An instant classic & a great watch! Your passion for LA always comes through and it's great to have someone keeping tabs on what's going on and informing everyone.
I love how ridiculous California transportation projects are; it's amazing "This tiny neighborhood that contains like 5 homes but which is technically incorporated as a separate town is holding up the entire project"
Except in San Diego, which began construction on a grade-separated LRT a year after Crenshaw broke ground and fully opened the LRT a year before Crenshaw phase I opened, while costing less per mile than Crenshaw.
@@adianchowdhury9016 Agreed, though the upside is that San Diego is forced to make the best of its existing rail lines and focus on quality before quantity.
At the same time rail service is expanding to the suburbs some of those same suburbs are closing schools. Demographics is destiny. These lines may be mothballed too at some point.
@@okolona1 i mean given the amount of force against metro, it is definitely heartening to see things moving at all, coming from a former seattleite thats seeing st3 fall apart
I have never been to LA I have never been to the US I know nothing about LA Transit And for you to explain all the drama of rail projects in a single video is amazing. Visuals are great, narration is nice, and everything is stunning. Unfortunately, looks like LA still needs lots of work to become the transit city it should've been.
Yes LA remains a city of the future- its hope for a futuristic city was deferred for a few decades as carmania, freeways and sprawl supplanted the vision. With the growing awareness of the utter futility of freeway expansion residents have become enthusiastic supporters of public transit projects. Today the futuristic vision of a city without cars is slowly regaining primacy. Hope is restored!
So a couple of things. People vehemently disagree on what "city of the future" or "transit city" means. Second a MINORITY of people wanted this which pisses off long time residents. Thirdly LA isn't structured to have metro stations which will create MORE traffic rather than alleviate it because only people who are flat out broke will use it. LA isn't progressing it's going backwards.
A majority of people approved it, actually. LA will be the first city ever then that got worse traffic from building more transit....will be interesting to see how that could play out since I don't think that's been observed anywhere else.@@cactusjackNV
In my experience, being from the East Coast but having visited LA a few times, it's not helpful to think of LA as a city. It's very far from one side to the other and It's more like a small country with a population similar to Hungary or Portugal.
YES!! I’ve been eagerly waiting for the 2023 update video. I’ve rewatched the 2022 one so many times. This will be a great decade for transit in LA and all over the country, and I really hope Metro can get their act together while the state and feds make building transit easier. Thank you for your service nandert. Also, congrats on your marriage!
Oh my gosh welcome back. So happy to see you posting. I look forward to these once a year updates especially because of how detailed, logical and informative they are.
Excellent video Nick! You continue to set the standard for LA transit content. Despite all the delays, cost increases, and funding shortfalls, it's amazing to see things start to come together. It truly feels like the late 2020s are when Metro will start to see massive gains in ridership from new lines opening and other improvements. But the one thing I see missing from Metro is a solid plan to increase service for trains and buses. Metro has been stuck around 7 million revenue service hours for a while now, despite opening a new rail line and the regional connector. Of course as other rail and BRT lines open, they will have to run more service. But as someone who tries to get around on transit as much as possible here, I can't help but think that also running more buses and trains on the existing lines would do so much to help people get around. The new rail lines will be far more useful if people are able to get to them without long waits.
That's already in the works. They reduced the headways on the B and D lines in September. And they will reduce the headways on the A and E lines this month though it's dependent on hiring enough personnel to run the additional trains. Metro announced these service upgrades last July if I'm not mistaken.
@@mrxman581 This is great, but they're still restoring the pre-COVID headways. The A and E lines once ran every 6 minutes at peak, and the B and D lines ran 10 minutes most of the day (September service increase was to 12 minutes). Even with this improved service, all Metro rail lines will come every 20 minutes after 8pm, which is a shame because it makes any trips with a transfer really difficult. Toronto has a grid of 15-minute bus service that covers almost the entire city, and they have over 1 million riders per day on the bus alone. LA is a bigger city and has 700k bus riders per day. Expanding the grid of frequent service would be so great, but there isn't much momentum for LA to do so. Having so many other bus operators besides Metro in the county doesn't help either.
