LACMTA Red Line
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The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. It is one Los Angeles' two subway lines (along with the Purple Line), and also the busiest of the five Metro Rail lines (the other three are light rail, largely surface lines).
Although they separate in different directions west of downtown Los Angeles, the two subway lines (Purple and Red) were until recently considered two branches of one line, and are still marked this way in most stations, on schedules, and on older rail maps. As of March 2006, the combined Red and Purple lines averaged over 138,000 daily weekday boardings. For scheduling and operations, the line is known as the A Line (which it shares with the Purple Line), and Line 802.
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[edit] History
The Red Line opened in several segments. The first segment, from Union Station to MacArthur Park, opened in 1993. A western extension into Koreatown at Wilshire/Western opened in 1996, along the alignment later designated the Purple Line. 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 to Santa Monica, but a 1985 methane gas explosion at a Ross Dress For Less in the Fairfax area resulted in Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) legislation for a ban on Federal money being used for tunneling under Wilshire Blvd in his district due to methane gas safety concerns althrough and anti-subway sentiment by developers and neighborhood associations along the proposed route. Metro had always maintained that technological advances would 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 and the contractor Tutor Saliba was later found guilty of using substandard materials during the construction that led to the tunnel collapse.
A 1998, Los Angeles County initiative introduced by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was passed by the voters, which banned the use of existing sales tax revenues for subway construction (which has been linked to voters perceptions of problems with Red Line construction and costs).
In 2000, an urban art group known as Heavy Trash placed "Coming soon" signs advertising the "Aqua Line," extending the Red Line to the ocean, with ten prospective station stops. It was a hoax, but showed the frustrations surrounding the lack of a subway connecting Santa Monica and the Westside with Downtown Los Angeles. The Aqua Line name was repurposed as the proposed name for the Expo Line.
In late October 2005, the new Orange Line Transitway with train-like two-cabin articulated bus bodies went into service. It links up with the Red line at the North Hollywood station in 13 stops over a 14-mile (23 km) exclusive use corridor to Warner Center in the far west San Fernando Valley. The busway had been constructed instead of a further Red Line rail extension in the Valley at a relatively low cost. Within days, the traffic was doubling predicted levels and most "bus-trains" were running full.
[edit] Incidents
On December 22, 2006, a man spilled a vial of mercury on the platform at the Pershing Square station. He then located a passenger information intercom and told the operator that he spilled mercury before boarding a train.[1] The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not respond until the next day, eight hours later. Metro has responded since the incident by giving hazardous materials (Hazmat) training to its field employees and operators so they can identify hazardous substances and take correct action in the future.[2]
[edit] Possible Red Line extensions
After the 1986 ban on construction in the "methane zone," the planned Red Line route was changed to travel to the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus depot (formerly a Los Angeles Railway streetcar depot until 1963) near Pico and San Vicente Boulevards in Mid-City. On the other end of the line, the Red Line was originally intended to continue east beyond Union Station to East Los Angeles. At the north end of the route, the Red Line was to turn westward to Warner Center. A 1998 proposition was passed that banned using county sales tax revenue for subway construction due to the high cost of construction and problems associated tunneling under Hollywood Blvd. In 2005, years of traffic gridlock building along the Wilshire corridor led to plans to once again continue along the Wilshire Corridor beyond the current terminus at Wilshire/Western. The route to Warner Center was turned into the Metro Orange Line.
[edit] Westward expansion stopped
The westward extension has been for decades mired in political and socioeconomic debate with politicians giving vent to anti-subway sentiments and NIMBY isolationism. The Bus Rapid Transit Line that currently operates along Wilshire Blvd. run at capacity. Los Angeles mayor and MTA head Antonio Villaraigosa has declared an extension of the Red Line to downtown Santa Monica a major priority and is offering visionary slogans such as "subway to the sea" and "..the most utilized subway in the nation, maybe the world," and "..the most cost-effective public-transportation project in America."
Despite the lack of sales tax revenue and the two-decade old federal ban, the MTA is currently studying how to circumvent the constraints and the Wilshire extension of the Red line is included in the MTA's current 10-Year Plan. 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.
In the past, Westside residents, specifically affluent Hancock Park denizens, reportedly balked at a subway that would make their community more accessible from the "economically disadvantaged" Eastside and South Los Angeles.[3] An initiative in 1968 that would have built a subway to West Los Angeles was rejected by voters.
[edit] Westward expansion resurrected
With present density and traffic gridlock, many people (the residents and government of the city of Beverly Hills included) have done a complete turnaround on the idea of a Wilshire Boulevard subway. Congressman Henry Waxman, who sponsored the tunneling ban in 1985, and whose Westside district the extension would pass through had previously indicated that he would be willing to sponsor a repeal of that law if engineering studies declared subway construction in the area to be feasible. In October 2005, a group of experts declared that tunneling along Wilshire was safe. In August of 2006, the LACTMTA voted to designate the Wilshire/Western branch of the Red Line as the Purple Line.[4] Subsequently, Waxman introduced legislation to lift the tunneling ban and there has been political support for the extension of the newly designated Purple Line towards Santa Monica. This legislation has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently awaiting approval by the U.S. Senate.
