Los Angeles LRT Expansion, USA

In the 1950s and early 1960s Los Angeles had an extensive network of surface tramways, but all were at the mercy of the private car and were closed by 1963. The city went through two decades without a major public transport system, but recognised its shortcomings, and eventually chose to reintroduce a new mass transit system to the west coast US city.

Today, there is one underground metro route and three operational light rail transit lines, with a fourth under construction. The first to open was the Metro Light Rail Blue Line, followed in 1993 by the first section of the Metro Red Line underground subway.

The introduction of mass transit orientated transportation has reduced the number of private cars on the road and the city has also introduced high-speed bus routes, which use dedicated lanes to negotiate traffic.

THE PROJECT

At present, the population of Los Angeles has a 140km (87.6 mile) light rail and subway system, following the opening of the first phase of the Metro Gold Line from Union Station north to Sierra Madre Villa in 2003.

As part of the current programme of works, the Metro Gold Line is being extended south from Union Station with eight stops to Pomona/Atlantic in the south east of the city.

On the opposite side of Los Angeles, the fourth LRT route is under construction – the Exposition Line – which is due to open for public service between Pico and Washington/National in 2010.

Combined, the two projects equate to a US$1,538m investment, with a budget of US$898m for the Metro Gold extension and US$640m for the Exposition Line.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The rail transit system in Los Angeles currently consists of the Metro Red Line – the 28km underground route from Union Station to North Hollywood, the 35km Metro Blue Line heading south from the city centre, the 32km Metro Green Line running east–west in the south of the city, and the Metro Gold Line, 22km long and the latest to be opened.

With 13 stations on its northern route, Metro Gold Line is being extended south with another eight stations on a six-mile alignment from Union Station. It will form a continuation of the existing Gold Line, and the estimated ride time from Union Station to the southern terminus at Atlantic is 17 minutes.

Two of the new stations will be underground, and construction includes boring twin tunnels under Boyle Heights for a distance of 2.9km (1.8 miles). Groundworks began in 2004 with the aim of passenger services beginning before the end of 2009. A park-and-ride site is being provided at Atlantic station.

The first section of the Exposition Line entered a four-year construction phase at the end of September 2006, following completion of final design work by the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority (Expo). Until complete, the line is owned by Expo, at which point it will transfer to the Los Angeles Metro. The first phase of the project will see the mid-city section from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City built, a total of 13.6km (8.5 miles) with ten stations.

The majority of the route is being built at grade, but the stations at La Cienega Boulevard. and La Brea Avenue will be on elevation.

ROLLING STOCK

The underground line is worked by a fleet of trains built by Ansaldo Breda of Italy. The vehicles are similar to those in service on the New York Subway, with stainless steel bodies and typical underground high-density seating inside.

On the light rail routes, a fleet of modern LRVs are in service, running as two-car sets, usually in pairs. These trains form the backbone of an intensive service which can run at five-minute intervals during peak times; a reduced service operates during the day.

SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

All trains on both the underground and light rail routes are governed by colour light signals. The light rail system has the benefit of running mainly on an alignment segregated from neighbouring roads, allowing reliable journey times.

THE FUTURE

The first section of the Exposition light rail line is due to open in 2010, but a future proposed extension will take it to the City of Santa Monica. There are also plans to extend the underground route towards the Pacific Ocean, following a feasibility study into tunnelling.