I’m currently attending camp flog gnaw at dodgers stadium and the transportation situation is a nightmare. They sold out of parking so a majority of people (me included) had to take rideshare. Getting there wasn’t a problem but 10,000+ people all trying to get an Uber at the same time goes exactly how you’d imagine. Thankfully while we were walking around, someone who lived in that neighborhood offered us a ride back to our car. If not for that chance encounter we would have been stuck there for at least 2 more hours trying to leave. Whether it’s the gondola or the metro station, there needs to be another option besides driving there.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s understandable to have a metro station at Chavez Ravine but an aerial tran will also add a viable option for many to ditch their vehicle when attending a stadium event.
The gondola is cool, but it’s not the most viable solution to the issue. By the proposing agency’s own numbers, the gondola can only transport 5k-8k people an hour. Dodger stadium’s capacity is 56k.
@@kennyalvarado7578 yeah I don’t think they’re looking to completely erase the parking footprint, just making a size 11 a 10 1/2 lol. But honestly anything is better than what they have right now, any alternative to driving wins in my opinion.
Can you get to Union Station without a car? I like the idea of more buses running between Dodger Stadium and Union Station during busy events like concerts and music festivals. I've talked with Dodgers fans about the bus they run and their only issue is it gets CROWDED.
@@PASH3227 unfortunately for me it is nearly impossible to get there without car. The shuttles were going back and forth nonstop but they had so many people for this concert (90k+) that between the people parking there, getting dropped off by Uber, and taking shuttles, the roads were backed up for nearly 2-3 miles to the stadium. The main problem with the shuttles is they would get stuck in the same traffic as everyone else since there are no bus only lanes so that made it take way longer for the shuttles. It’s a good idea, just poorly executed especially for a place like dodgers stadium there needs to be more ways to get there besides car.
Imagine if after the Bay Area closed the key system that they built a monorail in the center of the bay bridge instead of the Transbay Tube for BART. That’s how stupid an idea the Sepulveda monorail is
THIS IS GOLD. between your takes on the colossal consulting fuck up and the digs at century city i was cackling in the first ten minutes. call! them! out!
Patiently waiting for the day LA passes a “everybody has to shut up and let transit happen and inevitably reap the benefits even though you’re complaining now” law
As someone in the south bay, I am soooooo pissed that the extension to Torrance is taking forever and might be canceled. The only thing even close to me is the J bus. :(
Visited the Torrance Transit Center and it's overbuilt for just serving a few bus routes. The terminus for a light rail? That would justify the fancy bus bays and massive parking lot.
Please support the C Line Extension to Torrance by filling out this form in support of Metro ROW option and show up on Dec 16 if you can: mitchell.lacounty.gov/c-line-green-line-community-walk/
Was waiting for this vid all fall and it did not disappoint! Honestly the reality check, as bleak as it is, is really important to have. I thought I’d been keeping up with metro news, but you brought up stuff I didn’t even hear about
Thanks for the detail and thought you put into this. The K line northern extension segments are amazing. A tourist visiting could get from LAX to the Farmer's Market to a hotel at Hollywood/Highland in one line. Mind-blowing. What an obvious great idea, I could see tons of people who live or work in WeHo becoming Metro riders.
Thank you man, you are the best one to cover all LA Metro news! Yeah found out today a family friend has been working on the LAX people mover and has been sick from stress, so yeah South Bay gotta stop bickering about everything. Also I take the shuttle to SoFi and I hope the IPM is built.
Love your videos. One thing to add is that in response to SOHA, Bechtel put out a concept addendum to Alt 4 to extend the tunnel past Ventura bl to avoid SOHA’s elevated complaints.
Impressive video. Impressive plans from LA to expand their public transport, despite the NIMBY opposition. I wish our MTA in the NY area would have that many plans, and would especially make much more haste with the 2nd Avenue subway.
Please keep up the good fight putting out these transportation development summaries because the people of Los Angeles deserve to have these projects put into context because GOOD PUBLIC TRANSIT is the most important thing for a city which will bring growth and equity to everyone who lives there!!!!! Thank you for doing what you do.
all these bickering cities are such a headache i h ave so much respect for any productive transit work getting done in california at all. incredible video as always, really unrivalled map animations.
