Amazing as always. Would love to see how metrolink will change too, beyond just the harbor subdivision to the airport. Electrification is obviously gonna be huge, massively increasing speeds; we could effectively turn the Ventura county line in the valley into rapid transit, for instance. Also would be incredible if beyond the LINK US run-through tracks at Union, we could get a metrolink RER-style tunnel through downtown, stopping at 7th metro. Imagine a one seat ride between Claremont and 7th / Metro, or Fullerton and the Burbank airport. Or if we went truly crazy, doubling on the harbor subdivision between el segundo and long beach, and offering an RER style service between downtown long beach, the airport, downtown, and union station, onto like riverside
I am still wondering on what are we going to do with A (Blue) Line's loop-around. I'm suggesting they should break up the loop, double track it, and bring the line down to Seal Beach.
The homeless crisis basically killed any hopes for new rail construction for the foreseeable future. Why do ya think Metro's Artesia Line is pushed back to 2041? If no new tracks were laid since covid began, they wont be for a long time.
@@LuckyFlanker13 I think they're hinting at the public's perception that transit = mobile homeless encampment. I will say that I would expect hell to freeze over before Seal Beach agrees to any metro light rail.
Awesome video as always. You should start a patreon, your work is super important and I'd love to support. Also, that animation of the line under Dodger Stadium was dope. Can't image how long it takes you to edit these things.
Always dreamed about an underground subway/light rail along Ventura Blvd. connecting the edge of Calabasas to Universal City. That whole commercial corridor in the Valley could be interconnected finally. Probably never happen because of the residents living in that area are the types who would never support public transit, but one can dream. . .
when I moved to Northridge in '07, this was my DREAAAAAM. Finding out that the Orange Line was originally supposed to be a subway extension of the Red for a one-seat ride across the valley into downtown broke my little heart. LA really is the city of broken dreams!
@@adamglinder you can blame valley residents for that. Now, all these years later, they're clamoring for rail service. I guess the old NIMBY farts against rail died off.
Building more metro lines is nice. but a big issue is city planning. LA needs to start to build things around each metro stations. So people can just get off the metro and walk to places.
you got it all figured out playa - i'm not from L.A. and have never been there but i saved your channel as i figured the city is major enough for me to know whats happening/should happen in its metro systems
One line I would add is a Red line subway extension to East LA under Whittier Blvd that would connect to the underground Gold line extension station at Whittier and Atlantic. I believe this subway line was originally proposed but got cut when local subway funding was stopped and we got the Gold line light rail instead.
LA needs to also make significant changes to their car oriented land uses. Metro continues to build stations that are oriented to drivers, and not people walking to the stations. Higher density housing is very much needed to make these transit routes successful.🚍🚅🚉
As someone from Chicago, I'm jealous of the long-term public transportation plans LA is getting. While we're upgrading rail infrastructure on the red and purple lines and extending the red line (which starts construction in 2025 and opens 2029), our long range plans feel almost nonexistent. Low-hanging fruit and long-term goals for the CTA (Orange Line to Ford City, Yellow Line to Old Orchard, Circle Line) have essentially been abandoned. The city has been looking into an Ashland BRT (and one possibly for Western too) which hasn't seen action since... 2013. And that's not even mentioning Metra, but at least they're upgrading their coaches. That, and there's the Illinois High-Speed Rail Commission.
Thanks for making another great video! I think it would be great if there was a rapid metrolink (like the LAX/slauson proposal) to Long Beach running parallel with the A line. That way commuters from the Valley/Palmdale/Ventura could directly go to Long Beach.
Im from boston, But I enjoy seeing these videos alot. I would hope LA would actually get an appropriate rail and bus network. it's one of the cities that definitely deserves one.
Here's my two cents: future rail projects will never reach their full potential until Los Angeles finally starts to seriously densify itself, especially along the rail lines. I live near the Orange Line in the North SFV, and I barely see anyone ride it because there's NOTHING near the stops!! It's all just industry.
Densification around transit nodes is intricately linked to solving the housing crisis and feeding the future of rail. But sanitation and safety is the biggest concern right now because it’s causing an immediate decline in ridership. At the same time it needs more frequent reliable service and right of ways.
As someone who lives near the A Line I see a ton of passengers despite lower density. I wish the line had more grade separations to speed up the line and make it more reliable. Only then should the areas around the station be up zoned.
Bravo! excellent video and presentation. In this “future” iteration, it looks like this would be when many of LA’s major transit corridors get service, as opposed to old RR ROW’s. I love the BRT Express idea between Pasadena and Burbank. It’s a great way to stitch together access across very long distances that are in demand. I’m also loving the other BRT corridors. I do think there is a need for more BRT in central Los Angeles like along 3rd or Beverly, Olympic, and La Brea. All of these are in the densest residential and employment part of LA County. I’m not too enthusiastic about Burbank Airport. I know lots of people want that connection, but I don’t think it’s worth it. Maybe w light rail but definitely not w the heavy rail. LA Metro’s ridership projections for LAX is 2200 riders/day. Chicago O’Hare station pre-Covid ridership was 11,019. BART SFO: 5,268. BART Oakland Airport: 1,005. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Burbank Airport didn’t perform any better than a standard LA bus stop. It would make more sense for the Red Line, instead of going to Burbank Airport, to either take over the Orange Line across the San Fernando Valley or to continue north along the east San Fernando Valley to San Fernando or even maybe to Santa Clarita. I would also like to see the Red or Purple line make the trip out to El Monte rather than light rail. The El Monte transit hub serves 25,000 daily (according to Metro). I know some don't like the idea of interlining rail services but, interlining is successfully done in many of the world’s busiest metros. It’s more complex operationally but it’s very common and without problems. Building wye connections shouldn’t be a deal breaker either. Wyes are as common as interlining. In most cities w long term master plans, building in the provisions for the wye when they build the initial line, makes it all so much cheaper to finish later on. Of course, that would require a commitment to a well-thought-out long-range plan which LA Metro has proven to be incapable of. But this map you’ve made hits all the major corridors that Metro is missing. I'm loving it. Once these connections are available is when people will have a high likelihood of living car free.
