Gold Line Foothill Extension Already a Success? (Los Angeles, Long Beach: live in, authority)

[K 22]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

People that think Metrolink is too expensive better never take Commuter Rail in NYC or Boston. Way more expensive and both have many recreational riders. Also, the poster must never have taken Metrolink on weekends. Packed with recreational users taking advantage of the $10 Day Pass which includes free connections to Metro Rail and busses. The best deal around.

Regular fare in NYC is $2.75.
A one-way commuter rail ride (Metro North) from Grand Central Station to the last station in the city limits (18 miles) during rush hour is $8.75.

LA's got it REAL GOOD when it comes to transit fares.

[NorthOC]

Originally Posted by K 22

Better signal priority would do wonders for Expo. We'll see in 2 months when the Santa Monica section opens.

In a few years, a one-seat ride from Santa Monica to Azusa is going to be possible. It depends if Metro wants to create that route or if there's enough demand for it.

Actually no, it will be a one seat ride from Santa Monica to East L.A. or Long Beach to Azusa, once the Regional Connector opens.

[NorthOC]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

Just shows how much demand there is for improved light rail in LA County.

It will take a lot of time, but future LA County plans include extending the Gold Line into Pico Rivera and Whittier, the Green Line into Torrance, and an express bus from South Bay to North SFV along the 405(This is a mistake and should be light rail, along with light rail circling the SFV and cutting across it on Tampa or Balboa, along Supulveda, and along Lankershim...but the modern Luddites hate this idea.)

It will be years, but the John and Ken curmudgeon "Leave me alone in my car" crowd has failed and lost. Taxes will go up, LA will get decent public transportation. Meantime the leave me alone in my car people will suffer immensely on increasingly crowded roadways.

They have not failed and lost, they just do not ever go to L.A. proper, or ride Metro. Many are leaving to live in much nicer, more affordable, cities with less traffic.

[NorthOC]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

There is demand for all types of rail in Greater LA. People always say Metrolink is underutilized, but as a regular rider, I can tell you the rush hour lines are packed. The reason Metrolink doesn't have a high ridership is because they don't run many trains compared to other systems. Put in a Cal Train like schedule in Northern California and ridership would explode.

Metrolink needs to be vastly improved with all day service in both directions, including nights and weekends. There needs to be a 5-county Regional Transportation Authority with dedicated funding for Metro, Metrolink and maybe five (not 100) local bus systems. It will never happen unless the State Legislature mandates it.

[BGS91762]

Originally Posted by NorthOC

Metrolink needs to be vastly improved with all day service in both directions, including nights and weekends. There needs to be a 5-county Regional Transportation Authority with dedicated funding for Metro, Metrolink and maybe five (not 100) local bus systems. It will never happen unless the State Legislature mandates it.

I agree. The San Bernardino Line is the only one with even close to an acceptable level of service.

[K 22]

Originally Posted by NorthOC

Actually no, it will be a one seat ride from Santa Monica to East L.A. or Long Beach to Azusa, once the Regional Connector opens.

Yes, those are the planned routes but rerouting is always going to happen so Santa Monica-Azusa could be added to the fold if there's enough demand for it.

[citizensadvocate]

Originally Posted by BGS91762

I agree. The San Bernardino Line is the only one with even close to an acceptable level of service.

I really wish that MTA will extend the Red/purple line into busy San Gabriel area via the i10 corridor with stops in Atlantic, Garfield, Del Mar, Rosemead, San Gabriel, and El Monte Metrolink. connecting it with the planned "subway to the sea" and the Hollywood line. Then LA would have a real metro system. I also hope they upgrade the subway to resemble metro systems in Asia. They can build elevated tracks above Metrolink line or have Metrolink use the underutilized rail line that curves north at San Gabriel and Alhambra instead of building another out of the way light rail line there.

[Tribes]

Originally Posted by K 22

Santa Monica-Azusa could be added to the fold if there's enough demand for it.

Don't think there'd be enough.. The distance or time might be a deterrent..

[HarryKerryJr]

The Gold line has always had very healthy ridership on weekends with headways weekend mid-days matching that of weekday rush hours. The northeast sections that Gold Line serves has more quaint village like destinations and stops close to things people desire than any other Metro Rail line. The close proximity to DTLA or ease of accesss to DTLA from farther cities also draws people who live in those small cities to Union Station area and even transfer to Red Line to Hollyweird.

Further, the northeast section is an older section of LA and SGV and its residents have never had any hostility towards public transit. That distintcion goes to the Westsiders and just about every other corner of the LA area (except eastsiders). Of course, today, EVERYONE, including snobby Westsiders desperately want rail, unlike when modern rail was being planned and built (the Times being the loudest objecting of any institution--they've done a 180 since) and even at the time of Gold Line opening.

[HarryKerryJr]

Originally Posted by K 22

Yes, those are the planned routes but rerouting is always going to happen so Santa Monica-Azusa could be added to the fold if there's enough demand for it.

Actually, from what I know of people here, one could make an argument that far more people from the eastside want to go for work or have more things of interest to them SOUTH and that SGV people have more things of interest to them in the Westside. Or each has more in common with the other as opposed to the current plan of "Straight" lines. Yes, I do see more people in the SGV having more jobs in the westside than those on the eastside do and those on the eastside probably have more employment that current Blue line can take them to. That would be making the two lines an "X" rather than straight, and there are many metros around the world that have "X" instead of straight lines. MTA will no doubt conduct a study/survey, and they should operate as to where the most one-seat riders want to go.