely,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “The recently completed improvements on Venice Blvd. help make progress toward that goal. I want to thank LADOT and Metro for continuing to deliver improvements to Venice Blvd and the surrounding community that can increase safety and makes travel more reliable for the many people who travel within this area.”

“All Angelenos deserve to live in safe, liveable communities – where we don’t waste our lives sitting in traffic, or fear for our or our child’s safety every time we cross the street,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember and Metro Boardmember Katy Yaroslavsky. “Just think about what we could do if we brought this kind of infrastructure to communities across Los Angeles and created a truly connected bike network and made bus travel times faster. It would fundamentally transform the way we live and move around in LA.”

“The Venice Boulevard Priority Lane Project is an important step in building a safer and more equitable transit network for Los Angeles, especially as it relates to this corridor,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “It will enhance mobility and safety for the thousands of people in the community who use transit to get to and from school, work, businesses, and appointments along the corridor.”

Venice Blvd is part of the City of Los Angeles’ High Injury Network: the six percent of streets that account for over 70 percent of severe and fatal injury collisions. From 2012 to 2022, 1203 collisions occurred on the section of Venice Blvd west of Inglewood. Twenty-five percent of those involved people walking or riding a bike, and 58 people were killed or severely injured. LADOT targeted safety improvements along Venice as part of its efforts to combat the public health crisis of collisions and rising deaths on LA streets. In addition to bus priority and bike lane improvements, the project also includes signal improvements such as transit and emergency vehicle preemption, protected left turn signals, crosswalk improvements, high-visibility paint to alert drivers to areas where cyclists and pedestrians may be present, and accessibility improvements for pedestrians.

“Venice Blvd is a symbol of what can happen when agencies collaborate, alongside residents and business owners, to design transportation solutions that help people get to where they need to go, no matter how they choose to get there,” said Connie Llanos, Interim General Manager LADOT. “This project will not only make it safer and more reliable for people to walk, roll and ride public transit, but it will help vehicles travel more efficiently and with greater visibility of pedestrians and cyclists, ensuring that all road users are better protected.”

“A lot of people we serve depend on the bus to get to work on time, or to pick up their kids and other family members, so it’s critically important that we have a predictable and reliable schedule,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “These new bus lanes will speed up our buses on this part of the corridor by up to 15 percent or more, which has benefits up and down the line.”

This project is one of the many recommendations resulting from the Bus Speed Engineering Working Group, authorized by the Metro Board of Directors and the Los Angeles City Council in July 2019. It is a collaborative effort between Metro, the Mayor of Los Angeles, and LADOT to identify, design, fund, and implement transit-supportive infrastructure to speed up transit service as part of Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan and the agency’s Vision 2028 Plan.

Prior to implementation, LADOT and Metro engaged with residents and riders to understand their experiences and gather insights on the corridor’s challenges and priorities. Over 250 businesses and 2000 individuals participated in 28 separate engagement events.

“I’m very proud of the outreach partnership between the Palms Neighborhood Council and LADOT,” said Katrina Kaiser, Vice Chair of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for Palms Neighborhood Council and Streets for All Steering Committee Member. “We were able to daylight the unique needs of our neighborhood, which has both many bikers, bus riders, and pedestrians but also specific business needs. I’m also proud of the advocacy work that many community organizations – including my own, Streets For All – did to ensure the city witnessed the wide community enthusiasm for safe multimodal infrastructure. “

Participants emphasized the need for safety improvements and the importance of maintaining accessibility and efficiency on Venice Blvd. The final project addresses the issues raised in these conversations and creates a safer and more accessible Venice Blvd that better accommodates the needs of all road users whether they are pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, or drivers.

LADOT and Metro will continue to work with communities to deliver projects that make it easier for people to get on and off buses and enhance accessibility for all users of Venice Blvd. LADOT looks forward to this and other collaborations as we improve mobility options and experience for Angelenos across our region.

Photos from the event are available, courtesy of LA Metro.

About LADOT
LADOT leads transportation planning, project delivery, and operations in the City of Los Angeles. We work together and collaborate to deliver a safe, livable, and well-run transportation system in the city and region. Our vision is for all people in Los Angeles to have access to safe and affordable transportation choices that treat everyone with dignity and support vibrant, inclusive communities.

About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 880,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO RIDERSHIP GROWS 16 PERCENT, CONTINUES UPWARD TREND

Dave Sotero — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 23:09:25 +0000

May numbers represent the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year ridership growth

B-Roll

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today shared that in May the agency had a 16 percent year-over-year increase in ridership with nearly 25 million boardings, marking the sixth consecutive month of ridership growth. These numbers indicate that almost 900,000 riders used bus, rail and micro transit systems each weekday during the month. Additionally, on the weekends, the agency saw average Saturday boardings at more than 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels and Sunday boardings at over 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels (633,338/Saturday and 522,199/Sundays) during May.

“People are seeing the steps Metro is taking systemwide to improve safety and the customer experience, and they are choosing public transportation once again,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “With our new Ambassadors helping riders navigate their trips, the increased number of Transit Security Officers, and additional law enforcement, riders see and feel Metro’s commitment to them.”

Nearly 20 million (19,533,498) rides were taken on Metro buses during the month, along with more than 5.4 million (5,408,055) rides on the rail system. Almost 110,000 more rides were taken each day this May compared to last May. That’s nearly 3.4 million more rides delivered to customers throughout our system in May 2023 compared to May 2022.Total ridership is now at 77 percent of 2019 levels.

The overall trend post-pandemic shows ridership recovery on the weekends continues to outpace recovery on weekdays. Metro has now recovered 88 percent of its pre-pandemic ridership on weekends on both bus and rail, compared to 74 percent on the weekdays.

The ridership growth on rail was led by weekday gains on the B Line (Red)/D Line (Purple) subway. Average Weekday Ridership on the subway B Line and D Line is up more than 20 percent year-over-year, and up 11.5 percent since January 2023.

“Earlier this year, we noted unacceptable increases in drug use and crime on the system, particularly on the B and D lines, and acted quickly to address them, including pilot mitigations at the Westlake MacArthur Park station, as well as surges in visible law enforcement, transit security and Metro Ambassador presence,” said Stephanie Wiggins, Chief Executive officer of Metro. “We are earning riders back through our deliberate efforts to improve service, reliability, convenience and the user experience. We know we have more to do to ensure the system consistently addresses cleanliness and safety concerns. This continues to be our number one priority.”

Metro has also taken steps to ensure its transit service is safe, friendly, fast and frequent by:

Implementing a new multi-layered public safety approach to increase the visible presence of both armed and unarmed security and customer care personnel on the system.
Executing a Drug-Free Metro campaign focused on drug-related crimes with increased enforcement by our law enforcement partners targeting the hotspots throughout the system resulting in cleaner, safer transit experiences for our riders
Engaging more than 300 Metro Ambassadors to help customers navigate the transit system and improve their experience.
Hiring more than 1,000 new transit operators to ensure adequate staffing levels for buses and trains.
And fully restoring bus service making many lines faster and more frequent.

Metro also continues to provide more accessible and affordable transit through its fareless and reduced-price transit pass programs. Metro’s GoPass program, offers free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools, and Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, gives free rides and discounted fares to people with low incomes.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO HELPS RIDERS SAVE MONEY, IMPROVES TRANSIT FLEXIBILITY WITH NEW FARE POLICY EFFECTIVE JULY 1

Missy Colman — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 02:28:29 +0000

New Policy Simplifies and Streamlines Metro Fares

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced that starting July 1, it will implement fare capping, a new fare policy where riders pay per ride with a TAP card until they reach their one-day fare cap of $5 or their seven-day fare cap of $18, after which they ride free for the remainder of the day or seven-day period. This will provide much-needed economic relief to Los Angeles residents.

The fare capping policy, which has undergone extensive evaluation and analysis and was approved by the Metro Board of Directors last December, aims to ensure Metro fares are simple, equitable, and affordable for customers so that all riders with a TAP card can earn free rides.

Before fare capping, customers could save per ride by buying weekly or monthly passes that required riders to pay large sums up front, which was a burden on lower income residents. With fare capping, riders load Stored Value (money) on their TAP card and pay as they go. The more customers use Metro, the more money they will save.

“It’s the goal of the Metro Board to help make things as easy as possible for all Metro riders, and fare capping is a big boon for Angelenos and the city overall,” said Glendale City Councilmember and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “The cost of transit should never stand between L.A. County residents and opportunity – and this new fare policy will make our systems more affordable, accessible, and appealing for every Angeleno.”

Once customers reach the one-day or seven-day fare cap, they will not have to pay additional fares for the rest of the day or seven-day period. The new policy will make all Metro passes, including the one-day, seven-day or 30-day passes, unnecessary, so they will be eliminated, making the fare structure simpler for customers to use.

Base fares for regular riders will remain at $1.75, while students in grades K-12 will see their base fare drop from $1 to $0.75 cents, and college and vocational students will see their base fare drop from $1.75 to $0.75 cents to match the fare discount offered to seniors and disabled persons. All rides on TAP include two-hours of one-way free transfers. Student fares will be capped at $2.50 per day and $6 over a seven-day period. The base fare for seniors and customers with disabilities will remain at $0.75 cents during peak hours and $0.35 cents during off-peak hours. Their daily cap will remain at $2.50, and the seven-day cap will be $5.

“Fare capping will save many of our riders money and give them more flexibility,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “At a time when Los Angeles residents are paying more for everyday items, Metro is helping them save money on transportation, the second largest household expense on average. This is one of several new initiatives we’ve established to lower transportation costs for riders to make our system more accessible and equitable.”

This past March, the Metro Board approved extending the successful and popular GoPass pilot program to June 2024, which gives free transit passes to K-12 and community college students at more than 100 participating county schools and school districts. Students have generated over 16.6 million boardings on the Metro system since the program began in October 2021, averaging 1.2 million monthly. Fare capping will not affect students who use GoPass.

Metro also launched an improved Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program in late 2021, which offers 20 free rides a month and deeply discounted fares to low-income riders on Metro and 13 other local transit providers. More than 230,000 L.A. County residents have signed up for the LIFE program, and Metro has delivered more than 16 million discounted rides under the program since late 2021. LIFE riders will continue to benefit from their 20-ride free product. Once the 20 free rides are used, to ride on Metro, customers will load Stored Value onto their TAP cards and pay per ride until they reach a one-day or seven-day fare cap.

Metro has launched an awareness campaign promoting the discounts available on TAP and convenient reloading locations. TAP has also increased the number of vendors who sell and reload TAP cards in grocery stores such as Northgate Ria, El Super, Numero Uno Markets, and Superior Grocers. Free TAP cards loaded with $5 of Stored Value are also being distributed at high cash-paying bus stops to increase accessibility and encourage TAP use.

To learn more about Metro’s new fare structure, please visit metro.net/farecapping.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO’S REGIONAL CONNECTOR TRANSIT PROJECT OFFICIALLY OPENS GIVING RIDERS IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO MORE DTLA STATIONS, DESTINATIONS WITH TRANSFER-FREE RIDES FROM EAST L.A. TO SANTA MONICA, AZUSA TO LONG BEACH

Missy Colman — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 00:04:09 +0000

In Celebration, Metro Will Offer Free Rides On its Entire Transit System All Weekend

B-Roll and Photos

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today celebrated the official opening of the Regional Connector transit project at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). The opening ceremony, emceed by actor, Trustee, Chair Emeritus and JANM founding member, George Takei, featured several musical performances, and a special plaque unveiling in honor of Norman Y. Mineta, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and Japanese American National Museum Board of Trustees Chair, which will be installed at the new Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.

Mineta, a dedicated member of the Japanese American Community, worked closely with Metro in securing the financing for the Regional Connector at the federal level. As a result of his relationships with the Little Tokyo Community Council, Metro, and those at the federal level, he helped bring all the pieces together for the Regional Connector transit project. During his time in Congress, Mineta championed legislation promoting and furthering justice. Today, all public transit buses are universally accessible because of his leadership in shaping the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He was also a co-sponsor of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

“It’s finally opened! Los Angeles County residents now have three gorgeous new underground stations to help them travel easily across L.A. County and readily reach more Downtown LA locations via Metro rail,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “What better way to celebrate the opening than with the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to Norman Y. Mineta, a national treasure and someone whose many worthy accomplishments played a crucial role in the transportation industry. Mineta’s legacy will continue to live on for those who pass through the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.”

The Regional Connector transforms the way many riders will experience the Metro system. The 1.9 miles of new track laid allows light rail trains to travel between Union Station and the busy 7^th Street/Metro Center Station in Downtown’s Financial District. Before the Regional Connector, that’s a journey only Metro’s heavy rail lines could make. Bridging this gap allows Metro to merge the hook-shaped L (Gold) line with the A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, creating two serpent-like train lines where there were once three. With the opening of the Regional Connector, riders will have access to three new underground stations:

Little Tokyo/Arts District Station where riders will have easy access to historically rich and vibrant neighborhoods and cultural institutions.
Historic Broadway Station features two nationally registered districts: the Broadway Theater District, with 12 original theaters within seven blocks and Old Spring Street, known as the original Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles.
Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill Station connects riders to downtown’s performing arts institutions, museums, fine dining experiences and more.

“For the first time since the Blue Line opened over 30 years ago, it will now provide a seamless, single-seat connection from Downtown Long Beach to Union Station, Pasadena, and beyond,” said LA County Supervisor and Second Vice Chair Metro Board Member Janice Hahn. “This isn’t just an infrastructure or rail project – this is going to transform how people all across LA County get to jobs, schools, the doctor, or even just a day at the museum.”