Blah blah, how do you get around in Burbank n Pasadea. Wait, driving. Train lovers just love to drive n hate public transportation. I lived in Pasadena for 2 years. I lived in Burbank for 2 years. All because of work. The companies would never hire me if I didn't move. Gold line n your selfish interline rail does not help
Vernon City and Commerce City would greatly benefit from a couple of train lines to go through those cities. There are a lot of factory workers who commute to those cities everyday to work and there is little to no public transportation. 13:35 You can see in the map that those places are pretty neglected.
Commerce has a free bus system with 4 lines throughout the city. One of those lines goes to Union Station if I'm not mistaken. There will also be an underground station of the approved Gold line extension located at the Citadel Outlets. I wouldn't be surprised if Commerce extends their free bus service to connect to a WSAB station going forward. Oh, and Commerce currently has a Metrolink station too. Commerce has 10,000 residents. Vernon has like 100. They are two very different cities. Commerce has several approved and proposed residential housing developments in the works too.
I would love to see a sister channel that talks about land-use changes in the coming years. What will be upzoned and when and how this changes city revenue, real estate, demographics, housing shortage, etc.
Honestly, I think there needs to be a rail that go through the Cahuenga Pass. Essentially a Commuter Express replacement for the 422, but for connecting the valley to the Los Angeles Basin. Like above ground. If the freeways can downsize in the future (plus there is plenty of room,) than the current constant widening. Plus, like in the last video with Freeway Caps near Union Station, Hollywood has also talked about them, so they could be done in conjunction with park additions/improvements. Stops next to Freeway near: {1} Western -between- South Ent. @ SMB & North Ent. @ Lexington (with OPTIONAL park cap between bridges,) {2} Bronson -between- South Ent. @ Sunset & North Ent. @ Hollywood (with OPTIONAL park cap between bridges,) {3} Franklin *OPTION #1 -between- East Ent. @ Gower & West Ent. @ Argyle *OPTION #2 -between- East Ent. @ Argyle(or)Vine & West Ent. @ Ivar Park(or)Cahuenga, {4} Hollywood Bowl/The Ford -between- South Ent. @ Odin Street & North Ent. @ Cahuenga Terrace (with *OPTIONAL some of 'The Bowl' parking turned into parks,) {5} Cahuenga Blvd -between- South Ent. @ Barham & North Ent. @ El Paseo De Cahuenga Park, {6} Ventura Blvd -between- South Ent. @ Lankershim & North Ent. @ Campo De Cahuenga (street) (which would integrate with their Mass Transit make over for the Red Line Station, Pink Route Terminal, Bus Stops, Park-N-Ride Lots, of which are right next to South Weddington Park & Campo de Cahuenga Site,) {7} Vineland -between- South Ent. @ Acama St/Whipple St & North Ent. @ Moorpark (with *OPTIONAL improvements to the Central Branch Tujunga Wash,) {8} Tujunga Ave/Valley Village Park -between- South Ent. @ Hudson St. & North Ent. @ Magnolia (with *OPTIONAL improvements [continued] to the Central Branch Tujunga Wash & the surrounding parks with potentially underground parking added while doing improvements to the parks & over Freeway walk/bike way connector,) {9} Colfax/Orange Line -between- South Ent. @ Chandler & North Ent. @ Burbank Blvd, {10} NoHo West [on] Laurel Canyon Blvd -between- Oxnard to the South & Erwin St/Laurel Grove Park to the North, {11} Valley Plaza [on] Vanowen *OPTION #1 -between- Archwood St to the South & Hartland St to the North *OPTION #2 -between- South Ent. @ Vanowen & North Ent. @ Hart St. (with *OPTIONAL 'new replacement' for over freeway walk/bike way connector.) Beyond that going North would depend on Improvements/Density near major roadways and empty/underutilized land. Going south, you could go right to Union Station. Thought the last stretch I'd put underground, passing under the 110 and running parallel coming into Union Station to the Red/Purple Lines. Overall, this one would have more stops, as it goes Diagonally in the city, as this Freeway does, and areas around Highways/Freeways tend to be underserved in a general sense, and they disconnect communities/neighborhoods so this would help connect them and their infrastructure, as well.
YESTERDAY. I feel like the moment they figure out how to get WSAB to LAUS, what once was "Eco-Rapid Transit" will be discussing the Glendale inevitability.
I don't think such is likely any time soon. I am curious to see if the gondola can get built. I believe it's funded, so the only thing that can stop it is neighborhood opposition and lawsuits. Yeah low capacity, but Dodger Stadium really is all by itself there, and a through line as shown in this video seems unlikely, at least for a decade or three.
Is there a way you can make a video around the SGV/Montebello area? I live here and would love a more in depth video about future projects coming to the area
I really hope so. There are so many more people living in DTLA now that would benefit tremendously. It would also help with first/last mile connections to regional connecter stations and subway stations.
Why is Rail to River a good project? It seems like they're throwing away a potentially valuable rail corridor for a weird "park" which has minimal actual green space. To be clear, I’m not criticizing the project - I’m genuinely curious what its value is, since pretty much all I’ve seen about it is from Metro press releases.
I think it has opportunity. It's creating a nice green space in a lower income neighborhood that could really benefit from it. Especially if Metro allows space for the street vendors and pop ups already in the area.
@@renaes2807 that makes sense. I guess the bigger concern in my mind is getting rid of the rail corridor. Or is it just much less useful for transit than I think it is?
@@samuellush Yeah a lot of what Renae said, plus the city needs a lot of active transportation infrastructure too, so anywhere they can build that is still good utilization of space. I think one of the big concerns is that, if it were used for a Union-LAX express line, it would essentially take that space from the neighborhood without serving it, which is adding insult to injury on an already underserved neighborhood. And a Slauson LRT line is so far into the future that utilizing the space now is better than letting it sit for 40 years. And who knows, you could probably still build an elevated track in the ROW over the green space. Metro still owns it.
@@nandert Makes sense. Did they ever consider building a cut-and-cover tunnel as part of this project, at least to future-proof the corridor? I imagine building stuff like that now, while the corridor is derelict, would be much easier and cheaper than doing it later. And honestly I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger priority for HSR. The LAX connection, plus a closer station for the Westside/South Bay, seems like it would be super valuable for the HSR network. Also, is LINK US actually happening at some point?
Part of me is tempted to upgrade the Slauson LRT to subway since it's mostly grade separated anyway, and connect that to the Arts District station to form a U-shaped D line.