Surprised to see no mentions about the OC Streetcar opening up next year. Though I don't know if it counts as a "Metro" project since OCTA and Santa Ana are mostly funding it themselves. As far as I can see, most of the tracks are laid down now but need to finish some street work to level the street and then install the electrical systems to then test the streetcars.
6:07 seriously, that is just beyond embarrassing! There must be a serious lack of communication and disconnect between Metro and whoever is building that project.
Coming from someone who’s interviewed a fair number of developers at this point, we really need some sort of public contractor to do these public transport projects. In my dream scenario we get an actually good president who takes advantage of some sort of “declaration of climate emergency” to activate the army corps of engineers to develop projects like cal train etc. but really we could also use the ideas within the green new deals “civilian climate corp” to do the same thing though you’d be missing out on the engineering side unless the scale and vision of the CCC is changed. Anyways, wonderful video, excited to see more.
someone should make a similar video, but on the nandert video release roadmap and corresponding delays ;) But in all seriousness, great video, take your time!
Good video! I hope that metro gets its head out of its rear and starts to figure out what the hell is taking so long. Also good on you for not only correcting your mistake but owning up to it. I hope that K line extension is built in a timely and reasonably cost effective way.
Please support the C/K Line Extension to Torrance by filling out this form in support of Metro ROW option: mitchell.lacounty.gov/c-line-green-line-community-walk/
When I went to Korea earlier this year I was shocked how amazing their subway was and was envious we couldn't have it here I had seen an ad for the potential of having gondolas and thought it was an interesting concept. Then I went to CDMX and was shocked they already had a system built and running! I wish LA's transit was better. Thanks for the video!!
Agreed, but why would you be shocked that Mexico has gondola lines? They've existed for many years. Mexico City has the second largest subway system in the Americas behind NYC. They also have a myriad of other public transit services.
Phenomenal video. We in the LA transit community are lucky to have someone put so much effort into a resource like this. I learned so much that would take many hours of reserach to glean. And the production is fantastic! If that Crenshaw North were open now, I'd be riding regularly from my new local station at Midtown Crossing :) Build it! For La Brea BRT at 1:04:15, I hope they include a stop at Pico. There's a lot going on at that intersection of important LA boulevards. I have no idea why Metro places so much importance on Claremont and Montclair. Many other projects like WSAB, er, Gateway and Vermont could use that money and energy. And it's not even in the County!
another native Angeleno here in NELA. just wanted to say thank you so much for providing us with such an incredible resource in this channel. ive seen around me first hand the desperate need for actual transit (and also majorly: housing) in this city. i hope every angeleno comes across your channel eventually!
the chaos of this new metro plan both brings me joy and entertainment yt algorithm finally working right to show me this video - fully enjoyed the briefing.
I wish I could show this video directly to Gavin Newsom and shake him! Los Angeles is so far behind the bay area in terms of public transit, for the second largest metro area in the country and to see Metro repeatedly fumble over and over again makes me so upset. There is so much budget surplus money that California receives and does not use every year, and public transportation in Los Angeles (especially for the Olympics in 5 years) should be in the top 5 priority for allocating any amount of unused funds imo. If the process and regulations of requesting state money was simplified for public transit agencies, as well as construction in regards to CalTrans, Metro could be given the sitting tens of billions in Sacramento for these projects at once. Because what else is it going to do? The only issues would be NIMBY's and dumbasses in local cities and HMO's, outflanked by a huge budget set in place. I'm nowhere near as technical in thinking about these things, but it doesn't take much for this to make sense. Projects being bogged down by costs and procedures like the K Line Torrance extension or the Sepulveda Line, or the G Line improvements wouldn't be a problem anymore.
Having more straight forward funding would help, but there are many other things that would still cause delays, some legitimate, but most not. NIMBYism, frivolous lawsuits, and politics are still a huge issue. It's complex when you're dealing with a county agencies and many independent city governments as well. LA Metro is doing an admirable job considering the huge complexities of building public transit across the entire county and within dozens of cities with their own city councils.