Riders can now visit cultural events and venues in downtown Los Angeles, public parks, and other major attractions. The new underground stations will offer easier access to medical facilities and jobs and commerce centers throughout the city. Many of the key destinations are within walking distance of the new underground stations, including the Japanese American National Museum, Million Dollar Theater, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, to name a few.

“With the Regional Connector’s opening, more people and communities across the region will have a faster, easier Metro ride, all while Metro continues its work to make the experience safer, cleaner, and more welcoming for todays and future riders, said Metro Board Member and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “I know that so many people have worked hard to bring the Regional Connector online, and I intend to build on those efforts alongside my colleagues on the Metro Board of Directors to make sure that our transit network is a world-class system that works for everyone.”

The three new underground stations include eight new artworks commissioned through the agency’s Metro Art program. All artists were selected through an open, competitive selection process following the recommendation of a panel of community-based arts professionals. Site-responsive artworks by Andrea Bowers, Audrey Chan, Mark Steven Greenfield, Ann Hamilton, Pearl C. Hsiung, Clare Rojas, Mungo Thomson, and Clarence Williams animate the plaza, concourse, and platform levels. In addition, a temporary exhibition of artworks by Ralph Gilbert and Samira Yamin is on view at the Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill and Historic Broadway Stations as part of the Metro Art Lightbox Exhibition Program.

“The Regional Connector ushers in a new era of equitable transit and investment that connects more Angelenos to convenient, fast, and reliable rail transit options. With this new system integration and three newly adorned stations, Angelenos have new high-quality transit options to get to civic spaces, cultural destinations, public parks, events, and neighborhoods throughout L.A. County,” said L.A. County Supervisor, Hilda L. Solis. “Our returning and new riders will have easier access to medical facilities, job, and retail centers throughout Los Angles without the burdens of traffic delays, parking, and fueling costs.”

As with previous construction projects, the Regional Connector line was designed and built with the help of community input and local voices. In addition, this project benefited from Metro’s Board-approved small business mitigation programs: the Business Interruption Fund and Eat Shop Play, which helped support small businesses in the areas along this project during construction. The Business Interruption Fund provided support for businesses around the Little Tokyo/Arts District and History Broadway stations- $3.3 million was awarded to 56 small “mom and pop” shops and the Eat Shop Play program provided free marketing assistance to 102 businesses along the Regional Connector line.

“The Regional Connector is a transformative project that gives Angelenos from all over the county better access to opportunity and everything that makes living in LA great,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Because of this amazing project, people from as far as Azusa will now have easier access to the beach – Santa Monica or Long Beach – and parts of East Los Angeles that were disconnected from the rail system throughout construction will now be re-connected and more accessible to residents and visitors. Thank you to all the Metro team members, contractors, and workers who helped us deliver this incredible project in a safe and equitable way, and thank you to the LA County taxpayers, without whom none of this would have been possible.”

Metro contracted with Regional Connector Constructors (RCC), a joint venture between Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc., and Traylor Brothers, Inc., to design and build the $1.8 billion Regional Connector. Metro’s contractor has been able to achieve one of the best safety records of all Metro construction projects, with more than 7.7 million hours worked without any lost time due to injury or incident. This is a testament to all the dedicated men and women working on this project, representing one of the best safety records in the construction field.

Metro also implemented a Project Labor Agreement and Construction Careers Policy to encourage construction employment and training opportunities during the Regional Connector project. More than 10 percent of construction workers hired by Metro’s prime contractors on the Regional Connector project were from economically disadvantaged areas, and 20 percent were hired as apprentices to start their careers in construction. PLA/CCP workers included 66 percent who were Latino, five percent African American, and four percent female.

Throughout the summer, Metro will be hosting additional celebrations, including station dedications and community events.

For additional information about the Regional Connector, please visit metro.net/regionalconnector.

Additional Quotes

“The Regional Connector is a long-awaited promise of transit equity for Los Angeles County residents,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, First Vice Chair, Metro Board of Directors. “Bringing together Metro’s L (Gold), A (Blue) E (Expo), B (Red), D (Purple) lines at the 7^th Street/Metro Center Station provides Angelenos more access to LA’s rich cultural landscape, with access to employment centers, faith institutions, education and entertainment hubs that help Los Angeles thrive.”

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO’S REGIONAL CONNECTOR TRANSIT PROJECT OFFICIALLY OPENS GIVING RIDERS IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO MORE DTLA STATIONS, DESTINATIONS WITH TRANSFER-FREE RIDES FROM EAST L.A. TO SANTA MONICA, AZUSA TO LONG BEACH appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO ANNOUNCES BUS, RAIL SERVICE CHANGES BEGINNING JUNE 25 TO IMPROVE REALIABILITY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Missy Colman — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 21:36:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today it is making service changes to several bus and rail lines starting Sunday, June 25, to provide Metro riders with more reliable service and an improved customer experience. Metro is making changes to bus and rail service on multiple routes based on direct feedback from customers, operators and data reviewed by its service development team. 

Metro is changing 65 weekday, 43 Saturday, and 42 Sunday bus schedules, as well as the B and D Rail line schedules to produce more reliable operations, providing riders with less waiting time and more on time
service. Here is an overview of the upcoming changes, many of which were specifically requested by customers:

Rail Improvements
·        With the opening of three new Downtown LA rail stations that are a part of the Regional Connector Transit Project, the E Line now links East L.A. and Downtown LA. Therefore, Bus Line 30 will no longer travel east of Little Tokyo, avoiding duplication of E Line rail and Line 106 bus on 1st St. between East LA to Little Tokyo. 

Bus Improvements
Downtown LA/Westside:
·        Additional extra late-night trips to run every 15 minutes instead of every 20-30 minutes between 10 p.m. and midnight eastbound on Line 16 from West Hollywood to Downtown LA to avoid crowding for our customers.
·        Extension of Line 16 for 0.6 miles on 5th & 6th Streets in Downtown LA east of Maple Avenue to Alameda St. (four extra stops), providing increased service in this area.
·        All trips for Line 30 will be altered to operate weekdays and weekends between Little Tokyo in Downtown LA and Pico/Rimpau Transit Center via the existing route on Pico Blvd. Customers may now ride the Regional Connector (opening June 16) and new E Line rail service between Downtown LA and East L.A. To avoid duplicating this new rail service, Line 30 trips will no longer operate further east of Little Tokyo to either Union Station or Indiana Station via 1st St. Line 106 will still serve customers on 1st St. between Indiana Station and Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.
·        Line 51 trips starting/ending in Downtown LA, to increase access for our customers, will now include stops as far west as 7th/Bixel St. west of the I-110 freeway, due operational changes for this line. Other Line 51 trips will continue to operate to/from Westlake/MacArthur Park Station.
·        Line 854/L Line Shuttle between Union Station and Pico Aliso Station will cease operation when Regional Connector rail link opens through Downtown LA (Line 854 last day of operation will be Saturday, June 17). Customers will be able to connect between the frequent A and E light rail lines at the new Little Tokyo/ Arts District Station for travel between East LA, Union Station, and point further north on the A Line.

San Fernando Valley:
·        Extension of all existing Downtown LA – Burbank trips on Line 92 to Sylmar on weekdays, improving frequency and reducing wait time between Sylmar and Burbank to every 20 minutes instead of 40. For improved customer access to Downtown LA, a new stop will also be added for this line southbound on Spring St. nearside 6th St.
·        Extension of all Line 169 weekend trips from Saticoy/Topanga Canyon to Canoga Station, matching the weekday service, for improved access to Valley Circle.

Northeast LA and San Gabriel Valley:
·        Line 78 between Arcadia and Downtown LA via Las Tunas and Huntington Dr. weekends will be adjusted to operate every 20 minutes weekends instead of every 15 minutes, consistent with the number of customers riding this line on weekends, and as planned in the NextGen Bus Plan.
·        The end of Line 177 route has been moved away from homes near CalTech Pasadena to address noise concerns from residents living nearby the area. The new location is approximately 900 feet north adjacent to CalTech campus at Pasadena.
·        Line 179 night trips from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. are extended about one mile on each end of the line to operate the full daytime route between El Sereno (Rose Hill Transit Center and Arcadia Station). This provides customers consistent night and day service.
·        Addition of more weekday trips to Line 251 extending north of Huntington Park to Eagle Rock every 20 minutes instead of 30, reducing customer wait times. 
·        In preparation for transfer to Pasadena Transit of line 256, line will be altered to operate the current route between Pasadena (Sierra Madre Villa Station) and Highland Park Station.
·        All trips on Line 665 extending from Cal State LA to El Sereno replace Line 256 and provide a one-seat connection between East LA and El Sereno.
·        Line 267 will extend north from Del Mar Station to also serve Memorial Park Station at Pasadena with new bus stops for improved connections for customers with other transit lines.

South Bay:
·        Lines 111 and 115 reroutes for long-term construction impacts. Line 111 will no longer serve 96th St and Airport Blvd.
·        Extend last two nighttime southbound trips on Line 205 so that all trips now go as far as San Pedro.
·        New schedule for Line 550 provides better connections for customers other lines at Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
·        An additional trip for J Line/Line 910 will be added early A.M. Saturday and Sunday northbound from Harbor Gateway Transit Center to El Monte Station, to improve connections for customers with Line 246.

The following bus lines will have revised schedules. Non-bolded lines have the same number of trips as before. The bolded lines below have either slightly more or slightly fewer trips to enhance the accessibility of scheduled trips and ensure adequate service for all riders.

Weekday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 33, 40, 45, 51, 53, 55, 60, 66, 70, 76, 78, 81, 90, 94, 102, 106, 110, 111, 120, 150, 152, 155, 161, 162, 166, 167, 169, 177, 180, 182, 205, 206, 207, 210, 211/215, 212, 217, 232, 235/236, 240, 242/243, 244, 246, 251, 256, 260, 265, 267, 344, 501, 720, 761, 901.

Saturday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 40, 53, 60, 66, 76, 78, 81, 94, 102, 108, 111, 128, 134, 150, 152, 166, 169, 180, 182, 205, 206, 210, 212, 217, 232, 236, 240, 246, 251, 256, 267, 501, 720, 901

Sunday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 40, 53, 60, 62, 66, 76, 78, 81, 102, 111, 128, 134, 150, 152, 166, 169, 180, 182, 205, 206, 210, 212, 217, 232, 240, 246, 251, 256, 267, 460, 501, 720, 901

The following lines have either more or fewer trips to provide the right amount of service for the number of riders using these lines. Travel times are not adjusted:
·        Weekdays: Lines 164, 179, 233, 234, 910
·        Saturday: Lines 51, 207, 234, 910
·        Sunday: Lines 207, 234, 910

For additional information on bus service changes, check specific bus line schedules at www.metro.net/mybus.  New timetables with updated information will be available on-board buses and at Metro Customer Centers.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today it is making service changes to several bus and rail lines starting Sunday, June 25, to provide Metro riders with more reliable service and an improved customer experience. Metro is making changes to bus and rail service on multiple routes based on direct feedback from customers, operators and data reviewed by its service development team. 

Metro is changing 65 weekday, 43 Saturday, and 42 Sunday bus schedules, as well as the B and D Rail line schedules to produce more reliable operations, providing riders with less waiting time and more on time
service. Here is an overview of the upcoming changes, many of which were specifically requested by customers:

Rail Improvements
·        With the opening of three new Downtown LA rail stations that are a part of the Regional Connector Transit Project, the E Line now links East L.A. and Downtown LA. Therefore, Bus Line 30 will no longer travel east of Little Tokyo, avoiding duplication of E Line rail and Line 106 bus on 1st St. between East LA to Little Tokyo. 

Bus Improvements
Downtown LA/Westside:
·        Additional extra late-night trips to run every 15 minutes instead of every 20-30 minutes between 10 p.m. and midnight eastbound on Line 16 from West Hollywood to Downtown LA to avoid crowding for our customers.
·        Extension of Line 16 for 0.6 miles on 5th & 6th Streets in Downtown LA east of Maple Avenue to Alameda St. (four extra stops), providing increased service in this area.
·        All trips for Line 30 will be altered to operate weekdays and weekends between Little Tokyo in Downtown LA and Pico/Rimpau Transit Center via the existing route on Pico Blvd. Customers may now ride the Regional Connector (opening June 16) and new E Line rail service between Downtown LA and East L.A. To avoid duplicating this new rail service, Line 30 trips will no longer operate further east of Little Tokyo to either Union Station or Indiana Station via 1st St. Line 106 will still serve customers on 1st St. between Indiana Station and Little Tokyo/Arts District Station.
·        Line 51 trips starting/ending in Downtown LA, to increase access for our customers, will now include stops as far west as 7th/Bixel St. west of the I-110 freeway, due operational changes for this line. Other Line 51 trips will continue to operate to/from Westlake/MacArthur Park Station.
·        Line 854/L Line Shuttle between Union Station and Pico Aliso Station will cease operation when Regional Connector rail link opens through Downtown LA (Line 854 last day of operation will be Saturday, June 17). Customers will be able to connect between the frequent A and E light rail lines at the new Little Tokyo/ Arts District Station for travel between East LA, Union Station, and point further north on the A Line.

San Fernando Valley:
·        Extension of all existing Downtown LA – Burbank trips on Line 92 to Sylmar on weekdays, improving frequency and reducing wait time between Sylmar and Burbank to every 20 minutes instead of 40. For improved customer access to Downtown LA, a new stop will also be added for this line southbound on Spring St. nearside 6th St.
·        Extension of all Line 169 weekend trips from Saticoy/Topanga Canyon to Canoga Station, matching the weekday service, for improved access to Valley Circle.