I like the idea of having BRT lines go by numbers instead of letters. With the sheer quantity of BRT lines that metro has planned over the next few decades it could eat up the alphabet easily and they should probably start a numeric namin convention beginning with the NoHo-Pasadena BRTs. The G Line can keep its letter considering it is slated for rail conversion. The J Line will never get converted so Metro could either give it up to rail or leave it alone.
Metro wants people to think BRT is more like rail than a standard bus. Hence, the letters like rail, as opposed to a route number like a standard bus line.
@@Geotpf I’m aware. That’s why the tap card passes work on both. I just worry that the quantity of BRT lines will bring us to the letter Z very quickly, and several letters cannot be used because they could cause confusion including: F (Metro prudishness), H (Hospital), I (the number 1), M (Metro), O (the number 0), and P (Parking).
Greater Los Angeles could finish these projects within a 20-year span if the following happens: *Drastically reducing zoning restrictions *Loosening the NEPA regulators *End parking mandates *Replace state taxes with land value tax *LAMTA re-organizes as transit corporation *Use LVT rent value capture to fund transit construction like in Singapore and Hong Kong
Your so optimistic. Future federal funding will probably be divided into more cities. Where LA will get a fraction of what the get now. I think LA's best bets in the future. Is to better interconnect other metropolis cities. Like Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Phoenix to Los Angeles. Where LAX wouldn't be able to expand in the future, based on space.
Good question. The main reason is that it reduces capacity on a line as trains merge etc. causing more trains to wait for longer periods. Also increases the likelihood of points failures, which aren't necessarily common, but very bad when they do happen.
We need a light rail on SR CA19 Rosemead/Lakewood Line from Pasadena to Cal State Long Beach. Call it the R Line. A Slauson Line from Fox Hills Mall to Uptown Whittier would be good too.
One thing I'm curious about is if the Vermont rail couldn't serve additional places to the north. I agree that Metro wouldn't shut down Red Line service, but could Vermont curve East and serve Echo Park and even Dodger Stadium? Obvious difficulties in tunneling under private property vs Metro ROW. I feel like it shouldn't just end at Wilshire/Vermont, but somehow find a route to go on the other end. Maybe go to Glendale and WSAB heads West not North? Not sure where exactly but it seems odd that it just ends. If it will require a transfer to get DT anyway, why not at least get people from both directions. Especially if theres additional connections in to DTLA like from a future Venice or WSAB route, plus B, D and E lines of course.
Loving these videos. I hope LA will do their part in educating people about the routes... I used to walk from Union Station to Convention center because I didn't know a subway route and tram to Pico existed. Google maps isn't helpful either, I was curious if they had improved after 4 years but nope. Try Buena Park metrolink station to LA Convention Center. Its routing is ridiculous. Instead of taking the MetroLink OC line/91 Perris Valley Line directly to Union, it wants me to go back to Fullerton and wait 2 hours for the AmTrak train. Also it doesn't have a clue about the Pico light rail/tram. Google Maps has me walk a mile when the pico exit just is a couple yards.
Honestly of all the things I'd want to believe in for the next 50 years (that didn't involve putting the Green Line to the Norwalk Metrolink) It would be the firm and unshakeable knowledge that Metro will build the underground wye on the Red Line to make the Vermont corridor heavy rail.
@Nandert IDK what you do for a living, but i was curious, what's the logistical issues of adding stations to existing Heavy or Light rail lines? Is it even possible, if so, would they have to shut down the line the whole time, or could 95% of it be done without disruption to the current Line, except for those final connection bits at the end?
@@Geotpf I suppose I am. Though I have noticed depending on the type of station the tracks tend to widen just before/after stops so I assumed it would probably be a lot of disruption. But wasn’t sure if there were ways to mitigate it. I’ve never seen projects just add stations. Example even though started during previous construction the stop at the airport on the Crewshaw line will delay the opening of the southern 2 stops for another year. So seems like there wasn’t a way to continue construction while finishing the station which is at-grade I think. Could be elevated but I don’t think it’s like the constellation station, where there is an intersection for that need. So something like adding stops to the heavy rail underground like Purple or Red lines wouldn’t be Feasible or would it?
@@Geotpf in conjunction to the first reply, a lot of the older stations will need now or very soon upgrades anyways, one by one I’m sure, and some areas are more dense now than 20-30 years ago. So some older lines may benefit for an additional stop in places where times have changed to utilize them. Or to just simple upgrade the station and carve out a second entrance/exit. Maybe downtown have 2 ways down but not only the Red Line at Highland only as the 1! When it’s highly used and in the middle of slow foot traffic. Which could benefit from another entrance to the east future into walkable Hollywood or to the west to get around some of the people and frame that events/mall area, hell, even to the south down highland to get close to the sunset bus stops and new sky scrapers that are on their way around the Crossroads of the World development and others.
@@Geotpf sorry for the 3rd but this is a great example. Say they do the extension of the Crenshaw line north through WeHo and they don’t do the stop on SMB at La Cienega, it’s underground but this is light rail, would adding a stop in a decade or two after its’ finish be possible or work easier being light rail?
What do we need to do to get that Vermont line to San Pedro? That is the one I care about the most, as the Silver Line should have been rail to begin with
I like your thought experiments about planning future transit. I live in a place (Texas) where financing transit is extremely hamstrung by state law. It's virtually impossible to get funding for anything. The state provides zero, and agencies can only use one of two slices of sales tax to finance themselves. After that, loans and federal funding are the last remaining hope. It's really, really difficult to emphasise how maddening it is to see other places in the US which actually have additional means to finance transit. If there's a place that can make most of your dream a reality, you're living there.
As someone from Missouri, I do want to lightly push back on the snark at the end of the video about our glorious state: Missouri isn't really a "rural" state, with about a 60/40 split in urban vs rural population (similar to Georgia), and the KC and StL metros are both north of 2 million people (comparable to Austin). We do, at least since 2008, reliably vote republican thanks to redistricting in 2010 though. I agree that we will need to see great changes in federal policy, but both sides of the aisle (including both senators from California) are still passing legislation allocating billions of dollars for interstate subsidies. It's not just Missouri (or Wyoming or South Dakota) who's responsible for America's car dependence and allergy for public transit. Anyway, love your videos and interested to see whether we even make it to 2057😬
Yeah, but CA has 40,000,000 residents. How many does your state have? And, yet, CA still only has two senators. Talk about under representation in government. Not equal democratic representation. It's gotten completely out of whack overwhelming favoring much more rural an less populated states. That's not a healthy democracy and the Electoral College only makes it worse.