@@mrxman581 I absolutely get that, but there seems to be many other instances where that's not necessarily an issue. The A Line Claremont and Montclair stations, the G Line improvements, the Inglewood PeopleMover, the remaining D Line construction following Beverly Hills' construction regulations, and more smaller tasks to improve service before 2028. Bolstering funds that clearly aren't there now I think would change situations around in board meetings, because the way Metro conducts itself is reaching out to areas that would include proximity to projects before any plea for funding for the project occurs. If Metro approaches a situation with money (and lawyers), I think it would deter some loud opposition. These people aren't that smart lol, and train authorities seem to enjoy being kicked around by rich politicians and NIMBY groups. If Metro was made more powerful of an organization, this wouldn't be as much of an issue. I think it's something that could be voted on, on a statewide level to allocate state budget surplus funds to LA Metro and Metrolink to help along the slow progress of projects for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics.
The Bay Area is light years ahead of SoCal? There is so much budget surplus money? I'd like the drugs you are smoking because neither is even close to the truth.
Exactly! It's ridiculous how long and how impossible it is to get a project to construction and then how expensive it is to get it to completion. Meanwhile, China proposes a major subway or high speed railway and five years later it's open for travel.
@@cactusjackNVYes, truly it is impossible to have basic human rights and build train fast. Given the previous commenter never mentioned human rights that’s the only way your comment seems to make sense.
One can only hope for the optimistic approach you reached here. You're doing the Lord's work piecing all this together into a highly detailed overview of projects and all I can say is THANK YOU
So happy to see another video from you. The density of info along with the pacing and humor is unrivaled. Huge bummer to hear projections have gotten worse but hopefully as the Olympics loom nearer some asses will be kicked into gear. The 10 being out of commission is a great opportunity to make an opportunity out of a crisis as well. Best case scenario is the lack of a freeway won't impact the surrounding traffic very much, help giving justification for starting to give serious talk to getting rid of freeways slowly but surely. Worst case would it just being an easy advertisement to taking transit and getting more people on board.
I agree that extending the A line to Montclair is a waste given the existing Metrolink corridor. Double track and electrify Metrolink from El Monte to San Bernardino (or even Redlands)
That's what I thought, but apparently building this section increases ridership significantly. I guess few people want to ride Metrolink for a short distance and then a Metro train for a longer distance. Also, Metro Rail will always run much more frequently than Metrolink.
Oh, and I always thought ARROW should be part of Metrolink San Bernardino line to begin with, but the main issue is NIMBYs in Redlands who don't want the slightly noiser Metrolink trains by them.
@@Geotpf You could look for an alignment that runs south from Pomona for the Metro line and make the Pomona station a real interchange. Better yet make Metrolink fast enough to beat the A line to Union Station from Pomona so you can incentivize riders to take the metro to Metrolink. But that would require much more frequent service than Metrolink's goal of thirty minute headways. I wish Metrolink prioritized increasing ridership.
@@Geotpf the best thing about the arrow trains is that electrification is actually possible with them. Too bad Metrolink seems allergic to electrification.
@@GeotpfI think the argument for Montclair is that there is a transit hub there. However, the A line is already so long as it is. Taking it to Pomona is good enough for now.
Absolutely fascinating. Very well done...informative and funny as well. I grew up in LA from 1963 to 1992 but come back often. Great to see so much progress planned.
"Mired in endless studies" seems to be the theme of this video, but at the very least, LA is getting some lines built. Lets just say that in Canada, "endless studies" takes on a whole new meaning. The extension of the blue line in Montreal has been the object of "studies" for at least 4 decades at this point. Same for HSR in the Québec Montreal Toronto corridor. Its absolutely ridiculous.
Your videos set the standard and I eagerly await them. Thank you for taking the time to put together these high quality reviews. It is really appreciated.
The map that you showed at 1:49 has the signature look of the map of the Montreal Metro. Very few map use a black and gray background which makes it rather iconic. I have to say that I'm quite partial to that particular design choice.
24:10 Every transit reporter eh? Did that include you? Also just WHY is the C line extension to Norwalk Metrolink not being built sooner? The connectivity benefits seem so important, especially after the LAX people mover opens.