Northeast LA and San Gabriel Valley:
·        Line 78 between Arcadia and Downtown LA via Las Tunas and Huntington Dr. weekends will be adjusted to operate every 20 minutes weekends instead of every 15 minutes, consistent with the number of customers riding this line on weekends, and as planned in the NextGen Bus Plan.
·        The end of Line 177 route has been moved away from homes near CalTech Pasadena to address noise concerns from residents living nearby the area. The new location is approximately 900 feet north adjacent to CalTech campus at Pasadena.
·        Line 179 night trips from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. are extended about one mile on each end of the line to operate the full daytime route between El Sereno (Rose Hill Transit Center and Arcadia Station). This provides customers consistent night and day service.
·        Addition of more weekday trips to Line 251 extending north of Huntington Park to Eagle Rock every 20 minutes instead of 30, reducing customer wait times. 
·        In preparation for transfer to Pasadena Transit of line 256, line will be altered to operate the current route between Pasadena (Sierra Madre Villa Station) and Highland Park Station.
·        All trips on Line 665 extending from Cal State LA to El Sereno replace Line 256 and provide a one-seat connection between East LA and El Sereno.
·        Line 267 will extend north from Del Mar Station to also serve Memorial Park Station at Pasadena with new bus stops for improved connections for customers with other transit lines.

South Bay:
·        Lines 111 and 115 reroutes for long-term construction impacts. Line 111 will no longer serve 96th St and Airport Blvd.
·        Extend last two nighttime southbound trips on Line 205 so that all trips now go as far as San Pedro.
·        New schedule for Line 550 provides better connections for customers other lines at Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
·        An additional trip for J Line/Line 910 will be added early A.M. Saturday and Sunday northbound from Harbor Gateway Transit Center to El Monte Station, to improve connections for customers with Line 246.

The following bus lines will have revised schedules. Non-bolded lines have the same number of trips as before. The bolded lines below have either slightly more or slightly fewer trips to enhance the accessibility of scheduled trips and ensure adequate service for all riders.

Weekday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 33, 40, 45, 51, 53, 55, 60, 66, 70, 76, 78, 81, 90, 94, 102, 106, 110, 111, 120, 150, 152, 155, 161, 162, 166, 167, 169, 177, 180, 182, 205, 206, 207, 210, 211/215, 212, 217, 232, 235/236, 240, 242/243, 244, 246, 251, 256, 260, 265, 267, 344, 501, 720, 761, 901.

Saturday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 40, 53, 60, 66, 76, 78, 81, 94, 102, 108, 111, 128, 134, 150, 152, 166, 169, 180, 182, 205, 206, 210, 212, 217, 232, 236, 240, 246, 251, 256, 267, 501, 720, 901

Sunday:
2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 28, 30, 40, 53, 60, 62, 66, 76, 78, 81, 102, 111, 128, 134, 150, 152, 166, 169, 180, 182, 205, 206, 210, 212, 217, 232, 240, 246, 251, 256, 267, 460, 501, 720, 901

The following lines have either more or fewer trips to provide the right amount of service for the number of riders using these lines. Travel times are not adjusted:
·        Weekdays: Lines 164, 179, 233, 234, 910
·        Saturday: Lines 51, 207, 234, 910
·        Sunday: Lines 207, 234, 910

For additional information on bus service changes, check specific bus line schedules at www.metro.net/mybus.  New timetables with updated information will be available on-board buses and at Metro Customer Centers.

About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 880,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO ANNOUNCES BUS, RAIL SERVICE CHANGES BEGINNING JUNE 25 TO IMPROVE REALIABILITY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO TO HOST COMMUNITY MEETINGS JUNE 5 THROUGH JUNE 15 TO DISCUSS WEST SANTA ANA BRANCH TRANSIT CORRIDOR PROJECT’S LOCALLY PREFERED ALTERNATE

Patrick Chandler — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:02:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host four community meetings between June 5 and June 15 to discuss the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor project’s Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), a planned 14.8-mile rail segment from Slauson /A Line (Blue) to Pioneer Station in the cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy, South Gate, Downey, Paramount, Bellflower and Artesia.

Community meetings will provide an opportunity for residents and other stakeholders to learn about the project’s LPA, which is the alignment selected by the Metro Board to meet the needs of the corridor. Participants will receive additional project updates, engage in discussions and provide feedback to the Metro project team. The project’s Slauson/A Line (Blue) to Pioneer Station segment was advanced for further analysis as part of Metro’s Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR).

Overall, the project is a new 19-mile light rail line that will provide greater transit connectivity from Los Angeles Union Station to the Southeastern Los Angeles County communities of Artesia, Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park, Vernon and other unincorporated communities. The project seeks to address the limited mobility and transit options currently available in Southeast Los Angeles County. Eventually, the new line will connect to the Metro C Line (Green), Metro A Line (Blue), and the larger regional transit network in L.A. County.

The public meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

Community Open Houses (In-person and Virtual)

Monday, June 5: 6 to 8 p.m. at Paramount’s Progress Park, 15500 Downey Ave., Paramount, CA 90723
Monday, June 12: 6 to 8 p.m. at Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Ave., Bell, CA 90201
Wednesday, June 14: 6 to 7 p.m., Virtual Meeting, Meeting ID: 898 8735 7114, Call-in: (669) 900-6833, Zoom meeting link: https://rb.gy/fiigq
Thursday, June 15: 6 to 8 p.m. at Artesia’s Albert O. Little Community Center, 18750 Clarkdale Ave., Artesia, CA 90701

Simultaneous Spanish translation and interpretation services will be available at each community open house.

For those that cannot attend the virtual meetings, a video recording of the presentations will be posted on the project website.

The project’s Final EIR is expected to be submitted for Metro Board certification in spring 2024. The Federal Transit Administration is also anticipated to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final EIR/EIS in that timeframe as well. The ROD authorizes Metro to proceed with design, land acquisition and construction based on the availability of funds.

The project’s groundbreaking is anticipated in 2025. The new line is expected to open to the public in 2035. In parallel with its selection of the project’s LPA, Metro will also develop First/Last Mile plans for the proposed stations. First/Last Mile plans help to improve access to public transportation by addressing the first and last mile of the commute.

For more project information, please visit metro.net/wsab. Additionally, the project team can be reached at wsab@metro.net or 213.922.6262.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 880,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO TO HOST COMMUNITY MEETINGS JUNE 5 THROUGH JUNE 15 TO DISCUSS WEST SANTA ANA BRANCH TRANSIT CORRIDOR PROJECT’S LOCALLY PREFERED ALTERNATE appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO FY’24 BUDGET PRIORITIZES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH IMPROVED TRANSIT SYSTEM SERVICE FREQUENCY, RELIABILITY, CLEANING, PUBLIC SAFETY

Dave Sotero — Thu, 25 May 2023 19:22:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)’s newly approved $9 billion budget for the 2024 Fiscal Year includes key capital investments intended to put Metro’s customers first. The agency’s new budget will fund an equitable service plan that improves transit service frequency and reliability for Metro riders, enhances cleanliness and safety on the transit system, and funds the continued integration of Metro’s growing portfolio of countywide transportation projects.

The balanced budget represents a 2.6 percent increase over last year’s $8.7 billion budget and covers the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.

“Our agency’s new budget includes new and innovative initiatives that build on our efforts to ensure we operate a world-class transportation system for our customers,” said Glendale City Councilmember and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Throughout the year-long budget process, Metro focused on prudent fiscal planning and kept its sights trained on maintaining financial stability over the long term. The budget we have today will help ensure we invest in the types of improvements that our customers want and need most.”

To get Metro riders where they need to go more reliably in the next fiscal year, Metro has invested $2.9 billion of its budget (a five percent increase over FY’23) specifically in transit operations, which will allow Metro to operate 8.9 million revenue service hours of transit services in FY’24 compared to the current 7.5 million revenue service hours it operates today. This increased level of service is nearly 10 percent higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated major ridership declines in Los Angeles County and across the country.

“We’ve heard from riders that they want more frequent transit service, and that is precisely what this new budget delivers,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Kathryn Barger. “Our service will be better than it was before the pandemic, and what’s more, we will fund full operations on the K Line, new rail service like the Regional Connector and continue delivering Metro’s NextGen Bus Plan that will provide fast, frequent, reliable and accessible service to better meet the needs of our bus riders.”

Metro FY’24 budget includes total bus investments of nearly $1.9 billion, a 6.6 percent increase over the previous year’s budget.

To deliver a cleaner transit system, Metro is investing more than $200 million of its new budget specifically in cleaning efforts, a 13 percent increase from FY’23. Metro will create 10 roving cleaning teams on the system and plans to hire 24 full-time and 50 part-time custodians to specifically clean the Metro B and D Lines (Red/Purple). The agency is also increasing the frequency of cleaning, expanding “in-line” and mid-day bus interior cleaning, end-of-line cleanings on rail lines and station hotspots, and expanding cleaning activities at Metro’s most traveled stations and terminals.

Metro’s budget also includes $290.5 million to improve safety for customers, which constitutes a 3.7 percent increase over last year’s budget. Metro has reassessed and reimagined its approach to public safety and is implementing transformational change through its multi-layered public safety approach that includes a combination of Metro Ambassadors, Transit Security Officers, contract security, law enforcement and homeless and mental health outreach teams on its system. Metro is also investing in enhanced security cameras, fare gates, lighting and other security infrastructure to make its system as safe as possible for customers.

For example, Metro is piloting a range of initiatives to improve conditions at its Westlake/MacArthur Park Station. Combined, they are having a measurable improvement on public safety, with significant drops in reported crimes, calls for emergency service and service calls. This pilot will inform Metro’s safety approaches at other stations as well.

The agency has also implemented a Drug-Free Metro campaign that enforces Metro’s prohibition against illegal drug use on buses and trains. Transit security officers have issued hundreds of citations and warnings for Code of Conduct violations and law enforcement has made hundreds of drug-related and trespassing arrests as part of this campaign.

The agency will also boost funding for additional social services to help address the county’s homelessness, drug addiction and mental health crises that are impacting the county, as well as the Metro system. In the next fiscal year, Metro will partner with People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) and Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) to invest nearly $14 million in outreach to unhoused individuals. Metro will allocate $10 million to a new Department of Mental Health (DMH) partnership to provide training on identifying mental health concerns and proper responses and strategies to address critical crisis response needs, and Community Mental Health Ambassadors. Additionally, Metro will invest in short-term shelters, workforce partnerships, and other strategies to help address these issues on its transit system.

Metro’s FY’24 budget continues to invest in the agency’s transit capital program — the largest of its kind in the country. Metro will invest $2.2 billion in its Transit Infrastructure Development Program for numerous projects now in the planning and construction. For example, Metro anticipates full-scale construction will begin on the G (Orange) Line Improvements project in the next fiscal year, with additional projects like the Airport Metro Connector and the Purple Line Extension Project moving closer to completion.

Notably, Metro will continue its focus on ensuring equity for customers. The new budget was developed using key equity assessment budget tools. Nearly 74 percent of Metro’s budget provides targeted and indirect benefits to Equity Focus Communities, a 6.6 percent increase over the previous year’s budget. This includes continued support for its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) and GoPass Pilot Programs as well as the roll out of its Mobility Wallet and Fare Capping programs, which provide vital fare relief for more Metro riders.

The budget also includes $2.1 billion in Regional Allocations and Pass-Through funding distributed to regional transit partners and municipalities to carry out local transportation needs. This component is directly tied to locally imposed and collected sales taxes. Metro also serves as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency for Los Angeles County to provide oversight and distribute State and Federal pass-through grants.

“The investments we are making focus on best serving our customers and putting their needs first,” said Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins. “This budget helps us maintain the momentum from the past year and deliver a world-class transit system for the people of Los Angeles County that will help make it their first choice for transportation.”

For a breakdown of all Metro expenditures in the agency’s FY’24 budget, please visit metro.net.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO FY’24 BUDGET PRIORITIZES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH IMPROVED TRANSIT SYSTEM SERVICE FREQUENCY, RELIABILITY, CLEANING, PUBLIC SAFETY appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. METRO TRANSIT RIDERSHIP UP 10 PERCENT, SETS POST-PANDEMIC RECORD

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:45:00 +0000

Ridership reaches nearly 90 percent of pre-pandemic level on weekends

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today that it delivered more than 23.4 million rides in April 2023, averaging about 880,000 weekday riders on the expansive bus, rail, and micro transit system. Total system ridership in April 2023 was 10 percent higher than in April 2022, reaching the highest ridership level recorded since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

“It’s encouraging to see so many people coming back to Metro after a tough pandemic period for ridership” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “We’ve taken bold steps to improve system safety and the customer experience over the past year, and I think people are starting to see the results of those investments.”

More than 18.2 million rides were delivered on Metro buses during the month, along with almost 5.2 million rides on the rail system. Ridership was especially high on weekends in April, rising 14 percent year over year and reaching 88 percent of its April 2019 level, before the pandemic began.

“While remote work continues to depress our weekday ridership, I’m pleased that we’ve recovered nearly 90 percent of our pre-pandemic ridership on the weekends,” said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro. “People are continuing to choose Metro for their weekend activities because it is fast, frequent, safe, and gets them to where they want and need to go. There’s a lot more to do to bring more riders back to transit, but we’re encouraged by the fact that our ridership numbers continue to trend upward.”

Weekend ridership has become a bigger share of Metro’s overall ridership over the past three years. In April 2019, average weekend ridership was just 55 percent of average weekday ridership. In April 2023, average weekend ridership was 66.4 percent of the average weekday ridership.

