Los Angeles Subway
By Arnav Mishra Chief-In-Editor 23/3/2022
The Los Angeles MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is one of the States largest Rail & Tram Network. This infrastructure not only serves the city but the whole county from Chatsworth in the North to Long Beach in the South.
This is a mix of Heavy and Light Rail.Two Heavy rail-B & D Lines the rest are Light rail. The Network covers 93 Stations and has 50K Commuters daily and 101M in a year. This first began operation in 14 July 1990.
History
In the early 20th century, Southern California had an privately owned rail transit network similar to the British Rail System. With over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of track, operated by Pacific Electric (Red Cars) and Los Angeles Railway (Yellow Cars).These soon went into the deep dive into losses. However, from 1927 to save profits, the lightly used stations were replaced by bus.
In 1958 the private bus and other transport services were merged in to the government agency known as the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority or MTA. By 1963 the remaining rail lines were completely removed and replaced with bus service. In the following decades, growing traffic congestion led to increased public support for rail transit's return.
Beginning in the 1970s, The high Populations and Gas Prices made the city need a large MRT, The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA, now branded as Metro) began construction of the initial lines throughout the 1980s using revenues from a voter-approved increase in sales tax. The Blue (A) Line finally opened on July 14, 1990, This was opened after 27years later when the streetcar named warges closed.
Line Information
The B and D lines follow a fully underground route (Heavy rail route), and the C Line follows a fully grade separated route. The A, E and L Line routes run in a mix of environments, including at-grade street running, at-grade in an exclusive corridor, elevated, and underground. Current system Lines
Westbound Metro C (Green) Line train to Redondo Beach Station arrives at Long Beach Boulevard Station.
The Stations
With 93 stations. The large majority of light rail stations are either at ground level or elevated, with a handful underground. All MRT stations are underground. Future light rail lines will add more underground stations than overground to the system. Stations include at least two ticket vending machines, wayfinding maps, electronic message displays, and bench seating. Each station features unique artwork reflecting local culture and/or the function of transit in society.
Stations are unstaffed during regular hours. Call boxes are available at unstaffed stations for any help. Metro Rail uses a proof-of-payment fare system, with Metro's fare inspectors randomly inspecting trains and stations to ensure passengers have a valid fare product on their Transit Access Pass (TAP) electronic fare card.
Line B (Heavy Rail) at Los Angeles Union Station (National Rail)
When passengers enter a station, they encounter TAP card validators which collect fares when a customer places their card on top. Additionally, fare gates (turnstiles) connected to TAP card validators are at all underground stations, all elevated stations and some surface stations.
Once passengers pass these validators or board a train, they have entered the "fare paid zone," where fare inspectors may check their TAP card to ensure they have a valid fare. Underground stations are typically large in size with a mezzanine level for fare sales and collection above a platform level where passengers board trains.
Street-level stations are typically more simple with platforms designed with shade canopies, separated from nearby roads and sidewalks, An Underground may be a little more confusing. The Metro Rail system is very strong with 0% Damage chances and this is acutally true since it has never been damaged by natural disasters
Operating Hours
Between from 1990(Opening) to 2020, Metro Rail lines operated from5:00 am to midnight, seven days a week. Limited service was avalible between am 12:00 to 5:00 am On weekends ,service operated until 2:00 am.
There was no rail service between 2:00 am and 3:30 am, except on special occasions such as New Year's Eve. Service operated every 5–10 minutes during the peak period, every 10–15 Min Interval on weekdays, and every 20 minutes during the evening until the close of service. Exact times varied from route to route.
Fares
The standard Metro base fare applies for all trips. Fare collection is based on a partial proof-of-payment system. At least two fare machines are at each station. There are security at every corner to catch scams. Passengers are required to purchase a TAP card to enter stations equipped with fare gates. Passengers using a TAP card can transfer between Metro routes for free within 2 hours from the first tap.
Expansion Projects
Metro has worked to plan and prioritize project funding and implementation. Metro's 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) has a promise to have sustainable & affordable urban transport.
Metro is currently attempting to update the LRTP 2009 plan citing new housing trends and fiscal changes. Metro plans to release the updated LRTP in early 2020.
Beginning in 2014, Metro saw its ridership numbers begin to decline. Many explanations exist for the decline. The biggest factor for declines were the high rent in the city and shortage of housing made it saw the decline in Commuter numbers.
The fiscal changes are the passage of Measure R, a countywide incremental sales tax increase passed by voters in 2008, provides funding for many of the highest priority projects in the LRTP. [19] On November 6, 2012, Metro attempted to pass Measure J, [20] but failed as it did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
In November 2016 election, Metro (Company Name) decided to place another sales tax on the ballot. They used the election as an advantage to get funds from the public. In 2018, Metro approved renaming its rail lines using a letter-based scheme, similar to those in New York City. Metro recommended the opening of the refurbished A Line in 2019 as a starting point to rename the lines.