I see why the BRT is on Broadway. This street just has better destinations, Glendale High School, the front side. Glendale Civic center and it's more central to downtown, and clogging it up with bus lanes doesn't disrupt traffic the way blocking Colorado would. What I don't get is why they went Central and not Brand though.
Bravo! If only LA had a rail network when I moved there in 1982-I probably never would have left after the 94 Northridge Quake. I worked in front of the 7th/Metro Station for it’s construction. It was ugly! Get the Chinese to build it-They’ll be done with the whole thing by 2030-Guarenteed! Keep ‘em comin’!
Having The high speed rail to LAX is nice or at least a rapid line like Tokyo’s NEX line is definitely something I wasn’t even considering till now. Also noticed the add River park station for metro link is a god send for that area.
I’d like to turn a bunch of Venice into LA’s Champs Elysees. And turn a bunch of San Vicente into LA’s La Rambla. You could easily have bus lanes there like they do in Barcelona, and there’s SO MUCH room on Venice. You could even have 1 car lane in each direction. There’s space. It would require cutting and covering along parts of Venice to get a nice shopping boulevard, but I think it’d be work it. You could even put an Arc de Triumph or some other art piece where Venice and San Vicente meet. I think there’s tons of potential here if we copy other cities.
We will be eliminating highways and parking spaces. Our generation is looking to densify. We need more housing, we need more public space. We need more greenery to help cool down our cities because looks like we are gonna be dealing with more heat. There will come a point where we have to start ripping that stuff up. I believe we will start it, and I believe our kids/grandkids will finish it.
how do you make your maps? I wanna make my own dream LA Transit Project maps. Also, have you ever partnered with any non-profits or advocacy groups that might raise the profile on these projects or increase pressure to speed up timelines? I'd love to get involved, or even just get a better idea of why a bus lane network that's already planned out will take 40 years to implement thoroughly
8:31 Finally the metro station prophesied in Janet Jackson's All For You video gets on the map! Metro can save time & money by using the design from that video.
Does it make more sense to have the ESV line urn towards Coldwater canyon before trying to tunnel to West Hollywood? Could hit riverside and Coldwater underground, hit the Ventura BRT, then have a shorter path under the mountains.
It would be great if the Crenshaw like extended all the way into Orange country and connected with the Terminus of the I-405 there along with Irvine Station.
Pretty good video but I feel like there’s should be more rail or BRT in the San Fernando Valley. Some of the streets in the are wide enough to put in a train or brt that will run through across the valley. I feel like it could be a straight line on whatever street that rail is located. Like Ventura for example, I know you already have a BRT there but heavy rail train will be perfect for that Street and it could connected to other lines that are in existence, being built or planed, and possibly thought out like having lines going north and south of the valley. There’s a lot of people who live in the valley now and so much of them would like it if it’s easier to get to places without driving
Why dont you build an actual metro since light rail does not serve the same function as well as an actual subway line. Its the second biggest city but New York has a way bigger network of just Metro
Sad part is that it's so easy to make all this happen in just a few years or even less if we conversat all highway fundings to metro and then replace the parking lanes with brts and remove parking minimums and then you'll see a lot more people use transits and it'll be way better and more frequent too Too bad certain large groups are constantly trying to fight it
I'd dream of an infill station at Del Mar Ave on the 10 with a two sided platform and the associated passing loop. This would allow for shorter headways on the San Bernardino line that is currently constrained to 30min + headways by the long single track section along the 10. The non-express lane on/off ramps could be closed for more space if needed as they are are redundant with the ramps at New Ave and San Gabriel Blvd 1/2 mi east and west.
Of all the cities to be a transit advocate, LA is probably the hardest. Keep soldiering on man.
Amazing as always. Would love to see how metrolink will change too, beyond just the harbor subdivision to the airport. Electrification is obviously gonna be huge, massively increasing speeds; we could effectively turn the Ventura county line in the valley into rapid transit, for instance. Also would be incredible if beyond the LINK US run-through tracks at Union, we could get a metrolink RER-style tunnel through downtown, stopping at 7th metro. Imagine a one seat ride between Claremont and 7th / Metro, or Fullerton and the Burbank airport. Or if we went truly crazy, doubling on the harbor subdivision between el segundo and long beach, and offering an RER style service between downtown long beach, the airport, downtown, and union station, onto like riverside
also, spicy take: we should extend the S line past LAX and into el segundo, which would make for a great second downtown.
Another fantastic video. I'd be really interested in a behind the scenes on how you make and animate the different maps too
+1 what software do you use to create the maps?
I am still wondering on what are we going to do with A (Blue) Line's loop-around. I'm suggesting they should break up the loop, double track it, and bring the line down to Seal Beach.
You've got my vote
The homeless crisis basically killed any hopes for new rail construction for the foreseeable future. Why do ya think Metro's Artesia Line is pushed back to 2041? If no new tracks were laid since covid began, they wont be for a long time.
@@sweetmapleleafs WTF are you even talking about? I was only giving out a suggestion about the A line's loop track lmao
@@sweetmapleleafs how does homelessness = no funding for transit? I’m actually curious at the logic
@@LuckyFlanker13 I think they're hinting at the public's perception that transit = mobile homeless encampment. I will say that I would expect hell to freeze over before Seal Beach agrees to any metro light rail.
Awesome video as always. You should start a patreon, your work is super important and I'd love to support.
Also, that animation of the line under Dodger Stadium was dope. Can't image how long it takes you to edit these things.
LA honestly needs something that goes all the way down the I-405. Take it from Irvine to the “Green Line” and ensure it connects to LAX well.
That would be incredible.
Irvine is a different County. Not going to happen because Orange county is not transit friendly.
Always dreamed about an underground subway/light rail along Ventura Blvd. connecting the edge of Calabasas to Universal City. That whole commercial corridor in the Valley could be interconnected finally. Probably never happen because of the residents living in that area are the types who would never support public transit, but one can dream. . .
when I moved to Northridge in '07, this was my DREAAAAAM. Finding out that the Orange Line was originally supposed to be a subway extension of the Red for a one-seat ride across the valley into downtown broke my little heart. LA really is the city of broken dreams!