Over the past year, Metro has taken aggressive steps to ensure its transit service is fast, frequent, friendly, and safe. In the past year, Metro has:

Fully restored bus service to its pre-pandemic level, making many lines faster and more frequent
Opened the initial operating segment of the K Line, from Expo/Crenshaw Station in Los Angeles to Westchester/Veterans station in Inglewood
Hired more than 1,000 new transit operators to ensure adequate staffing levels for transit service
Added more than 300 Metro Ambassadors to the transit system to improve customer service
Implemented a new multi-layered public safety approach to increase the visible presence of both armed and unarmed security and customer care personnel on the system
Implemented a Drug-Free Metro campaign focused on drug-related crimes with increased enforcement by our law enforcement partners targeting the hotspots throughout the system resulting in cleaner, safer transit experiences for our riders
Initiated a pilot program at Westlake/MacArthur Park station to improve security and cleanliness, including improved lighting, closing off underused entrances and hallways, playing music to deter loitering, adding more and better closed-circuit cameras, and increasing the uniformed presence of custodians, Metro Ambassadors, Transit Security, and law enforcement partners

Metro has also stepped up its efforts to make transit more accessible and affordable through its fareless and reduced-price transit pass programs. Usage of Metro’s GoPass pilot program, which gives free transit passes to K-12 and community college students in participating schools, is up 57 percent year over year. Usage of Metro’s Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, which gives free rides and discounted fares to people with low incomes, went up 44 percent year over year, from April 2022 to April 2023.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO’S REGIONAL CONNECTOR TRANSIT PROJECT SET TO OPEN JUNE 16

Missy Colman — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:02:00 +0000

Three New Underground Stations Will Offer Riders a Seamless One-Seat Journey from Azusa to Long Beach and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica through the downtown L.A. core

For B-Roll and Photos

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today it will officially open the Regional Connector transit project to the public on June 16.

The ambitious, complex project, which began in 2013, is unique among rail projects in the United States. The 1.9 miles of new track laid for the project will allow light rail trains to travel between Union Station and the busy 7^th Street/Metro Center Station in Downtown’s Financial District. Before the Regional Connector, that’s a journey only Metro’s heavy rail lines could make. Bridging this gap allows Metro to merge the hook-shaped L (Gold) line with the A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, creating two serpent-like train lines where there were once three. The Regional Connector includes three new underground stations:

Little Tokyo/Arts District Station where riders will have easy access to historically rich and vibrant neighborhoods and cultural institutions.
Historic Broadway Station features two nationally registered districts: the Broadway Theater District, with 12 original theaters within seven blocks and Old Spring Street, known as the original Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles.
Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill Station connects riders to downtown’s performing arts institutions, museums, fine dining experiences and more.

These new stations will transform the way many riders can experience the Metro system, provide riders a seamless, one-seat journey from as far as Azusa to Long Beach and from East L.A. to Santa Monica with no transfers required.

“We can finally celebrate! It’s hard to believe that what started out a decade ago with just drawings on a map is now a reality for Los Angeles County residents,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Angelenos can now easily travel across L.A. County and readily reach more Downtown LA locations via Metro Rail.”

To mark this historic milestone, Metro will provide free rides on the entire Metro transit system including Metro bus and rail lines as well as Metro Bike Share services, during opening weekend. Metro encourages Angelenos and visitors alike to rediscover downtown and explore the fun, food, shopping, and cultural landmarks now accessible via the three stations on Regional Connector line and beyond.

“For the first time since the Blue Line opened in 1990, it will now offer a single-seat ride from Long Beach to Union Station,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Janice Hahn. “The Regional Connector will mean that jobs and education opportunities, which used to require 2-3 transfers for residents in my district, will now be just one train ride away.”

The completion of the Regional Connector project improves connections by bringing together the Metro L (Gold), A (Blue), E (Expo), B (Red) and D (Purple) lines at the 7^th Street/Metro Center Station. The new A and E lines will share five downtown Los Angeles stations giving travelers plenty of transfer options along the way. Some customers riding to and through downtown Los Angeles could save up to 20 minutes by eliminating the need to transfer. Metro will launch the Regional Connector with the existing 10-minute peak and 12-minute midday and weekend service frequencies for the A and E lines.

“The Regional Connector brings Los Angeles closer to having the world-class transportation system that Angelenos deserve,” said Metro Board Member and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “With this opening, traveling across the region can be easier and more accessible all while Metro works to make the experience safer, cleaner and more welcoming for todays and future riders. I commend the many community partners, elected leaders and project staff who have made this highly anticipated project a reality. Moving forward, I will continue to work closely with my colleagues on the Metro Board of Directors and with local leaders across the County to make sure that our transportation system works for everyone.”

Riders will have the opportunity to visit cultural events and venues in downtown Los Angeles, public parks, and other major attractions. The Regional Connector will offer easier access to medical facilities and jobs, and commerce centers throughout the city. Many of the key destinations are within walking distance of the new underground stations including the Japanese American National Museum, Million Dollar Theater, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles to name a few.

“Communities across the County will now have more seamless transit options because the Regional Connector has knit our rail system together,” said L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, representing the First District. “Transit riders who used to worry about making one or more transfers can now sit back and enjoy a one-seat ride to enjoy tacos in East LA, sushi in Little Tokyo, and to the many more culinary, cultural, and educational experiences our region has to offer.”

As with previous construction projects, the Regional Connector line was designed and built with the help of community input and local voices. In addition, this project benefited from Metro’s Board approved small business mitigation programs: the Business Interruption Fund and Eat Shop Play which helped support small businesses in the areas along this project during construction. The Business Interruption Fund provided support for businesses around the Little Tokyo/Arts District and History Broadway stations- $3.3 million was awarded to 56 small “mom and pop” shops and the Eat Shop Play program provided free marketing assistance to 102 businesses along the Regional Connector line.

“People are going to love the newfound connectivity available through the Regional Connector,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We have built a beautiful, useful, and state-of-the-art rail transit project that everyone in L.A. County will be able to use to get to their favorite destinations. I for one am looking forward to seeing all the families that will use the Regional Connector to get to the beach, rediscover downtown, or go museum hopping with their friends. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to opening day. I can’t wait to welcome everyone aboard!”

Metro contracted with Regional Connector Constructors (RCC), a joint venture between Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc., and Traylor Brothers, Inc., to design and build the $1.8 billion Regional Connector. Metro’s contractor has been able to achieve one of the best safety records of all Metro construction projects, with more than 7.7 million hours worked without any lost time due to injury or incident. This is a testament to all the dedicated men and women working on this project representing one of the best safety records in the construction field.

Metro also implemented a Project Labor Agreement and Construction Careers Policy to encourage construction employment and training opportunities during the Regional Connector project. More than 10 percent of construction workers hired by Metro’s prime contractors on the Regional Connector project were from economically disadvantaged areas and 20 percent were hired as apprentices to start their careers in construction. PLA/CCP workers included 66 percent who were Latino, five percent African American and four percent female.

For additional information about the Regional Connector, please visit metro.net/regionalconnector.

Additional Quotes

“The 1.9-mile Metro rail extension is a great asset to our constituents in the Eastside of Los Angeles. Many more people will now have the ability to travel across L.A. County to get to work and explore the city using public transportation, which will save them money in their pocketbooks, ease traffic congestion, and decrease our carbon footprint,” said Congressman Jimmy Gomez (Calif.).

“The Regional Connector is going to help Angelenos, and visitors alike enjoy everything our region has to offer—without having to sit in traffic,” Senator Alex Padilla said. “This project will make transit easier for everyone, increasing the connectivity of existing Metro lines and decreasing the need to transfer. I am proud to have supported this project—a regional priority that was made possible with federal funding.”

“It’s important that all Los Angeles County residents have easy access to transportation that gets them where they need to be and to places beyond their familiar surroundings. Ensuring that funds are readily available to complete a major project like the Regional Connector illustrates how important California’s focus is on regional equity” said Senator Maria Elena Durazo. “If we are to remain serious about climate mitigation, improving mobility, and raising the quality of life for all Californians, then we must ensure that these investments continue to be a priority.”

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro Extends Popular GoPass Program That Provides Free Fares for L.A. County K-14 Students

Dave Sotero — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 22:42:55 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors today approved $20 million to extend Metro’s popular GoPass fareless pilot program for K-14 students for the next fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. The program was originally set to expire on June 30, 2023.

Metro’s GoPass pilot program provides a free transit pass that helps lower students’ overall educational costs and improve academic performance while giving them a reliable means of transportation to attend school, jobs, medical appointments and leisure activities. The program has grown in popularity among county schools and school districts since its launch, with more than 100 school districts and 1,400 schools now participating. More than 241,000 students have registered as GoPass participants, which represents nearly 20 percent of the 2+ million students in L.A. County. Students have generated over 16.6 million boardings on the Metro system since the program began, averaging over 1.2 million boardings every month.

“We extended the GoPass pilot program because it provides a better quality of life and future job growth opportunities for the most disadvantaged students in our county,” said Glendale City Councilmember and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Students can use these passes not just for school, but to any other destination they want or need to travel to in our county. It’s a truly unlimited pass program that has already demonstrated its ability to improve our students’ lives and save them hundreds of dollars in transportation costs every year.”

Metro’s GoPass pilot program officially launched in October 2021. It sought to alleviate some of the financial pressure for L.A. County residents still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and utilized one-time federal funding through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Funding the program also relies on cost-sharing agreements with participating schools and school districts.

“Transportation can be cost-prohibitive for many low-income residents, especially if they need to use our system frequently,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board Member. “That’s why this program is so important. This program reduces the need for Angelenos to spend a large portion of their income on transportation.”

The Board’s extension, paid for with Fiscal Year 2024 operating funds, will enable Metro to retain the benefits of this pilot program while the agency continues to identify and pursue local, state, federal and other funding opportunities.

The GoPass pilot program makes it possible for Metro to remove the burden of transit costs for students and their families and provide them with greater economic stability. Providing free fares for these riders greatly enhances their access to schools and post-school activitities, employment, medical care and social services, among others.

Families of K-12 students who participate in the GoPass Program typically see a yearly savings of $288 per student compared with Metro’s previously offered reduced fare student monthly passes. Community college students participating in the program save $516 per year. Some community college participants are parents with children who also participate in GoPass, which saves the entire family more than $800 a year overall.

A study Metro participated in has shown that students who receive a free transit pass have up to 27 percent higher graduation rates, which leads to expanded academic and employment opportunities.

“This is a great deal for students throughout L.A. County,” said Janice Hahn, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair and Metro Board Member. “Any schools not yet offering the GoPass, what are you waiting for?”

One of the key benefits of the GoPass pilot program has been its ability to help Metro meet a number of important goals, such as improving social equity, increasing transit ridership and creating environmental benefits. The program positively impacts public health with reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality.

“Thank you to the Metro Board for extending the GoPass pilot program for another year,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “GoPass has clearly met an unmet need in our communities by helping K-12 and community college students get to school while building up their familiarity and comfort with public transportation. We are also benefitting our climate action goals.”

“Santa Monica College has the highest number of participating students of any school, at just over 11,000 passes activated since GoPass was launched!” said Santa Monica College Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery. “For our students — many pursuing higher education while juggling familial responsibilities and jobs, traveling long distances to get to one of SMC’s campuses — the impact of GoPass is far-reaching: not just financial, it is a crucial part of a support system that ensures students can persist in fulfilling their academic or career goals. We are immensely grateful to Metro for this visionary program!”

The GoPass pilot program is the first phase of Metro’s Fareless System Initiative. The agency greatly streamlined the regional “Low Income Fare is Easy” (LIFE) discount fare program and has also succeeded in doubling public participation in that program as well within the last year. There are now more than 221,000 participants in the LIFE Program.

For more information about Metro’s GoPass Fareless Pass Program, please visit metro.net/gopass.

Additional Metro Board Member Quotes:

“The costs of transportation should never stand between our students and opportunity,” said Karen Bass, L.A. Mayor and Metro Board Member. “All students deserve equal opportunity, and Metro is doing its part to make sure nothing keeps our students from obtaining all the benefits that a good education provides.”

“The Go Pass pilot program is an important tool for transportation equity,” said Holly J. Mitchell, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “It has helped us ensure that L.A. County students have access to not only education, but also extracurriculars, jobs, healthcare, family, and more so I look forward to continuing to expand this effort.”

“By eliminating the cost and worry of transit fare for students across the county, this program is helping students and their families focus on their academic success and other goals,” said Hilda L. Solis, L.A. County Supervisor, and Metro Board Member. “Not only are we eliminating transportation costs from being a barrier to students’ access to opportunities, but we’re also encouraging the next generation of L.A. County leaders to ride Metro to get where they need and want to go.”

Additional School District Quotes:

“The extension of the GoPass Program is important to the Montebello Unified School District because many of our students, particularly high school students, rely on city buses to go to school, go home from after school events, go to work, and get around town on weekends,” said Montebello Unified School District Superintendant Dr. Kaivan Yuen. “We have received numerous positive phone calls and email comments about how the GoPass Program has helped ease working parents’ schedules by enabling students to ride the bus to school and provide a safe mode of transportation for students to engage in their day to day responsibilities as well as leisure activities.”

“The Metro GoPass program has been a huge benefit to our students. Many have taken advantage of this to expand their world,” said Paramount Unified School District Superintendent Ruben Frutos. “More importantly and valuable, it has allowed students who need transport to and from school, who do not fit within our current parameters or who are taking advantage of extended after school or athletic opportunities, to still travel safely.”

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro to Offer Free Rides Systemwide on Earth Day Saturday, April 22

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 23:09:21 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) invites Angelenos to take action to improve the environment by riding on Metro Bus, Rail, Bike Share and Micro for free on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22.

