Public Transportation Red Line - reliability?

[HarryKerryJr]

Yes, you are receiving the City mandated public transit allowance. There are 2 subway lines: the Red line and the purple line. They each share each share the tunnels and stations between Union Station and Wilshire/Vermont--this area includes all of downtown LA--then diverge from there. Red and Purple line have 10 minute head-ways during rush hours with a combined service of every 5 minutes during rush hours in the shared portion of the line.

You should also consider living near a connecting LRT line such as the Gold Line serving Pasadena. Gold Line head-ways are 6-7 minutes during rush hours. This would increase your housing options. It has a stop at Union Station where you can transfer to either Red or Purple line for train service every 5 minutes during the rush to your downtown stop.

I would also advise you to incresing your housing options even further by considering commuting to downtown by Metrolink commuter trains that serve the nearby and farther suburbs. There are 6 lines radiating from downtown Union Station to several directions serving portions of LA, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardion, and Riverside counties with service designed primarily for "8 to 5" commuters who work downtown (trains arriving at around 5:30 AM for those in the financial sector who need to be at their desk by 6AM are also available). Metrolink commuter trains are reliable, very clean, and very safe, and tend to have more affluent passengers, and are very popular for downtown commuters as the drive is just AWFUL.

Your monthly Metrolink pass is also your FREE TRANSFER to all of MTA Metro rail and local, limited, and Metro Rapid bus (extra fare for Silver Line bus and Express bus services) and LADOT Dash buses that circulate thorough out the downtown area providing a ride the last few blocks if you choose not to walk, but you can use the Dash for lunch trips. Any type of Metrolink type of ticket provides FREE Transfer to Metro subway in both directions (except the one-way Metrolink ticket) including the monthly pass and at all times to your downtown stop. Further, if you take one of the trains serving the same corridor as the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, your Metrolink monthly pass allows you to FREE travel on all Amtrak Pacific Surfliners within the destinations on your pass, including weekends. This allow commuters to use Amtrak trains as a supplement to Metrolink service along the shared corridor. However, Amtrak trains DO NOT serve all Metrolink stations, only shared Amtrak/Metrolink stations. All Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains serve Union Station.

Upon arriving at Union Station, it is any easy transfer to either subway line (on the same platform) running running every 5 minutes to your downtown stop, and every 5 minutes from your stop back to Union Station in evening rush. You won't be waiting for Metro Red or Purple long at all. So, in the morning all you have to do is walk downstairs to the subway and pay NO EXTRA FARE and head straight to the platform to board the subway. Just follow the crowd there. Metrolink service can increase your housing options to the entire metropolitan area.

Please investigate the following sites for more info:

www-dot-mta-dot-net
LACMTA Metro subway, LRT, buses

www-metrolinktrains-dot-com
Commuter rail service for Los Angeles region

www-dot-amtrak-dot-com/pacific-surfliner-train
Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner trains additional service to and from Union Station

Let us know what you decide to do.

[AustinLil]

Thanks for the help, everyone!

Also, on Universal City and North Hollywood, both of those stations offer free park and ride, so I am thinking about living within a very short drive from either. I'm comforted to see that trains tend to run on time, and this is looking like a great option.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by AustinLil

Thanks for the help, everyone!

Also, on Universal City and North Hollywood, both of those stations offer free park and ride, so I am thinking about living within a very short drive from either. I'm comforted to see that trains tend to run on time, and this is looking like a great option.

One thing to keep in mind about that - I've heard North Hollywood gets slammed with people doing the Park and Ride during the weekdays. Not sure about the Universal City stop.

[nowincal11]

Universal also get slammed. If you get there before 7:45AM, you will find a spot outside the station. If not, you have to use the overflow lot at Ventura & Cahuenga.