A Line (Los Angeles Metro)

Metro Blue Line
Blue Line train entering the Imperial/Wilmington station
Overview
Locale	Los Angeles, California
Termini	7th St/Metro Center Long Beach Transit Mall
Stations	22
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Los Angeles County Metro Rail
Services	B or 801
Operator(s)	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA)
Rolling stock	Nippon Sharyo P850 and P2020
History
Opened	July 14, 1990
Technical
Line length	22 mi (35.4 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
Route map File:Blue Line Map.png

The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach. The Blue Line is currently the longest in the Metro system and the second busiest light rail line in the United States, averaging over 70,000 weekday boardings.

On its journey, Blue Line trains cut through much of the densely populated area south of Downtown LA, which includes South Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Watts, Compton, and Carson. The Blue Line passes near the Watts Towers.

The Blue Line has two other official names: the B Line, and Line 801. These are rarely used by residents, but occasionally appear on official documents.

History

Opening in 1990 at a cost of $US 877 million, it is the longest line in the Metro system, handling an estimated 25.7 million passengers per year. The line runs in the median of city streets in Downtown Los Angeles and in much of Long Beach, but for the most part uses the Pacific Electric four track right-of-way, with some elevated structures just south of Downtown. Due to the wide right-of-way, express service was considered, but no express tracks were constructed. The line also runs through a brief subway in Downtown Los Angeles, between Pico and 7th Street/Metro Center.

A new "Regional Connector" was designed to connect Metro Center with Union Station but work on this project was halted indefinitely by the successful 1998 county ballot initiative that banned the use of existing sales tax revenue for subway projects. It is likely that this project will not be revived until after the completion of the Exposition Boulevard line, which will share track with the Blue Line in the easternmost portions of its route. The Downtown Connector project would address the awkward situation in which passage between lines terminating at Union Station (the Gold Line and Metrolink commuter trains) and the Blue Line requires a transfer to a Red or Purple Line train.

The "Blue Line" was also an announced routing given to plans for a light rail line to Pasadena. Work began on this line as early as 1998 but was suspended following the 1998 county ballot initiative, which banned use of taxpayer money on subway construction. Adam Schiff authored a bill that created a separate authority to continue work on the line. When construction began again in 2000, it became the Gold Line, since it began at Union Station and thus had no direct connection to the Blue Line.

Throughout 2007, many Metro Blue Line intersections are undergoing track repairs, taking place from Friday evenings to Sunday evenings. Both tracks would go out of service and passengers would have to board buses to get around the construction areas. Since July 2007, most of the intersections being repaired are between the Imperial/Wilmington and Compton Stations.[2]

Information

At Imperial/Wilmington/Rosa Parks Station, the Blue Line connects with the Green Line with service to Norwalk and Redondo Beach, mostly along the I-105 Freeway.

During peak hours, every other train serves only the stations between Willow and 7th Street/Metro Center to provide more frequent service on that portion of the route. Willow Station was chosen because of its proximity to the Blue Line storage yard and because it is the last Outbound station with a Park and Ride lot. In the afternoon/evening rush, riders will see some trains destined to "Willow" and others to "Long Beach." Consequently, those riders destined to Long Beach must exit at Willow Station and wait for the next train which terminates at Long Beach Transit Mall.

Blue Line trains are made by Nippon Sharyo. In 2000, train cars 109 and 148 were painted Red to celebrate an anniversary of the Pacific Electric Railway. These red painted cars have since been repainted to match the rest of the fleet.

As of July 2006, LACMTA estimated that the Blue Line had 72,295 average weekday boardings, and 25.7 million yearly boardings. The line is 22 miles long, with 22 stations. There are 69 cars in the fleet.

In 2006, the Metro Blue Line began using automated stop announcements after the Metro Green and Gold Lines had automated stop announcements since 2004. The announcements do not have the same voice as the Metro Green Line and Metro Gold Line.

Line issues

Capacity

The line was originally designed for two-car trains, but the line proved more popular than expected. To accommodate the growing demand, in 2000-2001, LACTMA spent $US 11 million lengthening 19 platforms to accommodate three-car trains. These are actually articulated double rail cars, meaning an effective six car train. To handle even more ridership will prove difficult. Both possible solutions — going to four-car trains or more frequent trains — have problems. It will be difficult or impossible to lengthen some of the station platforms. On the other hand, some roads crossing the Blue Line are already impacted by the delays at grade crossings, which would only become exacerbated with more frequent trains. Blue Line ridership may not be able to increase without an extremely expensive grade-separation project, either by elevation or by an entrenchment method similar to that used by the nearby Alameda Corridor freight rail "expressway."

Collisions & Deaths

Blue Line train departing 7th Street/Metro Center

More than 87 motorists and pedestrians have been killed at Blue Line crossings since 1990 and there have been more than 792 accidents, making the the line by multiples the deadliest and most accident-prone rail line in the country.