Metro is encouraging more people to try transit on Earth Day, whose theme this year is “Every Day is Earth Day.” Doing so will help reduce vehicle emissions and promote a healthy and sustainable transportation alternative for commuters. Riders are encouraged to plan their public transit trips using Metro’s Rider Apps webpage at metro.net/riderapps, which has a number of trip planning, trip taking and payment tools available. Riders can also access the Metro Transit app, which is available for both iPhones and Androids.

“Earth Day is a great opportunity for Angelenos to get out of their cars to try Metro’s expansive transit system and reduce their carbon footprint,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “We are doing our part to help cut greenhouse gases and improve air quality by operating only the cleanest transit vehicles. This is your chance to ride transit for free and become part of the solution.”

All Metro bus routes and rail lines will be free to the public from 3 a.m. Saturday, April 22, to 2:59 a.m. Sunday, April 23. Bus fareboxes will be deactivated, and all train station fare gates will be opened to enable county residents and visitors alike to easily use public transit for their transportation needs.

Angelenos and visitors can also redeem a free 30-minute bike share ride by selecting 1-Ride at any Metro Bike Share kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike Share app. Customers should enter promo code 042223 to redeem their free ride. This code can be redeemed multiple times throughout the day. The first 30 minutes of all rides are free. Electric Metro Bike unlocking fees are waived.

Additionally, customers can redeem free rides on Metro Micro, Metro’s on-demand rideshare service, by using the Metro Micro app or browser and entering code earthday23. The promo code will be available during regular operating hours for Metro’s Call Center (323-GoMetro or 323-466-3876). Call Center operating hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.The code is only validon Earth Day.

“Using public transit is the best way to reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions and help preserve our planet for future generations,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We’re proud to provide free rides to everyone on Earth Day, to promote public transit use, and I look forward to seeing everyone on Metro this April 22^nd.”

For those wishing to travel across Southern California counties, Metrolink, Metro’s regional rail partner serving the broader Southern California region, will also offer free rides on all Metrolink trains that day. No ticket will be required. For more information on Metrolink free rides, please visit metrolinktrains.com/earthday.

Metro aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 79 percent through fleet electrification and system retrofits. The G Line (Orange) already runs on electric power and the J Line (Silver) is also set to be converted to all-electric zero-emission buses. Furthermore, the entire 105-mile Metro Rail system operates on electric power.

For additional information about Metro’s environmental policies and programs, please visit Metro.net/sustainability.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. METRO EMBRACES USDOT’s NATIONAL ROADWAY SAFETY STRATEGY TO MAKE PEDESTRIANS, ROAD USER SAFER

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:16:00 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has responded to the call made by USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg to make America’s roadways safer through the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS). As part of the NRSS initiative, Metro committed to new actions to reduce roadway collisions and make LA County’s roads safer for pedestrians and other road users.

“Safety is Metro’s number one priority, and that includes safety of pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and others on LA County’s roads.” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Metro is proud to join with the U.S. Department of Transportation on the National Roadway Safety Strategy to make our transit operations as safe as they can be.”

According to a 2018 report by the American Public Transit Association (APTA) and the Vision Zero Safety Network, using public transit is 10 times safer than traveling by automobile, but with a fleet of more than 2,200 buses, 9 heavy rail and 61 light rail trains and 1,493 non-revenue vehicles, Metro is committed to continual improvement of its safety operations.

“Far too many people die on LA County’s roads due to traffic accidents and pedestrian collisions,” said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of Metro. “While transit is one of the safest ways to travel, we still can do more to ensure that our own operations are as safe as possible. By joining the National Roadway Safety Strategy, we are doubling down on our commitment to safety, whether on the Metro rail system or on the streets and roads of LA County.”

To make Metro’s transit operations even safer, Metro will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop mitigation strategies for bus vs vehicle and bus vs pedestrian collisions. Anticipated actions include:

Reviewing the design of Metro-owned bus stops to identify and resolve any noted hazards that could result in injury to patrons.
Exploring the deployment of new collision avoidance technology on buses.
Evaluating new systems to enhance operator and maintenance operations worker (MOW) safety along rail lines and on rail rights of way (ROW)
Partnering with LA County cities to install more bus-only lanes to segregate vehicles from buses to reduce the potential for collisions.
Installing reflective tape/graphics on the back of buses to enhance the visibility of buses and reduce rear-end collisions.
Hiring more bus operators to facilitate shorter operator assignments reducing the potential for operator fatigue.

In addition to these actions, the Metro Board adopted the Street Safety, Data Sharing and Collaboration Policy in June 2022 to help improve safety for street users in Los Angeles County. While Metro does not own local streets, the agency can positively impact, influence and partner for street safety – especially for the County’s most vulnerable people and at locations with a transit nexus such as at light rail crossings and at or near bus stops. The plan includes more than two dozen concrete actions Metro will take in its role as transit operator, funder, planner and builder, data provider, legislative advocate, educator and transportation innovator. In February 2023, USDOT announced a $6.3 million grant to support Metro’s regional street safety plan.

Metro has also been a national leader in the planning and development of first/last mile pedestrian and active transportation improvements, to facilitate safer mobility to Metro’s transit stops. Recognizing that most transit journeys start and end on foot, it’s critically important that pedestrians, cyclists and other road users have safe ways to access Metro’s transit network.

Since 2016, Metro has integrated the planning of first/last mile improvements as part of all new rail and bus rapid transit projects. Once planning documents are complete, Metro hands them off to municipal partners, who deploy these planned improvements, saving them valuable time and resources. Metro has completed First/Last Mile plans for more than 60 current and future transit stations and stops so far and is currently engaged in First/Last mile planning for the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor, among other large projects.

About Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 800,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven zero-emission rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. METRO EMBRACES USDOT’s NATIONAL ROADWAY SAFETY STRATEGY TO MAKE PEDESTRIANS, ROAD USER SAFER appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro to Provide Free Dodger Stadium Express Service to 2023 Dodger Home Games

Dave Sotero — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:41:32 +0000

First Game is Home Opener Against Arizona Diamondbacks Scheduled for
Thursday, March 30

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will provide free Dodger Stadium Express bus service again this year for baseball fans attending this season’s Dodgers home games.

The Dodgers’ kickoff home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks will be Thursday, March 30. Metro’s Dodger Stadium Express buses will be available from both Los Angeles Union Station in downtown L.A. and from the South Bay Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena.

Fans can ride the Dodger Stadium Express to the game for free. However, regular fares apply on all other connecting bus and rail services.

Los Angeles Union Station Service

The Dodger Stadium Express from Los Angeles Union Station will pick up fans about every 10 minutes in front of Union Station West adjacent to Alameda Street near the taxi zone. Service from Union Station begins 90 minutes prior to the start of the game through the end of the second inning. Return service runs until 45 minutes after the final out or 20 minutes after post-game events.

Passengers can use two stops at the ballpark – either behind center field or at the top deck.

Harbor Gateway Transit Center Service

From Harbor Gateway Transit Center, fans can board buses located at Bay 9, with buses running every 30 minutes. Fans can board at Harbor Gateway Transit Center or any of the following stations: Slauson, Westchester, Harbor Freeway and Rosecrans. Service from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center begins two hours prior to the start of the game and ends 45 minutes after games are over or 20 minutes after a post-game event.

Fans will be dropped off behind right field at Dodger Stadium. Buses back to Harbor Gateway Transit Center will pick up customers at the same location after the game.

Both Dodgers Stadium Express services will utilize a dedicated bus lane on Sunset Boulevard, where game day traffic congestion is the heaviest. Metro has partnered with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) for traffic mitigation support that will help expedite trips to and from games. The Harbor Gateway uses the ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway to speed up trips to the stadium.

Customers are encouraged to use the many transportation alternatives that serve Union Station to connect them with the Dodger Stadium Express, including Metro Rail, Metrolink, Amtrak and municipal bus operators. Plan your trip online at https://www.metro.net/riding/trip-planner/. The Harbor Gateway Transit Center is served by several Metro bus lines, the Metro J Line (Silver) and Torrance Transit.

Partial funding for The Dodger Stadium Express is provided under a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC). The MSRC awards funding within the South Coast Air Basin from a portion of the state vehicle registration fee for projects that help bring clean air by reducing traffic in the L.A. area. Metro is providing the remaining funding from its operations budget.

For specific route and schedule information visit metroexemplifi.wpengine.com or call (323) GO-METRO (323) 466-3876.

For more information, please visit metroexemplifi.wpengine.com/riding/dodger-stadium-express/.

About Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 800,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. Metro to Provide Free Dodger Stadium Express Service to 2023 Dodger Home Games appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro Board Approves Hiring of Transit Security Officers, Law Enforcement Contract Negotiations and New Policies to Improve Safety For Metro Bus and Rail Riders

Dave Sotero — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:22:44 +0000

Two weeks after it announced the deployment of nearly 300 unarmed Metro Ambassadors aboard its trains and buses, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors has approved the hiring of 48 new Transit Security Officers to keep bus operators and riders safe. The Board also authorized the agency to re-negotiate and potentially extend for up to three years its contracts with its law enforcement partners to ensure more visual presence on the system, while it evaluates the feasibility of creating its own in-house public safety department.

The Board’s actions advance the implementation of the agency’s public safety plan, which calls for a layered, human-centered approach that makes the system be – and feel – more safe. In addition to the new Metro personnel, Metro is working with the city and the county to add homeless outreach, drug addiction and crisis intervention teams, and is improving its use of security cameras and lighting and more frequent cleaning of stations and vehicles.

The Board also approved a new Bias-Free Policing and Public Analytics policies and a revised Customer Code of Conduct to ensure consistency with the public safety mission and values that were adopted by the board in 2021. The mission and values statements specify that all transit riders are entitled to a safe, dignified and human experience on Metro.

“The Metro System is certainly not immune from the broader societal challenges we see throughout our county, but we are steadfast in our commitment to taking all steps necessary to promote a safe and pleasant transit experience for every one of our riders,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Safety is our No. 1 priority. Our Board’s actions today are a testament to the bold and strategic actions we are now taking to deliver a safe transit system.”

Law Enforcement Contract Extensions

The Board authorized Metro to negotiate extensions to the agency’s multi-agency transit law enforcement contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department. Metro staff recommended that it was in the best interest of the agency, its employees and customers to extend law enforcement contracts with modified scopes of work that are consistent with the Board-approved public safety mission and values, rather than accept the responses it received to its Request for Proposals for new law enforcement services. Four local police agencies bid on the new contract, but two of the four proposers asked for exceptions to the terms of the contract that would have resulted in inconsistent policing across the system and would have conflicted with the agency’s public safety mission and values. Metro staff recommended canceling the RFP and instead re-negotiating and extending the modified contracts for up to three years. Metro staff will return to the Board in May on the feasibility of establishing an in-house public safety department.

“Bringing additional layers of public safety in-house will give Metro a greater ability to reliably deploy personnel with the training and capabilities to respond to the variety of incidents that occur on our transit system,” said Hilda L. Solis, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “I look forward to receiving a Metro staff’s report on the feasibility of a public safety department to inform our continuing efforts to deliver an enhanced customer experience and greater accountability for Metro transit riders.”

Additional Transit Security Officers

The Board’s approval of funding for Metro to hire 48 additional Metro Transit Security Officers, or TSOs will create a Permanent Bus Riding Team that will be deployed to specific lines with high frequencies of public safety issues, with a primary objective of deterring bus operator assaults and code of conduct violations. TSOs are part of Metro’s own security team. The need for additional TSOs is significant, as there were 158 assaults on bus operators in 2022, an increase from 115 in 2021.

“It is important that we’re finally going to have a team of transit security officers who are dedicated to our buses and are actually riding them alongside our passengers,” said Janice Hahn, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Second Vice Chair. “Most of Metro’s consistent transit riders take the bus and they deserve a safe and comfortable ride.”

Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Data Analytics Policies

The Board also approved Metro’s new Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Analytics policies. These policies are meant to set clear expectations and standards to help Metro eliminate potential bias in the way the transit system is patrolled. Previously, Metro found evidence that suggested racial bias might have been a factor in citations given to riders. Metro’s goal is to eliminate any form of bias against its riders.

“I authored a motion last year that called for Metro to pursue its Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Data Analytics policies because we must eradicate acting on harmful stereotypes from our system,” said Holly J. Mitchell, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “I’m pleased that both policies will be prerequisites in our contract negotiations with law enforcement moving forward.”

“The Board’s approval of these new policies will help ensure that Metro avoids racial profiling and bias when deploying its security and law enforcement services,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro First Vice Chair. “These policies establish clear expectations and standards for fair and unbiased policing and reinforce the importance of treating all individuals with respect and dignity.”

Revised Code of Conduct

Lastly, the Board approved a revised Metro Code of Conduct that uses clearer, more user-friendly language and is more consistent with the agency’s public safety mission and values.

Metro removed language that could be construed as targeting specific communities, making the language more customer-friendly. The code is now easier to understand and clearly describes what conduct Metro expects from customers. The agency also removed items that are already fully covered under the existing penal code.

“All of these initiatives build upon work we have been doing over the last year to put our public safety plan into action,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “This plan utilizes proactive response, strategic enforcement and equitable rule compliance, and is key to maintaining public safety for our customers. We know we have a lot of work to do, but we are clearly making progress in the right direction.”

For more information, please visit metro.net/safety.

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L.A. Metro Celebrates Official Launch of New Ambassador Pilot Program

Dave Sotero — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:40:34 +0000

Nearly 300 Ambassadors are Now Trained to be Deployed Throughout the Metro Transit System to Help Improve Riders’ Experience

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) today announced that it has successfully trained nearly 300 new Metro Ambassadors in preparation for their deployment on the Metro Bus and Rail System. The program is now one of the largest of its kind in the country, and is one part of the agency’s multi-layered and reimagined approach to public safety.