58:32 The way Little Tokyo/Arts District was rebuilt lacks the flexibility to have an underground connection from mezzanine to mezzanine because the current one doesn't actually have a mezzanine. It's a semi-open top entrance for the A and E Lines with a tight loop with no room for a mezzanine
Anyone else find it funny how the recent i10 closure warrant's an emergency declaration and federal DOT response yet they let the LOSSAN corridor close for over half a year due to a relatively minor issue that only required like 1mil in repairs. The priorities here are crazy when you consider there are several other freeways accessing DTLA yet the LOSSAN corridor is the only way to use rail south of LA County. This is why I'm actually glad that HSR is (eventually) using an inland route to build redundancy to the rail network. Hopefully the i10 stuff will convince people to at least try transit options.
The Sepulveda Line showdown is fucking evil. Using the SF Valley as bait and pretending to care about equity when there is literally no difference between elevated rail and subway other than cost.
It's so telling that they pretend to get outraged about heavy rail if it's elevated but are totally fine with monorail being elevated. Or if heavy rail is elevated on both sides, suddenly they're okay with it. It's so petty and unbelievably cruel.
Amazing work, as always. I was literally checking your channel every week or two waiting for this to drop 😅 For consideration: you could think about starting a Patreon if the money would help you dedicate more time to this? :) And/or a Substack/newsletter. You could also think about releasing the "chapters" in these Metro updates as separate videos (and just put them together in a playlist) if it would make it more manageable for you to release the sections individually rather than all together in one chunk. Just a thought!
Good comprehensive overview of Metro projects. Section 1 of the new D line construction was supposed to open in late 2024, but now it's been pushed back to 2025. However, the 2nd sections is still opening in 2025. That probably means that section 1 will open in the first quarter of 2025 and the 2nd section in the 4th quarter of 2025. BTW, any news on the LA Streetcar project?
This is amazing, very well detailed city council members must hate you for making this information easily accessible. Any chance of doing San Diego's plans or the Bay Area?
Well, they didn't want the subway there at all, but they're slowly making peace with it. The Bel Air opposition stuff is even more ludicrous as there won't even be a stop there; they just don't like the idea of the hoi polloi traveling hundreds of meters beneath their mansions.
I’d you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to create the maps and visuals? I’ve been wanting to create something like this for the Bay Area and Northern California but I never know what to use
The A Line has a station about a mile away on Lake Avenue. It takes about 30 minutes walking or a 20 minute bus ride up Lake Avenue. It's so close it's unlikely LA Metro would build a new rapid transit line to serve Caltech.
nandert, a resident of LA county: "Man, transit projects in our region are experiencing woefully pathetic cost overruns and delays' Me, a resident of Toronto: "Huh, first time?"
I just attended the LA Metro board meeting today regarding the C Line. It was RIDICULOUS. Hawthorne and Redondo Beach residents claimed their would be train derailments (even though the freight line will be upgraded ), a loss of trees and park space (I guess the freight rail line is a recreational amenity), property values falling, sleep deprivation. The arguments were BONKERS. The Hawthorne NIMBYS outnumbered the ROW supporters (including me) by about 2 to 1. Staff want the Board to vote for ROW since it’s significantly cheaper and faster. Mayor Butts and Holly Mitchell will align with the NIMBYS but not sure what else will happen.
Of course the subway option has the best performance. But if one has GHG reduction as the most urgent goal it is of no help. It has taken over 30 years to get from downtown for the Purple Line so far, and it still has not reached UCLA. Do not laugh at the monorail concept if it can be built quickly and combined with aggressive bus priority. Reduce car use fast by providing options fast. As for the construction costs, get rid of the prevailing wage laws which are really just Congressional pandering to the upper 20 percent of workers. Start hiring and training locals immediately by avoiding federal funds. The USA has another crisis, the lack of vocational training which would be addressed at the same time and thus help lower the cost of future transit construction.