@@adamglinder you can blame valley residents for that. Now, all these years later, they're clamoring for rail service. I guess the old NIMBY farts against rail died off.
Hello Nick! As a transit planner, I am wondering how you create the regional map animations?
So excited for the video on High Speed Rail! Looking forward to it and great content, so far :)
Building more metro lines is nice. but a big issue is city planning. LA needs to start to build things around each metro stations. So people can just get off the metro and walk to places.
you got it all figured out playa - i'm not from L.A. and have never been there but i saved your channel as i figured the city is major enough for me to know whats happening/should happen in its metro systems
One line I would add is a Red line subway extension to East LA under Whittier Blvd that would connect to the underground Gold line extension station at Whittier and Atlantic. I believe this subway line was originally proposed but got cut when local subway funding was stopped and we got the Gold line light rail instead.
LA needs to also make significant changes to their car oriented land uses. Metro continues to build stations that are oriented to drivers, and not people walking to the stations. Higher density housing is very much needed to make these transit routes successful.🚍🚅🚉
As someone from Chicago, I'm jealous of the long-term public transportation plans LA is getting. While we're upgrading rail infrastructure on the red and purple lines and extending the red line (which starts construction in 2025 and opens 2029), our long range plans feel almost nonexistent.
Low-hanging fruit and long-term goals for the CTA (Orange Line to Ford City, Yellow Line to Old Orchard, Circle Line) have essentially been abandoned. The city has been looking into an Ashland BRT (and one possibly for Western too) which hasn't seen action since... 2013. And that's not even mentioning Metra, but at least they're upgrading their coaches. That, and there's the Illinois High-Speed Rail Commission.
Everybody is leaving Illinois! No point in expanding the rail network when there will be fewer people to use it.
Illinois lost ~12k people but Chicago gained population
Thanks for making another great video! I think it would be great if there was a rapid metrolink (like the LAX/slauson proposal) to Long Beach running parallel with the A line. That way commuters from the Valley/Palmdale/Ventura could directly go to Long Beach.
I mean all this (with all BRT being rail instead) should have existed since the 80s but hey it's a start.
Im from boston, But I enjoy seeing these videos alot. I would hope LA would actually get an appropriate rail and bus network. it's one of the cities that definitely deserves one.
Here's my two cents: future rail projects will never reach their full potential until Los Angeles finally starts to seriously densify itself, especially along the rail lines. I live near the Orange Line in the North SFV, and I barely see anyone ride it because there's NOTHING near the stops!! It's all just industry.
Also all of the underground light rail stops and most of the busses smell like portapotties. They invest in sanitation and their janitorial staff
Densification around transit nodes is intricately linked to solving the housing crisis and feeding the future of rail. But sanitation and safety is the biggest concern right now because it’s causing an immediate decline in ridership. At the same time it needs more frequent reliable service and right of ways.
As someone who lives near the A Line I see a ton of passengers despite lower density. I wish the line had more grade separations to speed up the line and make it more reliable. Only then should the areas around the station be up zoned.
Bravo! excellent video and presentation. In this “future” iteration, it looks like this would be when many of LA’s major transit corridors get service, as opposed to old RR ROW’s. I love the BRT Express idea between Pasadena and Burbank. It’s a great way to stitch together access across very long distances that are in demand. I’m also loving the other BRT corridors. I do think there is a need for more BRT in central Los Angeles like along 3rd or Beverly, Olympic, and La Brea. All of these are in the densest residential and employment part of LA County.
I’m not too enthusiastic about Burbank Airport. I know lots of people want that connection, but I don’t think it’s worth it. Maybe w light rail but definitely not w the heavy rail. LA Metro’s ridership projections for LAX is 2200 riders/day. Chicago O’Hare station pre-Covid ridership was 11,019. BART SFO: 5,268. BART Oakland Airport: 1,005. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Burbank Airport didn’t perform any better than a standard LA bus stop.
It would make more sense for the Red Line, instead of going to Burbank Airport, to either take over the Orange Line across the San Fernando Valley or to continue north along the east San Fernando Valley to San Fernando or even maybe to Santa Clarita. I would also like to see the Red or Purple line make the trip out to El Monte rather than light rail. The El Monte transit hub serves 25,000 daily (according to Metro).
I know some don't like the idea of interlining rail services but, interlining is successfully done in many of the world’s busiest metros. It’s more complex operationally but it’s very common and without problems.
Building wye connections shouldn’t be a deal breaker either. Wyes are as common as interlining. In most cities w long term master plans, building in the provisions for the wye when they build the initial line, makes it all so much cheaper to finish later on. Of course, that would require a commitment to a well-thought-out long-range plan which LA Metro has proven to be incapable of.
But this map you’ve made hits all the major corridors that Metro is missing. I'm loving it. Once these connections are available is when people will have a high likelihood of living car free.
Blah blah, how do you get around in Burbank n Pasadea.
Wait, driving.
Train lovers just love to drive n hate public transportation.
I lived in Pasadena for 2 years. I lived in Burbank for 2 years. All because of work. The companies would never hire me if I didn't move.
Gold line n your selfish interline rail does not help
Yep. This is my new favorite channel. Subbed.
Vernon City and Commerce City would greatly benefit from a couple of train lines to go through those cities. There are a lot of factory workers who commute to those cities everyday to work and there is little to no public transportation. 13:35 You can see in the map that those places are pretty neglected.
Commerce has a free bus system with 4 lines throughout the city. One of those lines goes to Union Station if I'm not mistaken.
There will also be an underground station of the approved Gold line extension located at the Citadel Outlets. I wouldn't be surprised if Commerce extends their free bus service to connect to a WSAB station going forward.
Oh, and Commerce currently has a Metrolink station too.
Commerce has 10,000 residents. Vernon has like 100. They are two very different cities. Commerce has several approved and proposed residential housing developments in the works too.
I would love to see a sister channel that talks about land-use changes in the coming years. What will be upzoned and when and how this changes city revenue, real estate, demographics, housing shortage, etc.
I'd honestly love to see you just go crazy, realism be damned. Seeing what you can do with so many limitations, it's encouraging.
3:10 any rail in Glendale SHOULD be along Brand and Colorado Boulevards, as those are historic streetcar routes
It's nice to dream, I really hope we see these changes in my lifetime.