Metro Ambassadors help riders navigate the transit system, provide extra eyes and ears and support riders who need assistance. They will welcome riders to Metro, answer their questions, connect them to the resources they need and report issues they see.

Metro Ambassadors have been deployed along certain routes of the Metro Rail System since the first cohort was trained in October 2022, providing critical customer support first on the K (Crenshaw) Line, and then gradual expansion to the A Line (Blue), B and D Lines (Red, Purple), and L Line (Gold, as well as key bus lines where they are needed most, including Bus Line 20, 720, 40, 210 and the J Line (Silver). As more are trained, their deployment will expand across more areas of the Metro system as they are needed.

Ambassadors are available seven days a week to help Metro customers. Work shifts will cover 14-16 hours of the day: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. They wear special green polo shirts and vests for easy identification and are equipped with communication devices like cell phones or iPads to contact appropriate staff to connect customers with resources and report maintenance and safety concerns via Metro’s Transit Watch App.

The new Metro Ambassadors are diverse and come from the communities Metro serves. All have either lived or professional experiences with the various types of challenges experienced by many Metro customers, which makes it possible for them to perform their job with empathy, respect and skill.

“I’ve seen these ambassadors interact with our riders with my own eyes, and I can honestly say I am impressed with the excellent job they are doing,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “They have turbocharged Metro’s customer service at stations and on trains and buses, and are helping the agency proactively address some of the thorny issues we are now seeing on the transit system. I think they make an excellent addition to Metro’s ongoing efforts to improve conditions for all our daily transit riders.”

Ambassadors are not security officers and are not replacing existing security staff or law enforcement. Their specific responsibilities are to support riders as they navigate the system by providing a welcoming and visible presence and support that customers can rely on. They will connect riders to resources they need, whether it be for directions to get them where they are going, providing information about how to pay their fare, or to connect people experiencing homelessness with the services available through Metro’s homeless outreach teams. Lastly, ambassadors help Metro respond to issues more quickly. They are tasked with reporting maintenance, cleanliness or safety concerns directly to appropriate Metro departments for expedited response.

“Metro Ambassadors are at the core of our efforts to re-envision how to keep people safe on Metro. These ambassadors will serve as the eyes and ears of our system, as a trained, friendly presence to welcome riders to Metro every day,” said Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “Our ambassadors come from our communities, and understand how to help riders navigate the system, report any incidences, and make sure our aren’t alone when they ride transit.”

To best prepare them to help transit customers, Metro Ambassadors had to successfully complete a thorough classroom and field training program that was specially designed by Metro based on the collective experience of multiple agency departments, including Bus an Rail Operations, Office of Civil Rights and Inclusion, Customer Experience and System Security and Law Enforcement, among others. Metro Ambassadors were trained on a wide range of critical customer-facing issues they will likely experience on a daily basis, including conflict de-escalation, disability awareness, trauma-informed care, cultural and situational awareness, Metro Operations and other personal and public safety issues.

“Metro riders deserve safety and support while using our transit system, and the Metro Ambassador Program is ready to deliver,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath. “As a longtime proponent of expanding community ambassador programs, I know first-hand the value that an unarmed security presence can bring to the Metro system. I am grateful for every ambassador from across the county who joined this awesome team. To everyone thinking about hopping on bus or rail: I encourage you to tap into the system and to lean on our ambassador team for support along the way.”

The pilot program was inspired by similar programs implemented by San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) transit system. Metro also received valuable input on the formation of its pilot program from the first cohort of its Public Safety Advisory Committee, which is tasked with helping Metro safeguard the transit community by taking a holistic, equitable and welcoming approach to public safety.

“Three years ago we created the Public Safety Advisory Committee to help us design a safer Metro system for all our riders. They told us that this was what we needed to do, and we listened,” said Janice Hahn, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Metro Board Member. “These Ambassadors are taking us a big step forward in our mission of protecting the safety and the dignity of all of our riders.”

“Metro riders and employees alike deserve a safe, comfortable, and inclusive experience when they use and navigate through our transit system. This pilot program will bring personnel trained to provide excellent customer service to serve our riders and support our employees,” said Metro Board Member and Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis for the First District. “They will play a critical role in making our system feel welcoming for all and will help bring back ridership.”

Metro is using a $122.8 million pilot vendor contract for up to five years to operate the ambassador program. The contract is split between Strive Well-Being Inc., a Small Business Enterprise firm for $27.76 million, and RMI International Inc. (RMI), a Minority Business Enterprise firm for $95.09 million.

“I’m glad to see that our contractors have been assigned a small business utilization goal to ensure that their staffing will reflect the communities they serve,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board Second Vice Chair.

The pilot program is an important component of Metro’s reimagined, multilayered public safety plan that includes Transit Security Officers, law enforcement, improved cameras and lighting, more frequent cleaning as well as homeless outreach and crisis intervention teams.

“In survey after survey, our customers have told us that they want more wrap-around support for riders on Metro,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Metro Ambassadors are a key part of delivering that support, along with the other layers of our Metro team. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do to deliver the type of transit service people expect and deserve on our system – and we’re far from done.”

Public feedback has been positive; riders have said they appreciate the presence of the Metro Ambassadors. In addition to helping customers navigate the system, the Metro Ambassadors have helped report sexual harassment, criminal activity and other issues of key importance to our riders. On several occasions, Metro Ambassadors have helped summon emergency medical assistance for riders in distress.

For more information, please visit metro.net/riding/ambassadors/.

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About Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 800,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and seven rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. Metro Celebrates Official Launch of New Ambassador Pilot Program appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro Board Approves $31 Million Pre-construction Services Contract for East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project

Dave Sotero — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 23:31:13 +0000

Contract will employ innovative, progressive design-build methodology and includes provisions to ensure Metro’s contractor has well-defined “Cultural Competency” approach for interacting across different cultures, languages in San Fernando Valley

LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors has approved a $31 million pre-construction services contract with San Fernando Transit Constructors, a Joint Venture of Skanska USA Civil West California District, Inc and Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. (SFTC), for the East San Fernando Valley (ESFV) Light Rail Transit Line Project. Provisions within the contract will ensure SFTC implements a robust plan to interact cross-culturally with the many diverse communities along the project corridor.

The new 6.7-mile light rail is planned to include 11 new light rail stations along Van Nuys Boulevard and will improve connections to and access between Van Nuys and Pacoima. Several Equity Focus Communities, which are census tracts that have a significant concentration of underserved populations, are close to the planned rail line.

Progressive Design-Build

Metro is planning to employ Progressive Design-Build (PDB), an innovative and potentially cost-efficient construction methodology, to build the light rail line. PDB has become more common in public-sector projects in recent years and has proven to help decrease project change orders, delays and cost overruns. PDB allows design, engineering and construction teams to work together during the earliest stages of project development, rather than the traditional design method that utilizes a more siloed approach, enabling greater engagement, transparency and collaboration between all parties on a project. PDB can also help reduce scope and schedule creep by addressing the highest risk elements much earlier in the process, well before construction begins.

SFTC will also utilize the Board-approved PDB contract method for its pre-construction services contract.

“This contract approval confirms our commitment to moving forward on this transformational project in the most efficient and cost-effective way” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “We’re employing an innovative method to do this pre-construction work, as well as requiring a ‘cultural competency’ component – a first of its kind at Metro – that will help us ensure we engage nearby communities in a manner that is equitable, inclusive and culturally sensitive to their needs.”

Cultural Competency Built-In

In addition to its significant experience with PDB, as well as technical experience in similar transit projects, SFTC had the highest-rated plan for “cultural competency” in its contract proposal. SFTVC’s cultural competency plan best encompassed consideration of race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, languages spoken, socioeconomics and public transportation dependency, among others. The joint venture firm identified at least 20 community-based stakeholder organizations to engage as part of the pre-construction design-build process, with a particular focus on Spanish-language outreach.

“The communities that surround the new East San Fernando Valley Light Rail corridor are highly transit-dependent and predominantly Latino,” said L.A. City Council President and Metro Board Member Paul Krekorian. “That’s why it’s especially important that our contractor be committed to community-specific approaches like language translation and interpretation so all residents clearly understand the planned pre-construction services work as well as the overall benefits this new line will bring to their communities.”

“Approval of this contract is an important next step in building a transformative transit project to connect the San Fernando Valley, which has not had local stop rail service for seven decades,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath. “This project will engage the communities along the route, create local jobs in the next phase, and will support healthier communities by taking cars off the road. I join in celebrating advancement of this much-needed investment in the San Fernando Valley.”

With Board approval of this contract, SFTC will as part of Phase 1 review existing design work, conduct constructability review, value engineering, bottoms-up cost estimate and schedule. During Phase I, SFTC will complete design validation, identify and negotiate early works packages, such as advanced utility relocations and final design, and develop the scope of work and price for Phase 2. Phase 1 will end if Metro and SFTC agree to a guaranteed maximum price and Metro will issue a supplement to the project contract to proceed to Phase 2, kicking off the construction portion of the project.

“On the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail project, Metro is pioneering innovative delivery methods that are key to reducing risk, saving time, and avoiding costly change orders,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We’ve also learned from previous projects that partnerships with the community are key to a project’s success; that’s why cultural competency was such an important part of this procurement. We’re thankful to the Board for its action today, and we’re looking forward to the next phase of this transformative project.”

About the East San Fernando Valley Line

The rail line’s first segment will travel along the median of Van Nuys Boulevard and include 11 new stations that will connect the cities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima. Destinations available along the new line will include the Van Nuys Civic Center, Panorama Mall, Van Nuys multi-residential housing complexes and Arleta High School, among others. The rail line will also provide key linkages with Metro bus lines, including the G Line (Orange) in Van Nuys and municipally operated bus lines.

The second planned segment will potentially turn northwest into the Metro-owned right-of-way along San Fernando Road and connect to the City of San Fernando.

In December, Metro held a groundbreaking for advanced utility work on the first segment of the project. Metro has also been working with the Federal Transit Administration on federal funding and last month received a $600 million grant through the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). Metro has also been holding community open houses to offer more information about upcoming construction activities and what to expect, small business support programs and introduction of project staff.

This project will improve transit equity for Valley commuters by bringing cost-effective mobility options and greater access to opportunity for its residents, which along the project corridor are lower income and highly transit dependent.

East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Line Project is funded by 2008 Measure R and 2016 Measure M transportation sales tax measures, as well as funding from county, state and federal resources.

For more information about the project, please visit: metro.net/projects/east-sfv/.

About Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is building the most ambitious transportation infrastructure program in the United States and is working to greatly improve mobility through its Vision 2028 Plan. Metro is the lead transportation planning and funding agency for L.A. County and carries about 800,000 boardings daily on a fleet of 2,200 low-emission buses and six rail lines.

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

The post L.A. Metro Board Approves $31 Million Pre-construction Services Contract for East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project appeared first on LA Metro.

L.A. Metro Ridership Up 12 Percent In 2022

Missy Colman — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 20:42:07 +0000

Investments in New Programs, Enhanced Service Help Grow Ridership

LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced today a 12 percent increase in transit ridership compared to a year ago. There were 255 million boardings in 2022, surpassing the 227 million in 2021.

“During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Metro’s riders disappeared, and stayed away for most of the epidemic. As we saw Angelenos return to their pre-pandemic lives last year, Metro is working diligently to restore the level of service for those who depend on transit to get where they need to be to see riders come back on our county’s buses and rail lines as a result,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair, Ara J. Najarian.

Over the past year, Metro invested in several programs and projects to improve bus and rail services to better help hundreds of thousands of riders while emphasizing women, families, and communities where Metro’s services are needed the most. As a result of these investments, bus ridership increased by 10 percent, and rail ridership was up almost 20 percent. One program that contributed to these increases is the NextGen Bus plan, which results from a reimagined bus system that focuses on providing fast, frequent, reliable, and accessible services to meet the needs of today’s riders. Metro riders now experience an increase in the frequency of buses on key routes, making access to essential spots such as grocery stores, schools, parks, and medical centers more readily available. There are now 1.1 million jobs accessible through frequent bus services with 10-minute or better intervals, representing a 350 percent improvement over pre-pandemic services.

According to an October 2022 Customer Experience survey, 75 percent of Metro’s riders are from low-income households. Metro has expanded its Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) and GoPass pilot programs to make fares more affordable. The Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program offers fare discounts that can be applied toward the purchase of weekly and monthly transit passes on Metro and any LIFE program participating transit agencies or 20 free rides on any of the participating transit agencies. Metro’s GoPass pilot program offers access to free transit for more than one million K-12 and community college students in LA County. In 2022, Metro delivered more than 10 million rides to LIFE program holders and more than 11.7 million rides to GoPass holders.

“Metro is better serving the diverse communities that rely on public transportation to access education, employment, healthcare, and other essential services,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We’re just beginning to see the fruits of our efforts to restore ridership as riders feel more confident and comfortable using public transportation to get where they need to go.”

As a part of its vision to become the first transportation choice for Angelenos and visitors, Metro is making investments in improving customers’ experience aboard Metro – and that includes safety. Metro last year introduced a human-centered Reimagined Public Safety plan that considered the feedback and recommendations of Metro employees, customers and stakeholders. The plan uses a multi-layered approach to improve security, customer care and cleanliness. Metro security staff and law enforcement partners improve security, address code of conduct, and penal code violations. Metro’s new Metro Ambassador pilot program provides visible unarmed presence on the system to support customers throughout their journey, connect those who need it to resources and report any issues they might see on the system. More than 240 Metro Ambassadors are trained and deployed across some segments of the Metro system, and it is expected that 300 Ambassadors will be trained by the end of March. On the cleanliness front, Metro has invested in more frequent cleaning of vehicles and stations and, in the past six months, has replaced 68 percent of the buses and 89 percent of rail cars with vinyl seats that are more comfortable and easier to clean and maintain.

