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LA missed out on its coastal location. Imagine downtown right on the beach, just like San Diego to the south. Then you'd have a true Med megacity, one of a kind. Med Europe (Barcelona, Naples, Nice, Valencia, etc) would be proud.
Downtown LA was established before water was rerouted via canals. Hence it's location.
I believe LA surpassed SF in terms of rail lines and miles covered a few years ago. Presently there are 4 light rail lines and 2 subway lines. In addition the new Crenshaw line connecting LAX to Downtown LA, via the Expo line, will be completed in 2019 or 2020. The Crenshaw line will also connect with the Green line. Construction also continues on 3 new underground subway station in downtown LA to service the Expo and Blue line trains.
3 new subway station are also under construction along Wilshire Blvd extending the Purple line subway from K-Town to Mid-Wilshire, in phase one of that project which will eventually reach the Westwood/UCLA area.
Construction also continues on the Gold Line light rail line which presently ends at Azusa. When complete, sometime in 2020, it will reach San Dimas.
The 3 new underground subway stations in downtown LA also service the Gold Line--it's connecting these lines together to run a more efficient through-running route within downtown. It's also going to technically take away a line, probably the Expo Line, as it consolidates the three services into two, but it's really adding more and better service.
Since we're talking about things on a metro level, it should be mentioned the South Bay also includes VTA light rail which has some decent length on it.
Not saying it's great, but that post I was responding to was about miles and routes. I think it's better that they did plan ahead and put the light rail in and try to drive density now rather than have density and then have to have a more costly build out to accommodate a system after land acquisition and nimby's go even more out of control. The opening of the second phase of BART's Silicon Valley extension that has a link to VTA (supposedly opening June of this year) will probably add some ridership (along with the increasing population density of San Jose) and might push VTA's annual ridership past the 10 million mark again.
What was so bad about your experience with VTA light rail?
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 01-16-2018 at 12:57 PM..
Not saying it's great, but that post I was responding to was about miles and routes. I think it's better that they did plan ahead and put the light rail in and try to drive density now rather than have density and then have to have a more costly build out to accommodate a system after land acquisition and nimby's go even more out of control. The opening of the second phase of BART's Silicon Valley extension that has a link to VTA (supposedly opening June of this year) will probably add some ridership (along with the increasing population density of San Jose) and might push VTA's annual ridership past the 10 million mark again.
What was so bad about your experience with VTA light rail?
Just look at it's map. It's brain dead.
Bart into DT San Jose with Cal Train will make it totally useless.
Bart into DT San Jose with Cal Train will make it totally useless.
Why? BART's going to come in from the east, Caltrain goes straight north from Diridon. It doesn't look like they're duplicating service and they'll eventually end up meeting with different transfer points with a main one at Diridon. I'm not sure why that's so bad.
Much of the VTA stop isn't that walkable, but wouldn't that come in time with infill? That's pretty much the strategy LA took with much of the Gold Line. If infill really starts going in the northern parts of San Jose and Santa Clara, then I can see a third line that basically runs as a northern arc between the two major lines rather than going south which is a pretty common kind of structure to run. What was it about your VTA rail experience that made you feel like it was particularly bad? And did you feel like it was unfixably bad?
Downtown LA was established before water was rerouted via canals. Hence it's location.
True. Also, apparently, the risk of attacks from pirates was also a factor in causing the settlement to be as inland as it was.
Nevertheless, LA's done a very good job with connectivity to its smaller coastal cities. The recognition of its name regarding beach culture says it all.
True. Also, apparently, the risk of attacks from pirates was also a factor in causing the settlement to be as inland as it was.
Nevertheless, LA's done a very good job with connectivity to its smaller coastal cities. The recognition of its name regarding beach culture says it all.
It’s pretty nice to have a downtown Santa Monica to go with a downtown Los Angeles.
The 3 new underground subway stations in downtown LA also service the Gold Line--it's connecting these lines together to run a more efficient through-running route within downtown. It's also going to technically take away a line, probably the Expo Line, as it consolidates the three services into two, but it's really adding more and better service.
Since we're talking about things on a metro level, it should be mentioned the South Bay also includes VTA light rail which has some decent length on it.
Good info.....thanks. Any idea's on future projects. I for one would like to see the Crenshaw line eventually hook up with the Red Line subway at Hollywood/Highland.
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