It's a great day when nandert uploads
We need a channel like this for Atlanta. Someone needs to shine a light on them
Honestly, I think there needs to be a rail that go through the Cahuenga Pass. Essentially a Commuter Express replacement for the 422, but for connecting the valley to the Los Angeles Basin. Like above ground. If the freeways can downsize in the future (plus there is plenty of room,) than the current constant widening. Plus, like in the last video with Freeway Caps near Union Station, Hollywood has also talked about them, so they could be done in conjunction with park additions/improvements.
Stops next to Freeway near:
{1} Western -between- South Ent. @ SMB & North Ent. @ Lexington (with OPTIONAL park cap between bridges,)
{2} Bronson -between- South Ent. @ Sunset & North Ent. @ Hollywood (with OPTIONAL park cap between bridges,)
{3} Franklin *OPTION #1 -between- East Ent. @ Gower & West Ent. @ Argyle *OPTION #2 -between- East Ent. @ Argyle(or)Vine & West Ent. @ Ivar Park(or)Cahuenga,
{4} Hollywood Bowl/The Ford -between- South Ent. @ Odin Street & North Ent. @ Cahuenga Terrace (with *OPTIONAL some of 'The Bowl' parking turned into parks,)
{5} Cahuenga Blvd -between- South Ent. @ Barham & North Ent. @ El Paseo De Cahuenga Park,
{6} Ventura Blvd -between- South Ent. @ Lankershim & North Ent. @ Campo De Cahuenga (street) (which would integrate with their Mass Transit make over for the Red Line Station, Pink Route Terminal, Bus Stops, Park-N-Ride Lots, of which are right next to South Weddington Park & Campo de Cahuenga Site,)
{7} Vineland -between- South Ent. @ Acama St/Whipple St & North Ent. @ Moorpark (with *OPTIONAL improvements to the Central Branch Tujunga Wash,)
{8} Tujunga Ave/Valley Village Park -between- South Ent. @ Hudson St. & North Ent. @ Magnolia (with *OPTIONAL improvements [continued] to the Central Branch Tujunga Wash & the surrounding parks with potentially underground parking added while doing improvements to the parks & over Freeway walk/bike way connector,)
{9} Colfax/Orange Line -between- South Ent. @ Chandler & North Ent. @ Burbank Blvd,
{10} NoHo West [on] Laurel Canyon Blvd -between- Oxnard to the South & Erwin St/Laurel Grove Park to the North,
{11} Valley Plaza [on] Vanowen *OPTION #1 -between- Archwood St to the South & Hartland St to the North *OPTION #2 -between- South Ent. @ Vanowen & North Ent. @ Hart St. (with *OPTIONAL 'new replacement' for over freeway walk/bike way connector.)
Beyond that going North would depend on Improvements/Density near major roadways and empty/underutilized land. Going south, you could go right to Union Station. Thought the last stretch I'd put underground, passing under the 110 and running parallel coming into Union Station to the Red/Purple Lines. Overall, this one would have more stops, as it goes Diagonally in the city, as this Freeway does, and areas around Highways/Freeways tend to be underserved in a general sense, and they disconnect communities/neighborhoods so this would help connect them and their infrastructure, as well.
It would only take about 100,000 people moving to Wyoming to take it over...that's doable.
When do we start lobbying for that Dodger stadium station?
YESTERDAY. I feel like the moment they figure out how to get WSAB to LAUS, what once was "Eco-Rapid Transit" will be discussing the Glendale inevitability.
I don't think such is likely any time soon. I am curious to see if the gondola can get built. I believe it's funded, so the only thing that can stop it is neighborhood opposition and lawsuits. Yeah low capacity, but Dodger Stadium really is all by itself there, and a through line as shown in this video seems unlikely, at least for a decade or three.
@@Geotpf lobbying can start any day tho. the earlier the lobbying the earlier the line.
Is there a way you can make a video around the SGV/Montebello area? I live here and would love a more in depth video about future projects coming to the area
Meanwhile over here I'm very silently going *"they're s-still going to build the LA s-streetcar, r-right?"*
I really hope so. There are so many more people living in DTLA now that would benefit tremendously. It would also help with first/last mile connections to regional connecter stations and subway stations.
Would like to see the L (Gold) and C (Green) lines eventually extend into Orange County. as well as the Crenshaw line further south from CSULB
That's a different county. That's up to Orange county not LA county.
Why is Rail to River a good project? It seems like they're throwing away a potentially valuable rail corridor for a weird "park" which has minimal actual green space.
To be clear, I’m not criticizing the project - I’m genuinely curious what its value is, since pretty much all I’ve seen about it is from Metro press releases.
I think it has opportunity. It's creating a nice green space in a lower income neighborhood that could really benefit from it. Especially if Metro allows space for the street vendors and pop ups already in the area.
@@renaes2807 that makes sense. I guess the bigger concern in my mind is getting rid of the rail corridor. Or is it just much less useful for transit than I think it is?
@@samuellush Yeah a lot of what Renae said, plus the city needs a lot of active transportation infrastructure too, so anywhere they can build that is still good utilization of space. I think one of the big concerns is that, if it were used for a Union-LAX express line, it would essentially take that space from the neighborhood without serving it, which is adding insult to injury on an already underserved neighborhood. And a Slauson LRT line is so far into the future that utilizing the space now is better than letting it sit for 40 years. And who knows, you could probably still build an elevated track in the ROW over the green space. Metro still owns it.
@@nandert Makes sense. Did they ever consider building a cut-and-cover tunnel as part of this project, at least to future-proof the corridor? I imagine building stuff like that now, while the corridor is derelict, would be much easier and cheaper than doing it later.
And honestly I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger priority for HSR. The LAX connection, plus a closer station for the Westside/South Bay, seems like it would be super valuable for the HSR network.
Also, is LINK US actually happening at some point?
@@samuellush Seeing as CAHSR can't really happen without Link US, I'd say it's relatively higher on the list of things likely to happen.
St. Louis and Kansas City do not have our land use figured out to do anything but sprawl. - signed from St. Louis.
need the 2023 version♡
wake up babe, new nandert dropped
I’d love to see this all get done by 2028 but that’s literally impossible
Part of me is tempted to upgrade the Slauson LRT to subway since it's mostly grade separated anyway, and connect that to the Arts District station to form a U-shaped D line.
