D Line (Los Angeles Metro)

Metro Purple Line
Passengers at 7th Street/Metro Center.
Overview
Status	In service
Line number	805
Termini	Template:LA Metro station Template:LA Metro station
Stations	8
Website	Purple Line
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	Metro Rail
Operator(s)	Metro (LACMTA)
Depot(s)	Division 20 (Downtown Los Angeles)
Rolling stock	Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie A650
History
Opened	January 30, 1993 (January 30, 1993)
Technical
Line length	6.4 mi (10.3 km)
Track length	2 or 4 cars
Character	Subway (fully underground)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Template:Infobox rdt

The Purple Line is a subway line operating between Downtown Los Angeles and Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown, Los Angeles, California in Los Angeles; one of six lines on the Metro Rail System.

Inside train fleet number #530 on the Metro Purple Line.

The Metro Purple Line is one of the city's two subway lines (along with the Metro Red Line). Although they separate in different directions west of downtown Los Angeles, the two subway lines (Purple and Red) were until recently considered two branches of one line, and are still marked this way in most stations, on schedules, and on older rail maps. As of July 2013, the combined Red and Purple lines averaged 162,746 boardings per weekday. The line is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Service description

Route

The Metro Purple Line begins at Union Station. At Union Station, passengers can connect to the Metro Silver Line bus rapid transit line, and the Metro Gold Line. The Purple Line travels southwest through Downtown Los Angeles, passing the Civic Center, Pershing Square (near the Historic Core) and the Financial District. Passengers can connect to the Metro Silver Line (both directions) at Civic Center Station. At Pershing Square Station, passengers can board the northbound Metro Silver Line bus at Olive St./5th Street. At Template:LA Metro station, travelers can connect to the Metro Blue Line, Metro Expo Line and the Metro Silver Line. From here, the train follows 7th Street west through Pico-Union and Westlake, arriving at Template:LA Metro station in the city's Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown district. Up to this point, track is shared with the Metro Red Line: at Wilshire/Vermont, the two lines diverge. The Purple Line continues west for one additional mile, and terminates at Template:LA Metro station.

Hours of operation

Trains run between approximately 4:45 am and 11:30 pm daily. First and last train times are as follows:

To/From Wilshire/Western

Eastbound

• First Train to Union Station: 4:41 am
• Last Train to Union Station: 11:42 pm

Westbound

• First Train to Wilshire/Western: 4:56 am
• Last Train to Wilshire/Western: 11:27 pm

During the evenings Purple line trains sometimes run as shuttles. Passengers must transfer to a Red line train at Wilshire/Vermont. This will change once the Purple line is extended to Westwood.

Rolling stock

The Purple Line uses Ansaldobreda A650 75-foot (23 m) electric multiple unit cars built by Ansaldobreda in Italy. Trains usually run in four-car consists during peak hours and two-car consists outside of peak hours. The acceleration for cars #530 and up is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority because they both use General Electric traction motors. The cars are maintained in a yard on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.

Ridership

The Purple Line is utilized mostly as a downtown shuttle on its shared segment with the Red Line. The stub between Vermont and Western has a very low ridership. According to Metro Service Coordinator Conan Cheung, the stub is operating 11% full during peak hours, and even lower at other times.

Duplicate service on Wilshire

The Purple Line runs underground below Wilshire Boulevard, where it is served on the surface by Metro Local route 20 and Metro Rapid route 720. Despite duplicate service, Metro justified the redundant bus service (also due to the low ridership of the Purple Line as stated above), as both routes, which run frequent service, operate from downtown Los Angeles along the entire Wilshire corridor (unlike the Purple Line at this current time) out west to Beverly Hills, Westwood and Santa Monica.

History

Main article: Red Line (Los Angeles Metro) § Construction history

The "Purple Line" was originally one of two main branches of the Red Line, which was completed in 1996 and opened as the second segment of the Red Line. It was part of a much longer Red Line plan to Westside, until that plan was scrapped due to political opposition and geotechnical difficulties. Therefore only one mile of this branch was ever built: a short stub connecting Template:LA Metro station and Template:LA Metro station. In 2006, the route operating between LA Union Station and Wilshire/Western Station was renamed the "Purple Line" to help distinguish it from the North Hollywood branch, which retained the name Red Line.

Future extension

Main article: Purple Line Extension

Metro is now aiming to complete the subway to the Westside. The new project is called the Westside Subway Extension and is currently seeking federal funding. Metro released the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) on March 19, 2012, and the first phase of the project (to Wilshire / La Cienega) was approved by Metro's Board of Directors on April 26, 2012.

Operations

The Purple Line is operated out of the Division 20 Yard (Santa Fe Yard) located at 320 South Santa Fe Avenue Los Angeles. This yard stores the fleet used on the Red and Purple Line. It is also where heavy maintenance is done on the fleet. Subways get to this yard by continuing on after Union Station. Trains make a right turn before coming to surface level at Ducommun Street, and then travel south to 1st Street where they enter the yard.

Station listing

Metro Purple Line train at Union Station.Both the Metro Red & Purples' end at Union Station which is the eastern terminus of both lines.

Pershing Square Station is served both by the Metro Red & Purple Lines.

Metro Red & Purple Lines platform at 7th Street/Metro Center Station. At this transfer station passengers can connect to the Metro Silver Line at the street level, or the Metro Blue & Expo Lines above this platform.

Westlake/Mac Arthur Park Metro Red & Purple Lines station platform.

The following table lists the stations of the Purple Line, from east to west:

Station	Connections	Date Opened	Station Parking	City/ Neighborhood
Union Station	Metro Red Line  Metro Gold Line  Metro Silver Line  Metro Local: 40, 68, 70, 71, 78 79, 378 Metro Express: 485, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 733, 740, 745, 770 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Amtrak Metrolink	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)	Downtown Los Angeles
Civic Center	Metro Red Line  Metro Silver Line  Metro Local: 2, 4, 10, 14, 30, 37, 40, 45, 48, 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 330, 378 Metro Express: 442, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 728, 733, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)
Pershing Square	Metro Red Line  Metro Silver Line  (Northbound Only) Metro Local:2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 28, 30, 33, 37, 38, 40, 45, 48, 53, 55, 62, 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 316, 330, 378 Metro Express: 460, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720, 728, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Angels Flight	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)
7th St/Metro Center	Metro Red Line  Metro Blue Line  Metro Expo Line  Metro Silver Line  Metro Local:14, 16, 18, 20, 37, 51, 52, 60, 62, 66, 76, 78, 79, 81, 316, 352, 378 Metro Express: 450X, 460, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720, 760 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Big Blue Bus: Rapid 10	January 30, 1993	None
Westlake/MacArthur Park	Metro Red Line  Metro Local:18, 20, 51, 52, 200, 352, 603 Metro Express: 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720	January 30, 1993	None	Westlake
Wilshire/Vermont	Metro Red Line  Metro Local:18, 20, 51, 52, 201, 204, 352 Metro Rapid: 720, 754	July 13, 1996	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)	Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown
Wilshire/Normandie	Metro Local: 18, 20, 206 Metro Rapid: 720	July 13, 1996	None
Wilshire/Western	Metro Local:18, 20, 66, 207, 209 Metro Rapid: 710, 720, 757 Big Blue Bus: Rapid 7	July 13, 1996	None

See also

• Purple Line Extension
• Red Line (Los Angeles Metro)
• Los Angeles County Metro Rail
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

External links

• Purple Line homepage
• Purple Line schedule