Another great video! You are an invaluable source for collecting and condensing all the crazy things happening at Metro that they hope we won't notice. So thank you for all that work! How do these costs keep increasing by the billions?! I can't wait for your video on that. I do like your new maps better stylistically. Caltrans should have its mandate changed to include using its ROWs for transit wherever possible, including using freeway for transit wherever possible and where passenger throughput is greater than car throughput, for example instead of HOV lanes and widening projects to building transit lanes. Caltrans should also help design, build and manage those transit projects. Metro is terrible at naming things. I have been thinking of the WSAB line as the "Artesia Line". Simple. Everyone understands where it's going. Makes sense. There should be a station at 183rd as well as Lakewood Blvd. And yeah, the Artesia Line Little Tokyo station should be connected via paid zone connection to the other Little Tokyo station. This is also a standard globally for intersecting transit lines, which shows that LA Metro is not a world class transit provider. I kinda like the Vermont Line going to MacArthur Park and heading to Glendale and then to E Pasadena under Colorado Blvd. It should be heavy rail. Isn't San Berdo County planning a BRT from Victoria Gardens to Pomona servicing both the Rancho Cucamonga Station and Ontario Airport? They could later convert to it light rail. Fred Rosen is using the disgraceful but now typical GOP approach to govt, which is threatening and dehumanizing govt employees to terrify them into quitting. That should be a crime. Your take on the Inglewood Gadgetbahn is the right one. Metro should not operate it. After it's built, they should hand it off and walk away for the City of Inglewood and the stadiums to solve. As for Dodger Stadium, any kind of rail station at all is a waste of money. Tunneling under Chavez Ravine would cost billions. Because Dodger Stadium is so absolutely isolated, compared to Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium, that station would serve no other purpose. Let the Dodgers build that gondola and whatever else for Dodger Stadium. Metro should only provide stronger bus connections. Your take on the Montclair extension is also the right one. Increased Metrolink service should be enough. Increased express bus service can also help. How nobody at Metro didn't notice that the specs for the A/B rail yard were not correct is mind blowing and is incompetent. That's a major systemic problem at Metro. What is also mind-blowing is that multiple entrances to a subway station, on what will be a heavily used subway line, are controversial. That is basic "Subway 101" around the planet. Of course, they will build it later at twice the cost. The Crenshaw North line would bring ridership on the entire light rail line (almost 100,000) to levels that are better suited to heavy rail. I think the biggest flaw in LA's transit projects is relying on light rail at all for central city projects. I know how we got here, but didn't need to stay here. Light rail has less capacity, is often running at grade in mixed traffic which impacts speed and reliability, and light rail tunnels are not that much cheaper than heavy rail tunnels. In the end, the K Line will be grade separated for about 85% of its entire alignment. It should have been heavy rail and entirely grade separated. The CA HSR line between LA and Anaheim is now not going to be high speed. Instead, it will share tracks (including a newly built 4th track) with both Metrolink AND the freight lines. Travel time from LA to Anaheim will be exactly the same as Metrolink from LA to Anaheim. This makes me wonder why CA HSR should go to Anaheim at all if it is an exact duplication of Metrolink. CA HSR should save the $10B and use it to get to San Diego instead. hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/LA-A-SAA-and-PA-Overview-NovBoard-A11Y.pdf
I love your point on CAHSR. Metrolink between Irvine and LA Union Station should beef up service dramatically while CAHSR uses the Inland Empire for high speed service!
I'm chuckling to learn that the Centinela grade separation project was shelved just to build a people mover to some new stadiums. Well, if it gets the K line finished sooner, we can keep laughing up our sleeves.
What proportion of LA’s population is now directly (walking distance) served by rail? What will it rise to? What is the aggregate ride share between cars/rail/bus/bike/walking? I note they guy saying “flying cars are about to replace metros” did NOT say “The Boring Company is about to replace Metros”.
Nick, has anyone discussed running the A line trains through the Warehouse District direct to Union Station and then Azusa, and giving the Gateway line trains the duty of serving LACTC? That would take a lot of pressure off the Washington/Flower intersection, and Washington Avenue itself, save about 10 minutes between Long Beach and Union Station, and still give people the option of going to the Financial District and Bunker Hill by rail over three different routes. Diverting the A line into the Warehouse District would also help justify a third downtown subway that the Gateway line alone will have difficulty establishing. I think this tunnel should run up San Pedro north of 9th St., instead of running up auto-oriented Alameda, to improve ridership and route the A line through the existing Little Tokyo station. The Gateway Line trains could terminate at either Union Station or Chinatown station, to access the existing LRT yard near the L.A. State Historic Park. Does that make sense to you?