I like the idea of having BRT lines go by numbers instead of letters. With the sheer quantity of BRT lines that metro has planned over the next few decades it could eat up the alphabet easily and they should probably start a numeric namin convention beginning with the NoHo-Pasadena BRTs. The G Line can keep its letter considering it is slated for rail conversion. The J Line will never get converted so Metro could either give it up to rail or leave it alone.
Metro wants people to think BRT is more like rail than a standard bus. Hence, the letters like rail, as opposed to a route number like a standard bus line.
@@Geotpf I’m aware. That’s why the tap card passes work on both. I just worry that the quantity of BRT lines will bring us to the letter Z very quickly, and several letters cannot be used because they could cause confusion including: F (Metro prudishness), H (Hospital), I (the number 1), M (Metro), O (the number 0), and P (Parking).
Completion Timeline: Anyone alive in 2022 to watch this video will be long gone
Great video, really looking forward to the next one.
This deserves many more views
Greater Los Angeles could finish these projects within a 20-year span if the following happens:
*Drastically reducing zoning restrictions
*Loosening the NEPA regulators
*End parking mandates
*Replace state taxes with land value tax
*LAMTA re-organizes as transit corporation
*Use LVT rent value capture to fund transit construction like in Singapore and Hong Kong
13:05 was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
Your so optimistic. Future federal funding will probably be divided into more cities. Where LA will get a fraction of what the get now.
I think LA's best bets in the future. Is to better interconnect other metropolis cities. Like Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Phoenix to Los Angeles. Where LAX wouldn't be able to expand in the future, based on space.
I may have missed it, but what's wrong with interlining? Why avoid it so much?
Because it makes running the trains more complicated, and complications can lead to delays.
Good question. The main reason is that it reduces capacity on a line as trains merge etc. causing more trains to wait for longer periods.
Also increases the likelihood of points failures, which aren't necessarily common, but very bad when they do happen.
We need a light rail on SR CA19 Rosemead/Lakewood Line from Pasadena to Cal State Long Beach. Call it the R Line. A Slauson Line from Fox Hills Mall to Uptown Whittier would be good too.
another enjoyable dream session! Still sad about that Santa Monica Blvd corridor... :( Thanks for sharing, Nick!
best TH-cam channel
Really well researched, superior content.
Car companies: this is an attack to our organization
One thing I'm curious about is if the Vermont rail couldn't serve additional places to the north. I agree that Metro wouldn't shut down Red Line service, but could Vermont curve East and serve Echo Park and even Dodger Stadium? Obvious difficulties in tunneling under private property vs Metro ROW. I feel like it shouldn't just end at Wilshire/Vermont, but somehow find a route to go on the other end. Maybe go to Glendale and WSAB heads West not North? Not sure where exactly but it seems odd that it just ends. If it will require a transfer to get DT anyway, why not at least get people from both directions. Especially if theres additional connections in to DTLA like from a future Venice or WSAB route, plus B, D and E lines of course.
Loving these videos. I hope LA will do their part in educating people about the routes... I used to walk from Union Station to Convention center because I didn't know a subway route and tram to Pico existed. Google maps isn't helpful either, I was curious if they had improved after 4 years but nope. Try Buena Park metrolink station to LA Convention Center. Its routing is ridiculous. Instead of taking the MetroLink OC line/91 Perris Valley Line directly to Union, it wants me to go back to Fullerton and wait 2 hours for the AmTrak train. Also it doesn't have a clue about the Pico light rail/tram. Google Maps has me walk a mile when the pico exit just is a couple yards.
LA Metro has their own transit app now.
Honestly of all the things I'd want to believe in for the next 50 years (that didn't involve putting the Green Line to the Norwalk Metrolink)
It would be the firm and unshakeable knowledge that Metro will build the underground wye on the Red Line to make the Vermont corridor heavy rail.
To be fair gondolas have been used effectively as transit solutions for cities and regions in South America
Light Rail to Disneyland when?
You think the A line will ever get upgraded to full grade separated heavy rail
Could we have a PDF of the 2022 map and the future projected plans?
@Nandert IDK what you do for a living, but i was curious, what's the logistical issues of adding stations to existing Heavy or Light rail lines? Is it even possible, if so, would they have to shut down the line the whole time, or could 95% of it be done without disruption to the current Line, except for those final connection bits at the end?
If you are talking infill stations, depends on the type of rail. At grade is easy. Elevated is harder. Subway is hardest.
@@Geotpf I suppose I am. Though I have noticed depending on the type of station the tracks tend to widen just before/after stops so I assumed it would probably be a lot of disruption. But wasn’t sure if there were ways to mitigate it. I’ve never seen projects just add stations. Example even though started during previous construction the stop at the airport on the Crewshaw line will delay the opening of the southern 2 stops for another year. So seems like there wasn’t a way to continue construction while finishing the station which is at-grade I think. Could be elevated but I don’t think it’s like the constellation station, where there is an intersection for that need. So something like adding stops to the heavy rail underground like Purple or Red lines wouldn’t be Feasible or would it?
@@Geotpf in conjunction to the first reply, a lot of the older stations will need now or very soon upgrades anyways, one by one I’m sure, and some areas are more dense now than 20-30 years ago. So some older lines may benefit for an additional stop in places where times have changed to utilize them. Or to just simple upgrade the station and carve out a second entrance/exit. Maybe downtown have 2 ways down but not only the Red Line at Highland only as the 1! When it’s highly used and in the middle of slow foot traffic. Which could benefit from another entrance to the east future into walkable Hollywood or to the west to get around some of the people and frame that events/mall area, hell, even to the south down highland to get close to the sunset bus stops and new sky scrapers that are on their way around the Crossroads of the World development and others.
@@Geotpf sorry for the 3rd but this is a great example. Say they do the extension of the Crenshaw line north through WeHo and they don’t do the stop on SMB at La Cienega, it’s underground but this is light rail, would adding a stop in a decade or two after its’ finish be possible or work easier being light rail?
What do we need to do to get that Vermont line to San Pedro? That is the one I care about the most, as the Silver Line should have been rail to begin with
I like your thought experiments about planning future transit. I live in a place (Texas) where financing transit is extremely hamstrung by state law. It's virtually impossible to get funding for anything. The state provides zero, and agencies can only use one of two slices of sales tax to finance themselves. After that, loans and federal funding are the last remaining hope. It's really, really difficult to emphasise how maddening it is to see other places in the US which actually have additional means to finance transit. If there's a place that can make most of your dream a reality, you're living there.