In 1998, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. was commissioned by MTA to evaluate the cause of Blue Line accidents and make recommendations for fiscally realistic mitigation measures. The study reported that the high ridership (over 70,000 per day) was the major contributor:

"The MBL has one of the highest ridership counts for light rail lines in the Country. This factor is perhaps the most important contributor to the grade crossing accident rate. The high ridership results in increased pedestrian traffic near stations as compared to other light rail systems. In addition, although MTA Operations does not allow high passenger loads dictate safe operations, there is pressure to maintain travel times and headway schedule requirements (e.g., passenger trip from Los Angeles to Long Beach in less than one hour)."

Other identified contributing factors were the high population density area that leads to more pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the tracks, diverse varied socio-economic community around the line that create literacy and language challenges to public education campaigns, driver frustration due to the slow traffic speeds around the line that leads to more risk taking behavior, and the shared right-of-way with freight track in the fastest running section from Washington station to Willow station, where trains operate at a maximum of 55 mph (90 km/h) between stations.

The accident rate has declined somewhat following the installation of four-quadrant gates at some crossings where the Blue Line hares the right-of-way with freight rail between Washington station and Willow station. The gates effectively prevent drivers from going around lowered gates. In addition, cameras are used along some problem intersections which issue traffic tickets when drivers go around gates. Yet, accidents and deaths still occur at a rate significantly higher rates than comparable lines. On January 26, 2007, a 14-year old boy named Lavert Baker, Jr. was killed on his way walking home from school by a Blue Line train that was carrying his closest sister.

Additionally, four-quadrant gates aren't a feasible mitigation option in the most accident-prone section of the line from Pico Station to Washington Station and from Willow Station to Pacific Station. On May 16, 2007, a teenage girl, who was reportedly talking on her cell phone was killed by a Blue Line train when crossing the tracks without looking both directions.

Crime

Another issue facing the Blue Line is that the Blue Line passes through many gang territories in the South Los Angeles-area. To quell fears, Metro issued a press release stating that "[t]he gangs in the area are known to have a respect for the rail line and recognize that the trains are not part of their turf."

Crime has risen in recent years on the Metro Blue Line, with the main crimes being theft and physical assaults. Few shootings occur at rail stations and none has ever occurred on a train. The grade crossings, station platforms and trains are patrolled by a special division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Ridership by the homeless has become a nuisance problem, with anecdotal reports of public urination and even defecation on trains and station platforms by mentally ill transients. In addition, another common nuisance are vendors hawking pirated copies of copyrighted materials.

Rolling stock

The Blue line uses cars from the Nippon-Sharyo company. Although three-car lengths are the norm due to high ridership, some two-car pairs are used late nights and weekend mornings.

When the Metro Blue Line opened, the line originally had 54 cars (P850; 100-153). In 2000, the Blue Line added 14 cars (P2020; 154-168) from the Metro Green Line after the Green Line began using Siemens cars. [3] The Blue Line currently has 68 train cars in their fleet.

Currently, 65 cars are in the Orange/White livery. Past livery was sky/light/dark blue and red lines on white. [4] In 2000, train cars 109 and 148 were painted Red to celebrate an anniversary of the Pacific Electric Railway. These red painted cars have since been painted to the current livery, which is sleek silver. [5] Also, car 105 is in current livery, but is all white with black lettering, similar to Metro Gold Line car 302.

List of stations, from north to south

Station	Connections	Date opened	City
7th St/Metro Center	Red Line  Purple Line  Harbor Transitway Metro Rapid: 714, 720, 760, 770 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak	February 1991	Los Angeles
Pico-Chick Hearn	Harbor Transitway	July 14, 1990
Grand	Metro Rapid: 714	July 14, 1990
San Pedro		July 14, 1990
Washington		July 14, 1990
Vernon	Metro Rapid: 705	July 14, 1990
Slauson		July 14, 1990
Florence	Metro Rapid: 711	July 14, 1990	Florence
Firestone		July 14, 1990
103rd Street-Kenneth Hahn		July 14, 1990	Watts
Imperial/Wilmington	Green Line	July 14, 1990	Willowbrook
Compton		July 14, 1990	Compton
Artesia	Metro Rapid: 760	July 14, 1990
Del Amo		July 14, 1990	Carson
Wardlow		July 14, 1990	Long Beach
Willow		July 14, 1990
Pacific Coast Highway		July 14, 1990
Anaheim Street		July 14, 1990
5th Street (southbound only)		September 1990
1st Street (southbound only)		September 1990
Transit Mall (southbound only)		September 1990
Pacific (northbound only)		September 1990

External links

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• A History of the Blue Line: A Light Rail Success Story by the Transit Coalition

Killing Time on the Ghetto Blue from the LA Weekly