[edit] West Valley service
The new Orange Line transitway service is feeding about 15,000 new boardings into the Red Line at the North Hollywood terminus. Currently, little chance exists for further underground Red line extension at its northern terminus, though Mayor Villaraigosa has mentioned extending the Red Line along Lankershim Boulevard to the northeastern San Fernando Valley, with a terminus in Sylmar.
One long term possibility might be an underground extension of another mile or two to a future high-rise housing district, or to a multi-modal transportation hub at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, a distance of approximately four miles. It would possibly go under Vineland Avenue and Vanowen Street. In 2006 a large number of housing units, including a high-rise tower was completed very near the North Hollywood (NoHo Arts District) station. A master planned multi high-rise complex further to the north could justify a future short extension, and also allow more commuter parking to be developed. No plan of this sort has been formally proposed, though some transit advocates have suggested that the Orange Line may be extended along the same route as mentioned above.
[edit] Eastward plans
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. Although there are no plans to do such, it is conceivable that plans for a future eastward extension could involve the San Gabriel Valley rather than the Eastside. Some citizen proposals have included the conversion of the El Monte Busway to heavy rail, although this would disrupt the existing bus and Metrolink service along that corridor.
[edit] Hours of operation
Trains run between approximately 4:30 am and 1:00 am the following morning. First and last train times are as follows:
To/From North Hollywood
Eastbound
- First Train to Union Station: 4:31 am
- Last Train to Union Station: 12:54 am
Westbound
- First Train to North Hollywood: 4:30 am
- Last Train to North Hollywood: 12:17 am
[edit] Rolling stock
The Red Line uses 75-foot electric multiple unit cars built by Ansaldobreda. Trains usually run in six-car consists. Their acceleration is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority. The cars are maintained in a yard on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.
[edit] List of stations, from East to West
| Station | Metro Services | Other Connections | Date Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Station | Red | Amtrak Metrolink Metro Local: 33, 38, 40, 42, 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 304, 368, 370, 378 Metro Express: 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490 Metro Rapid: 740, 745 Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785* Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 481, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494 Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493*, 497*, 498*, 499*, 699* LADOT Commuter Express: 430*, 438*, 448*, 534* LADOT DASH: B, DD (Weekends Only), Lincoln Heights/Chinatown Orange County Transportation Authority: 701* Santa Clarita Transit: 794*, 799* Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10 Torrance Transit: 1, 2 |
January 30, 1993 |
| Civic Center | Red | Metro Local: 2, 4, 10, 11, 14, 28, 30, 31, 33, 37, 38, 40, 42, 45, 46, 48, 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 85, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 302, 328, 330, 368, 370, 378, 381, 394 Metro Express: 439, 442, 444, 445, 446, 447, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490 Metro Rapid: 714, 740, 745 Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785 Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494 Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493*, 497*, 498*, 499*, 699* LADOT Commuter Express: 409*, 413*, 419*, 422*, 423*, 430*, 431*, 437*, 438*, 448*, 534* LADOT DASH: A, B, D, DD (Weekends Only) Santa Clarita Transit: 799* Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10 Torrance Transit: 1, 2 |
January 30, 1993 |
| Pershing Square | Red | Angels Flight Metro Local: 2, 4, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 28, 30, 31, 33, 37, 38, 40, 42, 45, 46, 48, 53, 55, 62, 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 85, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 302, 316, 328, 330, 368, 370, 376, 378, 381, 394 Metro Express: 442, 444, 446, 447, 460, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490 Metro Rapid: 714, 720, 740, 745 Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494 LADOT Commuter Express: 413*, 419* LADOT DASH: B, C, D, DD (Weekends Only) Montebello Bus Lines: 40, 50, 341*, 342*, 343* Orange County Transportation Authority: 701*, 721* Torrance Transit: 1, 2 |
January 30, 1993 |
| 7th St/Metro Center | Red | Metro Local: 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 26, 37, 51, 52, 60, 62, 66, 76, 78, 79, 81, 316, 352, 366, 376, 378, 381 Metro Express: 439, 444, 445, 446, 447, 450X, 460, 484, 485, 487, 489, 490 Metro Rapid: 714, 720 Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785* Foothill Transit Local Plus: 480, 482, 486, 488, 492, 494 Foothill Transit Commuter Express: 493*, 497*, 498*, 499*, 699* LADOT Commuter Express: 409*, 422*, 423*, 430*, 431*, 437*, 438*, 448*, 534* LADOT DASH: A, B, C, DD (Weekends Only), E (Weekends Only), F (Weekends Only) Montebello Bus Lines: 40, 50, 341*, 342*, 343* Orange County Transportation Authority: 701*, 721* Santa Clarita Transit: 799* Santa Monica Big Blue Bus: 10 Torrance Transit: 1, 2 |
January 30, 1993 |
| Westlake/MacArthur Park | Red | Metro Local: 20, 200 Metro Rapid: 720 |
January 30, 1993 |
| Wilshire/Vermont | Red | Metro Local: 20, 204 Metro Rapid: 720; 754 LADOT DASH: Wilshire Center/Koreatown |
July 13, 1996 |
| Vermont/Beverly | Red | Metro Local: 14, 204 Metro Rapid: 714; 754 |
June 12, 1999 |
| Vermont/Santa Monica | Red | Metro Local: 4, 204 Metro Rapid: 754 LADOT DASH: Hollywood |
June 12, 1999 |
| Vermont/Sunset | Red | Metro Local: 2, 175, 204, 206, 217 Metro Rapid:702, 754 LADOT DASH: Hollywood |
June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Western | Red | Metro Local: 180, 181, 206, 207, 217 Metro Rapid: 757; 780 |
June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Vine | Red | Metro Local: 163, 180, 181, 210, 212, 217, 312 Metro Rapid: 710, 780 LADOT DASH: Hollywood, Hollywood/Wilshire, Beechwood Canyon |
June 12, 1999 |
| Hollywood/Highland | Red | Metro Local: 156, 163, 210, 212, 217, 312 Metro Rapid: 780 LADOT DASH: Hollywood, Hollywood/West Hollywood |
June 24, 2000 |
| Universal City | Red | Metro Local: 96, 150, 152, 156, 166, 240 Metro Rapid: 750 |
June 24, 2000 |
| North Hollywood | Red | Metro Local: 152, 154, 156, 166, 183, 353, 363 | June 24, 2000 |
Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.