The substitute for the D line extension up to the final extension phase is the LADOT commuter express: route 534 from Los Angeles Union station at the Patsaouras bus plaza To Westwood VA hospital (Wilshire Blvd & Veteran Ave) But this Commuter express route might get discontinued because of the D line when it’s fully completed like the Foothill transit route 499 to San Dimas when the A line foothill extension is complete
Also, I feel like the Coachella Valley Line could be an extension of the Riverside Line with a name change like the 91/Perris Valley Line did. "Riverside/Coachella Valley Line"
Your videos, even showing how metro is flailing sometimes, makes me want to move back so much. Even when doing badly they are doing so much better than MARTA is in the south.
As a former Atlanta resident, yes. MARTA is sadly stuck in the mud due to lack of support and overall general racism from certain cities outside the perimeter. It’s a shame because by itself it is a good system. All heavy rail, so all grade separated and super fast. I always take it from the airport.
Don't even bother. Until LAPD and Metro address the violent afro american crime problem, the Metro is simply not worth taking. It's just flat out not safe if you are White or Asian. I have witnesses so many racially motivated hate incidents from afro americans that I will never take it again.
Thanks for the video. Where did you learn about the options that are being explored for the ESFV line. I've been following it closely and I know they are completing the additional EIR, but I have not seen the three options, including the infill station you mentioned. Can you link me to it?
An instant classic & a great watch! Your passion for LA always comes through and it's great to have someone keeping tabs on what's going on and informing everyone.
So happy to see RMtransit recognise this wonderful transit channel
@@AntonNeumannyeah Reece is everywhere!
omg it's so cool seeing you on another channel I've been following for some time
Well said Reece
I love how ridiculous California transportation projects are; it's amazing
"This tiny neighborhood that contains like 5 homes but which is technically incorporated as a separate town is holding up the entire project"
It would be funnier if it weren't true 🥲
Except in San Diego, which began construction on a grade-separated LRT a year after Crenshaw broke ground and fully opened the LRT a year before Crenshaw phase I opened, while costing less per mile than Crenshaw.
It's more so, unfortunately for us, in LA only.
@@alexhaowenwong6122 really wish San Diego would build more than one rail extension per decade
@@adianchowdhury9016 Agreed, though the upside is that San Diego is forced to make the best of its existing rail lines and focus on quality before quantity.
Its awesome to see how fast LA is expanding its metro. For once LA is an inspiration for the rest of the country to follow.
He says this without a hint of sarcasm.
At the same time rail service is expanding to the suburbs some of those same suburbs are closing schools. Demographics is destiny. These lines may be mothballed too at some point.
@@okolona1 i mean given the amount of force against metro, it is definitely heartening to see things moving at all, coming from a former seattleite thats seeing st3 fall apart
Good point@@BEASLAND000
On the other hand, LA streets keep getting more congested. Real estate near transit hubs may be in greater demand. @@urbanplanner7200
I have never been to LA
I have never been to the US
I know nothing about LA Transit
And for you to explain all the drama of rail projects in a single video is amazing.
Visuals are great, narration is nice, and everything is stunning.
Unfortunately, looks like LA still needs lots of work to become the transit city it should've been.
We are a transit city. It's just that we still mainly transit by car, but it's changing though slowly.
Yes LA remains a city of the future- its hope for a futuristic city was deferred for a few decades as carmania, freeways and sprawl supplanted the vision. With the growing awareness of the utter futility of freeway expansion residents have become enthusiastic supporters of public transit projects. Today the futuristic vision of a city without cars is slowly regaining primacy. Hope is restored!
So a couple of things. People vehemently disagree on what "city of the future" or "transit city" means. Second a MINORITY of people wanted this which pisses off long time residents. Thirdly LA isn't structured to have metro stations which will create MORE traffic rather than alleviate it because only people who are flat out broke will use it. LA isn't progressing it's going backwards.