Residents of both LA city and LA County voted several times to increase sales taxes to fund transit projects. Where there is a will, there is a way.
We need more trains to and from the San Fernando valley so much traffic originates from there
Cool vid. The doomer shit was kinda cringe but besides that, interesting stuff.
im just curious , how close is this to the core pacific electric which we should have never let go.?
Will you work on a new video with the downtown connector?
As someone from Missouri, I do want to lightly push back on the snark at the end of the video about our glorious state: Missouri isn't really a "rural" state, with about a 60/40 split in urban vs rural population (similar to Georgia), and the KC and StL metros are both north of 2 million people (comparable to Austin). We do, at least since 2008, reliably vote republican thanks to redistricting in 2010 though.
I agree that we will need to see great changes in federal policy, but both sides of the aisle (including both senators from California) are still passing legislation allocating billions of dollars for interstate subsidies. It's not just Missouri (or Wyoming or South Dakota) who's responsible for America's car dependence and allergy for public transit.
Anyway, love your videos and interested to see whether we even make it to 2057😬
Yeah, but CA has 40,000,000 residents. How many does your state have? And, yet, CA still only has two senators. Talk about under representation in government. Not equal democratic representation. It's gotten completely out of whack overwhelming favoring much more rural an less populated states. That's not a healthy democracy and the Electoral College only makes it worse.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new regional connector in LA, and show how that changes how this map is viewed
LA metro rail can do that if LA County population is the same as Metro Tokyo.
Is there a reason we make the lines follow major blvd's and avenues? Why not make more circular routes that surround downtown LA?
Where’d the regional rail video go
Someone did a copyright claim on a few broll shots. I need to reupload it with some shots swapped
I see why the BRT is on Broadway. This street just has better destinations, Glendale High School, the front side. Glendale Civic center and it's more central to downtown, and clogging it up with bus lanes doesn't disrupt traffic the way blocking Colorado would. What I don't get is why they went Central and not Brand though.
Bravo! If only LA had a rail network when I moved there in 1982-I probably never would have left after the 94 Northridge Quake. I worked in front of the 7th/Metro Station for it’s construction. It was ugly! Get the Chinese to build it-They’ll be done with the whole thing by 2030-Guarenteed! Keep ‘em comin’!
Here in Dallas it's somehow feels more dire, we really are fucked
Having The high speed rail to LAX is nice or at least a rapid line like Tokyo’s NEX line is definitely something I wasn’t even considering till now. Also noticed the add River park station for metro link is a god send for that area.
Would be cool to see your ideas on connections to OC and OCTA’s own light rail/BRT potential routes
I’d like to turn a bunch of Venice into LA’s Champs Elysees. And turn a bunch of San Vicente into LA’s La Rambla. You could easily have bus lanes there like they do in Barcelona, and there’s SO MUCH room on Venice. You could even have 1 car lane in each direction. There’s space. It would require cutting and covering along parts of Venice to get a nice shopping boulevard, but I think it’d be work it. You could even put an Arc de Triumph or some other art piece where Venice and San Vicente meet. I think there’s tons of potential here if we copy other cities.
We will be eliminating highways and parking spaces. Our generation is looking to densify. We need more housing, we need more public space. We need more greenery to help cool down our cities because looks like we are gonna be dealing with more heat. There will come a point where we have to start ripping that stuff up. I believe we will start it, and I believe our kids/grandkids will finish it.
A video on freeway removals and overall mobility improvement projects would be dope.
- Video on extending the LAX APM beyond the K Line
- More HSR talk
I would much rather see more north-south lines between the E and D or B lines.
how do you make your maps? I wanna make my own dream LA Transit Project maps. Also, have you ever partnered with any non-profits or advocacy groups that might raise the profile on these projects or increase pressure to speed up timelines? I'd love to get involved, or even just get a better idea of why a bus lane network that's already planned out will take 40 years to implement thoroughly
I'm glad we were both wrong about Moore v. Harper. Low bar, but I'm glad.
Where did the South California rail video go?
exwhat is moore vs harper.
You're in your mid to late 30's? I thought you sounded like a 20 year old University student, I was way off!
8:31 Finally the metro station prophesied in Janet Jackson's All For You video gets on the map! Metro can save time & money by using the design from that video.
Does it make more sense to have the ESV line urn towards Coldwater canyon before trying to tunnel to West Hollywood? Could hit riverside and Coldwater underground, hit the Ventura BRT, then have a shorter path under the mountains.
It would be great if the Crenshaw like extended all the way into Orange country and connected with the Terminus of the I-405 there along with Irvine Station.
When’s your next update?
Nandert, what do you think of the high desert corridor, a proposed rail line connecting Palmdale to Victorville?
Wooo. New Nandert!
Hey, interested how you decide between having light rail over BRT
This is amazing, but Long Beach needs even more
Pretty good video but I feel like there’s should be more rail or BRT in the San Fernando Valley. Some of the streets in the are wide enough to put in a train or brt that will run through across the valley. I feel like it could be a straight line on whatever street that rail is located. Like Ventura for example, I know you already have a BRT there but heavy rail train will be perfect for that Street and it could connected to other lines that are in existence, being built or planed, and possibly thought out like having lines going north and south of the valley. There’s a lot of people who live in the valley now and so much of them would like it if it’s easier to get to places without driving
Why dont you build an actual metro since light rail does not serve the same function as well as an actual subway line. Its the second biggest city but New York has a way bigger network of just Metro
Sad part is that it's so easy to make all this happen in just a few years or even less if we conversat all highway fundings to metro and then replace the parking lanes with brts and remove parking minimums and then you'll see a lot more people use transits and it'll be way better and more frequent too
Too bad certain large groups are constantly trying to fight it
I'd dream of an infill station at Del Mar Ave on the 10 with a two sided platform and the associated passing loop. This would allow for shorter headways on the San Bernardino line that is currently constrained to 30min + headways by the long single track section along the 10. The non-express lane on/off ramps could be closed for more space if needed as they are are redundant with the ramps at New Ave and San Gabriel Blvd 1/2 mi east and west.
...oh and an infill at San Dimas on the San Bernardino line.
Could you please do one of these for nyc's subway system? 😭
How did you create the maps? Im making some Transit/bike maps for Bakersfield and Microsoft paint isnt very effective.
How do you make these maps