MetroRiderLA

Photo by Yours Truly. This and other photos can be seen on the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool.

The opening of an urban rail line is truly a cause for celebration, especially in Los Angeles — the city that’s a blonde joke come to life.

November 15, 2009, marks a time when L.A. could celebrate that in more than 5 years of construction, the hard hats managed to build a rail line from downtown L.A. a whole six miles east, with almost two miles built in a tunnel intentionally. The Gold Line continues beyond Union Station to East Los Angeles. It will travel along East First Street in Boyle Heights, then zag to Fourth Street in East Los Angeles.

In 20 years of rail (and busway) openings, two things have proven as certain as the sun rising in the East and two and two adding to four:

1. These events are a lot of fun and the festive atmosphere brings out tens, if not hundreds, of thousands
2. Angelenos, generally speaking, are insufferably petulant and are less mentally sharp than a zombie on Quaaludes.

Both of these self-evident truths will be on full display November 15 as the Gold Line Eastside Extension makes for its public debut.

In the process of making maps for the DASH restructuring series, I have been inundated by curious and credulous MetroReaders or their friends and/or unindicted co-conspirators asking me on what we can look forward to on opening weekend. Which is really strange, because I try hard to hide my e-mail addresses and generally try to avoid any contact with you outside of the comments here.

Yet with great knowledge comes great responsibility. Your Metro Yoda will answer some of the questions to help MetroReaders along their way on their public transit Jedi-hood. And with great science fiction references comes a great tribute and thank you to one of the masters of the genre, the late, great Douglas Adams. Without you, the title to this blog post and your witty, easily imitable writing style would not have made this effort possible (in the case of the title) or even relevant (in the case of the writing style).

(more…)

Damn, I was supposed to post this for Tuesday. As I’ve said, the Google Maps problems are keeping me tied up, hence the lull in activity.

The first series may look familiar. These suggestions first appeared in February. It is a repost of suggestions for lines LADOT should consider as it plans to restructure service. These suggestions were originally for routes that would augment both the northeast and eastern Los Angeles segments of the Metro Gold Line. Remember …

the Gold Line Eastside Extension is opening Sunday.

While the opening is a time for revelry, the Eastside’s first rail service after almost a 50-year absence has an accessibility problem. The bus services are terribly thin on all stations but Soto Street and Atlantic Boulevard. LADOT should bulk up neighborhood connections within L.A. Originally, three lines have been proposed to serve eastern and Northeast L.A. One is included, but it is a new version of a Metro route that may be too busy to operate by DASH buses.

Before the presentation of the routes, I would like to gauge opinion as to what fare LADOT should charge for absorbing and operating citywide service outside of downtown L.A. Please answer the fare poll. Thanks.

(more…)

East L.A. Civic Center station. Photo by Yours Truly. This and other photos can be seen on the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool.

The official opening day to the public for the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is Sunday, November 15.

East L.A. Civic Center station. Photo by Yours Truly. This and other photos can be seen on the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool.

Mark the date. Metro has tentatively put down the Saturday, November 14, weekend as the opening of the Gold Line’s Eastside extension, according to a communications PowerPoint.

The trains have begun pre-revenue testing October 4, and continue for about 6 weeks. The opening date is not official until a board vote, so don’t set plans in concrete just yet.

That sign at the top may become a hot seller on eBay come Monday.
Photo by Yours Truly via Flickr. See more photos like it, or contribute yours to the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool

Just as quickly as Metro Line 632 came into existence, much of it is already going away … and it has only been in service for a week.

Metro is cutting back 632 to within Los Angeles city limits effective Monday. The line will only travel from Union Station to Indiana Station. Passengers wishing to go between Indiana and Atlantic/Pomona stations must transfer to Montebello Bus Line 40.

All photos for this Ride Report are available in the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool.

We like to complain, and justifyably so, at the glacial pace of making progress on public transit in L.A. It takes decades for a rail line to go from concept to completion. Even something as simple as a bus route change takes about a year of prep work before they are even implemented. Things ought to go faster.

For once, Metro did do something fast. And guess what happened? Nothing. Actually, something did happen. Nothing is a close approximation of the ridership of its seat-of-the-pants planning and operations.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wanted Metro to dream with him. His dream was to have the Gold Line extension up and running by the time he celebrated his second inauguration. This left Metro a window of opportunity to tie an opening in with its normal semi-annual bus service shake-ups, which was this weekend. Just one problem: the Gold Line wasn’t going to be ready — even though several lines were rerouted and had scheduled changed as though the trains were operating.

So instead, we have Line 632. Move over Orange Line, because 632 is the bus that acts like a train. Literally. This is a bus line that nudged its way in at the last minute — even bus drivers were caught by surprise, not to mention the flustered riders on East First and Third streets. So, what happens when service is implemented quick and dirty?

(more…)