For more information and facts about Metro, please visit metro.net, metro.net/about/facts-glance/ and metro.net/safety.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro, Metrolink, LADOT, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority to Celebrate Transit Equity Day on Saturday, Feb. 4 with Free Rides on Public Transit

Dave Sotero — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 17:57:33 +0000

Honoring Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), in partnership with Metrolink, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), today announced they will all offer free rides on buses, trains and other public transportation services on Transit Equity Day, Saturday, Feb. 4. Metro and Metrolink will also promote special discount fare programs that make transit more affordable for customers every day, all year long.

The 6th Annual Transit Equity Day celebrates the birthday of Rosa Parks, a civil rights icon who, by refusing to give up her seat on a public transit bus in 1955, helped launch the civil rights movement in the United States. Transit Equity Day is now celebrated nationally as a day of action highlighting the efforts of transit providers, labor unions, and climate justice advocates to promote equity in public transportation.

“Metro is proud to join with its sister transportation agencies to honor the legacy of Rosa Parks by ensuring that our public transportation services are free for everyone on Transit Equity Day,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “By facilitating access to jobs, school, shopping, and other important destinations, we can greatly impact people’s lives and help them achieve their dreams. In the spirit of Rosa Parks’ legacy, Metro is now working to make transit more affordable and accessible every day for our most disadvantaged daily transit riders.”

Metro will provide free rides on its bus, rail, bikeshare, and Metro Micro rideshare services on Saturday. All Metro rail station turnstiles will be unlocked, allowing unrestricted access to the rail system. On Metro Buses, bus riders will not need to TAP their fare cards at fare validators or fare boxes.

Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro will be offering free rides that day as well. Users can redeem their Metro Bike Share 30-minute free ride by selecting ‘1-Ride’ at any Metro Bike Share kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike Share app, and use code 020423. The code may be used multiple times throughout the day.

To redeem a free ride on Metro Micro, the agency’s on-demand rideshare service available in selected L.A. County neighborhoods, riders can simply click here to book the ride and use code 2023.

“On Transit Equity Day, we are not only reminded of transit’s unfortunate history of racism and classism, but also of what Metro must strive to be every day—safe, clean, reliable, and affordable,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Holly J. Mitchell. “I am committed to achieving a Metro system that does not put disproportionate cost burdens on our highest need populations and in creating a transit ecosystem that serves all Angelenos.”

Metrolink, one of the largest passenger rail agencies in the country, will also honor the legacy of Rosa Parks by providing free fares on Saturday. When riders arrive at a station, they simply board the train to anywhere in Metrolink’s five-county service area.

SBCTA is sponsoring free bus and train fares for everyone boarding San Bernardino County transit providers within the county, including Metrolink, Basin Transit, Mountain Transit, Needles Area Transit, Omnitrans, and Victor Valley Transit Authority.

Enabling Transit Equity Every Day

Metro will also enable rider enrollment in the agency’s reduced and low-income fare initiatives, including GoPass and Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) regional transit assistance programs. These programs bring fare relief and remove barriers for youth and low-income riders, two of the agency’s most economically vulnerable customers, all year long.

This Friday and Saturday, Metro Street Teams will provide information on the agency’s reduced and low-income fare programs and supporting enrollments throughout the Metro K Line in South Los Angeles between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Street teams will also be at Los Angeles Union Station’s East Portal and the Pico Aliso L Line (Gold) Station between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Transit riders interested in taking advantage of these fare relief programs are encouraged to attend these enrollment events.

Metro’s GoPass Program helps participating L.A. County students better manage the ever-increasing cost of living. A free transit pass that is good for unlimited access to Metro and other transit providers for school, extracurricular activities, work, and any other destination makes it an invaluable program for K-14 students. Participating students do not have to worry about the cost of and access to transportation, which helps them focus on their studies and improve their chances for academic success. Studies have shown that access to a free transit pass can increase student graduation rates by up to 27 percent, and in Year 1 of the GoPass program, over 90 percent of the trips were taken to and from school.

The LIFE program offers fare discounts that can be applied toward the purchase of weekly and monthly transit passes on Metro and any LIFE participating transit agencies, or 20 free rides on any one of the participating transit agencies. Riders can apply by simply self-certifying that they meet the LIFE Program income levels. New transit riders who enroll in the LIFE program will automatically receive three months (90 days) of free fares. Metro has made the application process as easy as possible. Riders can easily enroll online at metro.net/life. Metro encourages all riders who are qualified but not yet signed up to take advance of this program.

“Transit Equity Day can turn into Transit Equity Year for everyone who takes advantage of these special fare relief programs,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Hilda L. Solis. “Discount fares represent our best efforts to support low-income riders who depend on public transit every day.”

“Transit Equity Day is an opportunity for the country and those in the transit industry to reflect on our history and recommit to doing the hard, intentional work to drive equity in our services and our communities,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We are putting people at the center of everything we do at Metro, and fare relief is one of the principal ways we can make transit more affordable and improve equitable access to opportunity for LA County residents.”

Metrolink has everyday discounted fares for students, children, the disabled, seniors and active military. The agency also has a new low-income fare discount program that offers riders with a valid California Electronic Benefit Transfer card a 50 percent discount on any Metrolink ticket or pass.

For commuters, Metrolink’s Corporate Partners Program (CPP) enables employers to offer pre-tax transit benefits to their employees. If a rider’s company is not part of Metrolink’s CPP, it’s an easy registration process, and new accounts receive an additional 25 percent discount on tickets and passes for the first six months. Information is available on the Metrolink website at metrolinktrains.com/cpp.

“We want Metrolink service to not only be affordable but also easily accessible, including connections to and from other transit providers,” Metrolink Board Chair and SBCTA Board Member Larry McCallon said. “That’s why partnerships between Metrolink, Metro, LADOT, SBCTA and our San Bernardino County transportation operators are so important. Working together, we can ensure transit equity through seamless transportation connections throughout Southern California.”

“In addition to celebrating Parks’ memory, Transit Equity Day gives the opportunity to focus on how public transit systems make our communities fairer,” said SBCTA Board President Art Bishop.

“Transit Equity Day, recognized on Rosa Parks’ birthday, reminds us of the essential role transportation plays in people’s lives and how critical it is for all residents to have safe, affordable and dignified choices to navigate their City,” said LADOT Interim General Manager Connie Llanos. “At LADOT we are building a system that directly addresses historic inequities by prioritizing investments where they are needed most with programs that include free DASH for all Angelenos on this historic day and every day.”

For additional information on Transit Equity Day, please visit metro.net or metrolinktrains.com.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

About Metrolink (metrolinktrains.com)

Metrolink regional passenger rail service offers reliable, safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation throughout Southern California. The Agency’s 547 miles of track and 67 stations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties connect people, communities, and businesses and is an essential link in the region’s mobility network. Metrolink’s Arrow service, which launched in October 2022 with nine miles of track and four new stations between San Bernardino and Redlands, provides greater local and regional rail connectivity. People who choose to ride Metrolink are helping to remove an estimated 9.3 million vehicles from the roads and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 130,000 metric tons each year.

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CalSTA Awards Metro $600 Million to Support Critical East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project

Dave Sotero — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 18:09:09 +0000

LOS ANGELES—The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) has announced that Metro will receive the full request of $600 million in state grant funding for a key expansion of the Metro system, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Corridor Project (ESFV), the first rail project to be built in the Valley since the original Metro Red Line subway was extended to North Hollywood in 2000.

Metro requested this important funding as part of an overall package to advance three significant regional transit projects with a comprehensive application that reflected stakeholder input, regional consensus, and careful consideration of the guidelines and legislative intent of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) Cycle 6 opportunity.

The 6.7-mile light rail line will connect the communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta, and Pacoima along Van Nuys Boulevard, one of the Valley’s busiest corridors. Another 2.5-mile segment is also planned to extend the rail line from Pacoima to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station. Design options for that project segment are now under study and will be built in a second construction phase.

“As Metro continues to take its system to the next phase of expansion, this funding will be critical in allowing us to fully utilize available federal dollars, which will facilitate for us to continue to advocate to secure additional state funding for other key projects,” said Metro Board Chair and Glendale City Council Member Ara J. Najarian. “On behalf of the Metro Board and the entire Metro organization, we want to especially thank Governor Newsom and Transportation Secretary Omishakin for awarding this vital funding to this transformational project.”

The ESFV Project, which was already environmentally cleared and broke ground for advanced utility relocation in December 2022, is planned to connect with both the Van Nuys Metrolink/Amtrak Station as well as the Metrolink station at Sylmar/San Fernando to provide Metro transit customers with greater interregional connectivity. This $600 million state contribution has provided Metro with the much-needed financial support for a required funding plan per the Federal Transit Administration’sguidelines for the approval of an anticipated Expedited Project Delivery Grant of $908.75 million.

“I am grateful for Governor Newsom’s continued support for transportation projects that will ease congestion, make our air cleaner and expand people’s access to opportunity,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Member Karen Bass. “This expansion helps us advance our commitment to provide a reliable, safe, quick and efficient public transportation system that connects every neighborhood in Los Angeles.”

The project provides significant and targeted benefits for communities designated as federal areas of persistent poverty and Equity Focused Communities along the project corridor and links these communities to the Metro G (Orange) Line and the Metrolink/LOSSAN system.

“Since my first days in the State Assembly, more than 15 years ago, I have fought for expanded mass transit options for the San Fernando Valley,” said Los Angeles City Council President and Metro Board Member Paul Krekorian. “The prospect of a light rail line for the East Valley was one of the best arguments for the passage of Measure R in 2008 and Measure M in 2016. As the Valley’s advocate on the Metro Board for the last ten years, I fought to make East Valley Light Rail our top funding priority. Thank you, Governor Newsom, for your foresight in bringing us one step closer to a future of cleaner, safer, more efficient transportation in the San Fernando Valley,” said Krekorian.

“By investing in the future of transportation in the San Fernando Valley, we are committing to a clean air future in which we connect communities, create quality jobs and get more cars off the road,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Lindsey P. Horvath. “The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Corridor Project is a critical investment that will move our entire region forward, and I am so excited to be part of it.”

This award was part of CalSTA’s $2,537,695,000 funding announcement for 16 existing projects throughout California. Projects must maintain and/or leverage significant sources of additional local or federal funds to return project or project elements to full funding status. Funding remains available for additional TIRCP Cycle 6 awards to New Projects and Major Project Development Reserve Projects, as well as High Priority Grade Crossing Improvement and Separation Projects.

“This is a significant investment by the State for the San Fernando Valley,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Our proposed prioritized projects will help uplift our communities by bringing rail and economic opportunity to one of our region’s busiest transit corridors not currently served by rail transit. Metro is committed to ultimately moving forward all three shovel-worthy projects as part of our vision for the future of Los Angeles’ transportation infrastructure.”

In December, Metro’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a prioritized list of projects for this funding request to include not only this project, but also the Metro L (Gold) Line Foothill Extension Light Rail Transit Project to Montclair and the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor Project.

Metro’s full submission requested $1.898 billion for all three projects, which would leverage significant federal and local funds in addition to hundreds of millions of Measure M funding already committed to these projects. Metro will continue to seek full funding for the remaining projects that will ensure the creation of tens of thousands of jobs along with greater mobility and air quality benefits, including for disadvantaged, equity-focused communities.

The other priority project, Metro L (Gold) Line Foothill Extension Light Rail Transit Project to Montclair, is shovel-ready and can begin construction within a year, bringing immediate benefits to L.A. County and San Bernardino County. The West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor Project will leverage local and state funding with a Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grant to bring rail transit to a corridor that is home to some of our most disadvantaged communities in the State.

The approved ESFV Project is just one of the transit improvements Metro has planned to improve mobility in the San Fernando Valley over the next 10 years. Other projects include the North San Fernando Transit Corridor Project, the G Line Improvements Project, and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project. Projects are partially funded through Metro’s local Measure M voter-approved sales tax measure, which supports transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles County.

For additional information about the ESFV Project, please visit https://www.metro.net/projects/east-sfv/.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro to Host First Construction Open Houses for East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:31:12 +0000

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host the first series of open houses on Feb. 9, 11 and March 2 to update community members on upcoming construction work activities for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project. Interested members of the public will learn more about upcoming construction activities and what to expect, small business support programs and meet project staff.

Open houses will be held at least every quarter as construction proceeds. Metro will provide real-time Spanish language interpretation for participants at each meeting.

To bring more rail transit connectivity to the heart of the San Fernando Valley, Metro plans to build a new 6.7-mile light rail line that will connect the communities of Van Nuys and Pacoima along Van Nuys Boulevard, one of the Valley’s busiest corridors. Advance utility adjustments began in December 2022. Major construction for the project is expected to begin in late 2023 and the line is expected to open for service between 2028 and 2030.  

In-person open houses and the virtual meeting will be held on the following days:

In-Person Meeting – Thursday, Feb. 9, 6-7:30 p.m., Mid Valley Family YMCA, 6901 Lennox Av, Van Nuys, CA 91405.
In-Person Meeting – Saturday, Feb. 11, 10-11:30 a.m., Same YMCA location.
Virtual Meeting – Thursday, March 2, 6-7:30 p.m., Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/93513180180 Webinar ID: 935 1318 0180 Phone: 301.715.8592

During the first hour of each in-person meeting, Metro will provide a presentation and then hold an open house during the last 30 minutes.