[edit] In fiction
- In the videogame Grand Theft Auto:San Andreas Market Station in Los Santos is a fictional train station served by Brown Streak Railroad in the game is one of the stations based on the Metro Red Line, possibly the Civic Center station.
- In Heroes, Hiro Nakamura rides the Red Line
- On the popular television series Alias, the CIA black ops unit Authorized Personnel Only is located behind a maintenance door at the Civic Center station near the Los Angeles City Hall.
- In Season 6, hour 2 (7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.) of 24, Jack Bauer follows a suicide bomber to a red line station. After the terrorist boards a train bound for Union Station, Jack confronts the terrorist. A brief skirmish ensues, with Jack ejecting the terrorist through the back window of the train only seconds before the terrorist detonates the bomb.
- Part of the movie Speed transpires on a Red Line train departing Pershing Square station and ultimately crashing through the street surface at the then-under construction Hollywood/Highland station.
- Part of the movie Volcano takes place on the Wilshire branch of the Red Line where lava stops the train from operating and the passengers must be rescued in the tunnel.
- In The Italian Job, a heist takes place underneath the Hollywood/Highland station and through the Red Line tunnels until it reaches the Blue Line tunnel opening between 7th/Metro Center station and Pico station.
- The Red Line is also featured in S.W.A.T. where police chase a fugitive from Pershing Square station to Wilshire/Normandie station. The "Pershing Square" exterior is 7th St/Metro Cente, while the interior is Wilshire/Western.
- In the P. T. Anderson-directed music video for "Fast as You Can" by Fiona Apple, much of the action takes place on a moving Red Line train, which originates at the Hollywood/Western station. Anderson directed another music video for Apple, "Paper Bag," which was filmed at Union Station, but that was because of the Art Deco surroundings; the Red Line terminus was not featured.
- In the music video for "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter, the Red Line Pershing Square Station and vicinity is used as part of the daily commute for two singles and eventually where they meet.
- In the music video for "All for You" by Janet Jackson, Janet and company ride a subway to Venice (Beach), California, a trip which is not currently possible. While not explicitly shown to be the Red Line, it is an interesting nod to proposals to extend the subway from midtown to the beach.
[edit] References
- ^ Blankstein, Andrew and Jean Guccione. "MTA admits subway spill errors". Los Angeles Times. January 19, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ Blankstein, Andrew and Jean Guccione. "Transient held in MTA mercury spill", Los Angeles Times. January 24, 2007. (Retrieved on January 31, 2007)
- ^ http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/the-subway-mayor/349/ LA Weekly
- ^ http://www.metro.net/board/Items/2006/08_August/20060824RBMItem37.pdf Metro Board Meeting, August 8, 2005
[edit] External links
- MTA Home Page
- Red Line Home Page
- Take a Virtual Tour of the Red Line (QuickTime Required)
- Transit Rider Photos
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (website) | |
| Metro Bus | Metro Local – Metro Rapid – Metro Express |
| Metro Rail | Red Line – Purple Line – Blue Line – Green Line – Gold Line – Expo Line (future) |
| Metro Liner | Orange Line |
| Metro Transitways | Harbor Transitway – El Monte Busway |
| Connecting rail | Amtrak – Amtrak California – Metrolink |
| Other information | Union Station – Metro Fleet – Transportation of Los Angeles |
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| MBTA Blue, Orange, and Red Lines | MTA New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway | PATH | SEPTA Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines | PATCO Speedline | Baltimore Metro Subway | Washington Metro | MARTA | Miami Metrorail | Tren Urbano | RTA Rapid Transit Red Line | Chicago 'L' | BART | LACMTA Purple and Red Lines |
