LACMTA Red Line
From Freepedia
The Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. It is Los Angeles's only subway line, and also the busiest of the four Metro Rail lines (the other three are light rail lines), with 117,000 daily boardings. The Red Line is the only rail line in the LA Metro Rail system that does not extend beyond the city limits. Trains run along two branches; both lines begin at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, with one line running to Koreatown/Wilshire Center and the other running to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley.
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History
The Red Line opened in several segments. The first segment, from Union Station to MacArthur Park, opened in 1993. An western extension into Koreatown at Wilshire/Western opened in 1996. In 1999, the second branch was extended from Wilshire/Vermont to Hollywood/Vine station, and in 2000, to North Hollywood. The line was originally intended to run along the Wilshire Corridor, but a methane gas explosion in the 1980s incited Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) to legislate a prohibition on tunneling under Wilshire Blvd. The MTA has maintained that technological advances will allow it to tunnel safely.
In 1995, during construction of the subway, a sinkhole appeared on Hollywood Boulevard, barely missing several workers and causing damage to buildings on the street. Subway construction was halted until the situation was resolved.
Possible extensions
The Red Line was originally intended to run east to East Los Angeles and west to the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus depot near Pico and San Vicente Boulevards in Mid-City. However, both of these plans have been scrapped in favor of continuing along the Wilshire Corridor beyond the current terminus at Wilshire/Western. While successful a 1998 Los Angeles County initiative banned the use of existing sales tax revenues for subway construction (due to problems with Red Line construction and costs), an extension of the Red line is included in the MTA's current 10-Year Plan. The MTA is currently studying how to circumvent the restriction, and new Los Angeles mayor and MTA head Antonio Villaraigosa has made extension of the Red Line to downtown Santa Monica a major priority. Transit advocates and some elected officials have proposed elevating the Red Line in the portions currently affected by the ban on tunneling in the Miracle Mile, but property owners and community groups have resisted such proposals. Congressman Henry Waxman, who sponsored the tunneling ban in 1985, has indicated that he would be willing to sponsor a repeal of that law if engineering studies to be released in spring 2006 declare subway construction in the area to be feasible. In late October 2005, a group of experts examined the feasibility of tunneling safely under Wilshire Boulevard. The results are expected in November. [1]
Although plans of extending the Red Line to the Eastside have been cast aside, construction of the Gold Line extension to that region is now underway. (Ironically, 1.8 miles of the Gold Line Eastside Extension is being built as a subway underneath the low-income minority neighborhood of Boyle Heights.) Similarly, extensions of the Red Line to the Westside have been put on hold, although construction of the Expo Line to the southern part of the Westside is set to begin in summer 2006.
Hours of operation
Trains run between approximately 04:30 and 01:30. First and last train times are as follows:
To/From North Hollywood
Eastbound
- First Train to Union Station: 04:31
- Last Train to Union Station: 0:54
Westbound
- First Train to North Hollywood: 04:30
- Last Train to North Hollywood: 0:17
To/From Wilshire/Western
Eastbound
- First Train to Union Station: 04:41
- Last Train to Union Station: 23:42
Westbound
- First Train to Wilshire/Western: 04:56
- Last Train to Wilshire/Western: 23:27
Rolling stock and depots
The Red Line uses 75-foot electric multiple unit cars built by Breda. Trains usually run at six-car lengths during the day and become smaller as closing time nears. Their acceleration is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority.
List of stations, from East to West
| Station | Metro Rail Services | Other Connections | Date Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Spurs | |||
| Union Station | Red Gold | Amtrak Metrolink Metro Rapid: 740; 745 | January 30, 1993 |
| Civic Center | Red | Metro Rapid: 745 | January 30, 1993 |
| Pershing Square | Red | Angels Flight Metro Rapid: 720; 740; 745 | January 30, 1993 |
| 7th St/Metro Center | Red Blue | January 30, 1993 | |
| Westlake/MacArthur Park | Red | Metro Rapid: 720 | January 30, 1993 |
| Wilshire/Vermont | Red | Metro Rapid: 720; 754 | July 13, 1996 |
| North Hollywood Spur | |||
| Vermont/Beverly | Red | Metro Rapid: 714; 754 | June 12, 1999 |
| Vermont/Santa Monica | Red | Metro Rapid: 704 (begins 12/05); 754 | June 12, 1999 |
| Vermont/Sunset | Red | Metro Rapid: 754 | June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Western | Red | Metro Rapid: 757 (Starts 12/05); 780 | June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Vine | Red | Metro Rapid: 710; 717; 780 | June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Highland | Red | Metro Rapid: 717 | June 12, 1999 |
| Universal City | Red | Metro Rapid: 750 | June 24, 2000 |
| North Hollywood | Red | {{LACMTA-Orange | June 24, 2000 |
| Wilshire/Western Spur | |||
| Wilshire/Normandie | Red | Metro Rapid: 720 | July 13, 1996 |
| Wilshire/Western | Red | Metro Rapid: 720; 757 (Starts 12/05) | July 13, 1996 |
External links
- MTA Home Page
- Red Line Home Page
- Take a Virtual Tour of the Red Line (QuickTime Required)
- Transit Rider Photos
| Image:LACMTA logo.jpg | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (website) |
|---|---|
| Metro Buses | Metro Local – Metro Rapid – Metro Express – Orange Line |
| Metro Rail | Red Line – Blue Line – Green Line – Gold Line – Expo Line |
| Connecting rail | Amtrak – Amtrak California – Metrolink |
| Other information | Union Station – Transportation of Los Angeles |