The public will learn more about Metro’s Eat Shop Play, the community leadership council, local hire programs and Metro Art during the open house for each in-person meeting.

This project will improve transit equity for Valley commuters. The line will connect the Los Angeles communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima. The population of the project corridor itself is lower income and highly transit dependent. The new rail line is expected to bring cost-effective mobility options and greater access to opportunity to its residents.

This new project is funded by 2008 Measure R and 2016 Measure M transportation sales tax measures, as well as funding from county, state and federal resources. On the State funding front, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) recently announced that Metro will receive $600 million in state grant funding for the project.

For more information about the project, please visit: metro.net/projects/east-sfv/

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L.A. Metro to Host Public Hearings for C Line (Green) Extension to Torrance Project Draft EIR Feb. 15 through 25

Patrick Chandler — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 18:11:48 +0000

LOS ANGELES, (January 26, 2023) – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) will host five public hearings Feb. 15 through 25 to receive public input and feedback on the C Line (Green) Extension to Torrance Project.

Metro has released its Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to begin a public review period from Thursday, Jan. 26 to Monday, March 27. Public comments and questions will be documented and responded to in the Final EIR, which is anticipated to be released in 2024. The project schedule will be updated when the Metro Board approves a Locally Preferred Alternative later this year.

The new transit project, funded by the 2008 Measure R and 2016 Measure M transportation sales tax measures, will connect the South Bay to Metro’s expanding rail transit network and provide faster and more efficient access to the region, including LAX, via the newly opened Metro K Line. Additionally, the line will be extended four and a half miles and two stations will be added with the final stop in Torrance.

Each hearing will include an open house during the first hour, followed by a presentation and an opportunity for the public to comment. The public hearings will be held:

• Wednesday, Feb. 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Lawndale High School, Centinela Valley Center for the Arts, 14901 S. Inglewood Avenue, Lawndale, CA 90260.

• Thursday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m. –1 p.m. Virtual Meeting. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89536786223 Phone: 833.548.0282 (toll-free). Meeting ID: 895 3678 6223.

• Tuesday, Feb. 21, 5–8 p.m., Torrance Cultural Arts Center Toyota Meeting Hall, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503.

• Wednesday, Feb. 22, 5–8 p.m., Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Redondo Beach, CA 90278.

• Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Lawndale High School, Centinela Valley Center for the Arts, 14901 S Inglewood Avenue, Lawndale, CA 90260.

In addition to the public hearings, the public can provide feedback via email, mail and phone.

The public can send their comments via email to greenlineextension@metro.net. The project voicemail is 213.922.4004. To mail feedback, please send comments to:

Georgia Sheridan, Project Manager

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

One Gateway Plaza,

Mail Stop: 99-22-3

Los Angeles, CA 90012.

To help support the Draft EIR, a project StoryMap has been developed to provide more information on the project. To view the EIR, alignment maps and project information, please visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d7e05c37de87474e8f523738af8dc556

The Draft EIR and other project materials, including summaries of public outreach events and comments, ridership information, cost estimates, frequently asked questions, real estate needs, urban design, traffic and parking are available on the project website at metro.net/clineext.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net, facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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Go Metro to the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles Monday, January 16

Patrick Chandler — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 23:21:36 +0000

New Metro K Line and other transit options give paradegoers easy access to the parade route

Metro makes it easier than ever before for residents throughout L.A. County to attend the 38^th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles.

The parade, which celebrates the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and is themed “Making America the Last Best Hope of the World”, will be held on Monday, January 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. As part of the parade celebrations, Metro’s vintage GMC bus will travel the parade route carrying Metro Board First Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, along with local high school students, community leaders and residents.

“Martin L. King Jr. was one of America’s strongest champions for racial equality who understood the connection between civil rights and equitable transit access for all Americans,” said Metro Board Chair and Glendale City Council Member Ara J. Najarian. “We encourage everyone to go Metro to take part in celebrating the life of one of the nation’s greatest heroes at this parade, especially since we now have new K Line rail service that will take you directly to the parade route for the first time.”

There are several options for people to Go Metro to the festivities. For people in South Los Angeles, Metro’s E Line (Expo) Expo/Crenshaw and K Line Martin L. King Jr. and Leimert Park stations are adjacent to the parade route, providing easy access to the parade and post-parade festival at Leimert Park Village. Riders coming from other parts of Los Angeles County can easily use the extensive Metro Rail and Bus system to reach the area. For example, the E Line (Expo) connects in downtown Los Angeles with the A Line (Blue), B Line (Red) and D Line (Purple).

“Dr. King’s legacy is best honored when we re-commit to the goals that he fought for and gave his life to achieve for all people. He believed that all Americans must have access to better housing, jobs, public schools and equity,” said Metro Board First Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker. “It is our time. It is our watch! Let us be the difference we want to see.”

“With the opening of the K Line last October, residents of and visitors to the Second District now have improved access to the annual celebration of the legacy of Dr. King’s life,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Holly J. Mitchell. “Whether you want to avoid traffic impacts and parking hassles or just enjoy L.A.’s newest rail line through the heart of the Crenshaw District, riders can Go Metro.”

At the post-parade festival in Leimert Park, Metro will host a booth offering information to attendees about the agency’s reduced fare programs, including GoPass, a two-year pilot program that provides unlimited rides for K-12 and community college students and the Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program, for qualified L.A. County residents.

“In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., Metro is focused on providing greater equity for all our customers,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “This includes the K Line, our latest rail line to serve the historic core of the African American community. This line opens access to not just this parade route but all the local destinations in the Crenshaw Corridor and beyond.”

As part of Metro’s continued effort to engage communities and provide more transit equity throughout Los Angeles County, the agency has initiated fare programs that provide more access to transit for families, students and low-income residents, transit-oriented housing, bus-only lanes as well as new customer safety initiatives. By providing more transit equity, Metro can help provide access to quality and affordable housing, job and education centers and address poverty and homelessness challenges across Los Angeles County.

Several Metro Bus lines that operate on Crenshaw and Martin Luther King, Jr. boulevards will be detoured from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, January 16. These include Bus Lines 40, 102, 105, 206, 207, 209 and 210. For specific detour route information, check metro.net/advisories.

Customers are encouraged to download the Transit app or visit metro.net. Regular fares on Metro are $1.75 and include two hours of free transfers in one direction. TAP cards can be purchased from TAP vending machines at all Metro Rail stations to pay your fare. Riders can also use their smartphones as a TAP card by downloading the TAP app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

For additional information on Metro transit services, please visit metro.net. For specific information on Metro Equity and Race initiatives, visit metroexemplifi.wpengine.com/about/equity-race/.

About Metro

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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L.A. Metro to Host January 21, 24 and 26 Community Open Houses for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project

Dave Sotero — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 21:27:09 +0000

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host three community open houses January 21, 24, and 26 for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, a megaproject seeking to build a heavy rail line or monorail between the San Fernando Valley and the West Los Angeles area south of the Santa Monica mountains.

Metro is now conducting its environmental review for the project and engaging Pre-Development Agreement (PDA) teams to help further evaluate and refine potential project alternatives. Metro is evaluating six potential transit alternatives: three heavy rail alternatives and three monorail alternatives. The open houses will provide information specific to the potential station locations and their entrances so the public can learn how they could access this future rail line. Metro’s open houses will give attendees the opportunity to ask questions of agency staff and consultants as well as the Pre-Development Agreement (PDA) team representatives on station locations and entrances now under study.

Interested members of the public are invited to attend the open houses, one of which will be virtual, to learn more about the project. Attendees can join at any time that is convenient for them within the scheduled open house timeframes, where they can visit different information centers and learn about potential station locations and share their thoughts.

The open house schedule is as follows:

Saturday, January 21, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Marvin Braude Constituent Center, 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys, CA 91401.

Directions: Via Transit: Metro Bus Lines 233 and 237 stop at the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Sylvan Street. The Metro G Line (Orange) Van Nuys station is located three blocks south. Attendees may also park for free at the Metro G Line (Orange) Sepulveda Station and travel one stop to the Van Nuys Station. Via Car: Parking is available at the Metro G Line (Orange) Van Nuys Station at Van Nuys Boulevard and Aetna Street. Street parking is also available. Metro encourages attendees to carpool, as there is limited parking. Please plan to allow enough time to secure parking and walk a short distance to the meeting.

Tuesday, January 24, 5-8 p.m. Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Directions: Via Transit: Metro Bus Line 20 and LADOT bus lines 431 and 431B stop at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Warner Avenue. Via Car: Parking is available in the parking garage of the Belmont Village Senior Living (entrance off Wilshire Boulevard). Church parking is available on the second level and below.
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE: Thursday, January 26, 6-8 p.m. Open House will be conducted via Zoom. To register, click on bit.ly/SepulvedaJan26. Call-in #: 669.900.6833. Webinar ID 885 2744 9926.

All in-person Metro meetings are accessible to persons with disabilities. Spanish translation provided. Other ADA accommodations and translations are available by calling 323.466.3876 at least 72 hours in advance.

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project will be divided into two different segments: an initial segment traveling between the San Fernando Valley and Westside and a second segment from the Westside to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The project is funded in part by Measure M, the transportation sales tax approved by 71 percent of L.A. County voters in 2016. The Measure M funding plan identified $9.5 billion in funding from local, state, and federal sources: $5.7 billion for the Valley-Westside segment and $3.8 billion for the Westside-LAX segment.

For additional information about the project and alternatives now under study, please visit metro.net/sepulvedacorridor.

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Go Metro to College Football Playoff National Championship Weekend

Patrick Chandler — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:09:11 +0000

Easily connect to all events via Metro Bus and Rail

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is making it easy for fans to access College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship events at the L.A. Convention Center, Banc of California Stadium and the national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Fans can ride Metro Bus and Rail to all CFP events throughout the January 6-8 weekend.

“Metro is ready and willing to be the first choice of transportation for thousands of football fans and concertgoers heading to CFP events in Los Angeles and Inglewood,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “We want you to spend more time with fellow fans, friends and family at the events instead of being stuck in traffic.”

“The access and convenience of riding Metro provides fans of college football an easy way to get around the Los Angeles area during national championship weekend,” said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the CFP. “We have a number of great activities taking place throughout the Los Angeles area and getting our fans to and from those events quickly will be easy when they utilize Metro transportation.”

Fans can experience Playoff Fan Central at the L.A. Convention Center from January 6 to January 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will take place in the Convention Center’s South Hall at 1201 S. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. The L.A. Convention Center is accessible via Metro by taking the A Line (Blue), E Line (Expo) or J Line (Silver) bus and exiting at Pico Station. The Convention Center is just one block away on Figueroa Street.

“Metro is the best choice for getting to the big game to avoid wasting time looking for parking or stuck in traffic,” said Mayor of Los Angeles and Metro Board Member Karen Bass. “Spend time on what matters most! Go Metro!”

As part of this exciting weekend, fans can head to the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live concerts at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8 starting at 6 p.m. The stadium is located at 3939 S. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles. For car-free access to the stadium, fans should consider riding the E Line (Expo) and exit at the Expo/USC station.

“I’m excited to welcome college football fans to the Inglewood and South Los Angeles communities of L.A. County’s Second District for the College Football National Championship,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Holly J. Mitchell. “Bulldog and Hornfrog fans can now easily access key destinations in downtown L.A., Expo Park, the Crenshaw District, Inglewood and SoFi stadium through Metro’s extensive bus and rail network, including the new K Line.”

To cap off the weekend and avoid traffic congestion and very limited parking near SoFi Stadium, Metro will be running its free bus shuttle between the C Line’s (Green) Hawthorne/Lennox Station and SoFi Stadium on Monday, January 9 for the CFP National Championship that kicks off at 4:30 p.m.

Customers can also access SoFi from the new K Line rail service via Metro Bus Line 212 at the K Line’s Downtown Inglewood Station. Metro Bus Line 212 serves bus stops on Prairie Avenue adjacent to SoFi Stadium.

“The City of Champions and Metro will again show the nation and the world that we are ready to host yet another major championship game,” said Mayor of Inglewood and Metro Board Member James T. Butts. “Leave the driving to Metro and learn why Inglewood is the new entertainment capital with all it has to offer.”

The C Line runs between the cities of Norwalk and Redondo Beach. From downtown Los Angeles, riders can reach the C Line by taking either the J Line (Silver) express bus and transferring to the C Line at Harbor Freeway Station or taking the A Line (Blue) and transferring to the C Line at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station.

Shuttle buses to SoFi Stadium will run every five to eight minutes from Hawthorne/Lennox C Line Station beginning at 12.30 p.m., with kickoff at 4:30 p.m. local time. After the game, buses will run frequently for up to 90 minutes until crowds are cleared.

To reach the shuttle bus, riders should exit the station and board buses on northbound Hawthorne Boulevard. Shuttle buses will drop off and pick up riders at the purple shuttle zone at SoFi Stadium — near the corner of Prairie Avenue and Arbor Vitae Street.

“We look forward to seeing thousands of college football fans on the Metro system this championship weekend,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Metro is the quick, easy and stress-free way to get to the CFP Championship game and events throughout L.A.!”

To plan trips, customers are encouraged to download the Transit app or visit metro.net. Regular fares on Metro are $1.75 and include two hours of free transfers in one direction. TAP cards can be purchased from TAP vending machines at all Metro Rail stations to pay your fare. Riders can also use their smartphones as a TAP card by downloading the TAP app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information, please visit metro.net/riding/gameday/

# # #

Stay informed by following Metro on The Source and El Pasajero at metro.net,

facebook.com/losangelesmetro, twitter.com/metrolosangeles and twitter.com/metroLAalerts and

instagram.com/metrolosangeles.

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