A majority of people approved it, actually. LA will be the first city ever then that got worse traffic from building more transit....will be interesting to see how that could play out since I don't think that's been observed anywhere else.@@cactusjackNV
In my experience, being from the East Coast but having visited LA a few times, it's not helpful to think of LA as a city. It's very far from one side to the other and It's more like a small country with a population similar to Hungary or Portugal.
YES!! I’ve been eagerly waiting for the 2023 update video. I’ve rewatched the 2022 one so many times. This will be a great decade for transit in LA and all over the country, and I really hope Metro can get their act together while the state and feds make building transit easier. Thank you for your service nandert. Also, congrats on your marriage!
Oh my gosh welcome back. So happy to see you posting. I look forward to these once a year updates especially because of how detailed, logical and informative they are.
Excellent video Nick! You continue to set the standard for LA transit content. Despite all the delays, cost increases, and funding shortfalls, it's amazing to see things start to come together. It truly feels like the late 2020s are when Metro will start to see massive gains in ridership from new lines opening and other improvements.
But the one thing I see missing from Metro is a solid plan to increase service for trains and buses. Metro has been stuck around 7 million revenue service hours for a while now, despite opening a new rail line and the regional connector. Of course as other rail and BRT lines open, they will have to run more service. But as someone who tries to get around on transit as much as possible here, I can't help but think that also running more buses and trains on the existing lines would do so much to help people get around. The new rail lines will be far more useful if people are able to get to them without long waits.
That's already in the works. They reduced the headways on the B and D lines in September. And they will reduce the headways on the A and E lines this month though it's dependent on hiring enough personnel to run the additional trains. Metro announced these service upgrades last July if I'm not mistaken.
@@mrxman581 This is great, but they're still restoring the pre-COVID headways. The A and E lines once ran every 6 minutes at peak, and the B and D lines ran 10 minutes most of the day (September service increase was to 12 minutes). Even with this improved service, all Metro rail lines will come every 20 minutes after 8pm, which is a shame because it makes any trips with a transfer really difficult.
Toronto has a grid of 15-minute bus service that covers almost the entire city, and they have over 1 million riders per day on the bus alone. LA is a bigger city and has 700k bus riders per day. Expanding the grid of frequent service would be so great, but there isn't much momentum for LA to do so. Having so many other bus operators besides Metro in the county doesn't help either.
@@whatwebuiltYes and waiting 20 minutes after 8pm is horrible. The system isn't safe at any time but after 9pm it's a rolling skid row.
I’m currently attending camp flog gnaw at dodgers stadium and the transportation situation is a nightmare. They sold out of parking so a majority of people (me included) had to take rideshare. Getting there wasn’t a problem but 10,000+ people all trying to get an Uber at the same time goes exactly how you’d imagine. Thankfully while we were walking around, someone who lived in that neighborhood offered us a ride back to our car. If not for that chance encounter we would have been stuck there for at least 2 more hours trying to leave. Whether it’s the gondola or the metro station, there needs to be another option besides driving there.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s understandable to have a metro station at Chavez Ravine but an aerial tran will also add a viable option for many to ditch their vehicle when attending a stadium event.
The gondola is cool, but it’s not the most viable solution to the issue. By the proposing agency’s own numbers, the gondola can only transport 5k-8k people an hour. Dodger stadium’s capacity is 56k.
@@kennyalvarado7578 yeah I don’t think they’re looking to completely erase the parking footprint, just making a size 11 a 10 1/2 lol. But honestly anything is better than what they have right now, any alternative to driving wins in my opinion.
Can you get to Union Station without a car? I like the idea of more buses running between Dodger Stadium and Union Station during busy events like concerts and music festivals. I've talked with Dodgers fans about the bus they run and their only issue is it gets CROWDED.
@@PASH3227 unfortunately for me it is nearly impossible to get there without car. The shuttles were going back and forth nonstop but they had so many people for this concert (90k+) that between the people parking there, getting dropped off by Uber, and taking shuttles, the roads were backed up for nearly 2-3 miles to the stadium. The main problem with the shuttles is they would get stuck in the same traffic as everyone else since there are no bus only lanes so that made it take way longer for the shuttles. It’s a good idea, just poorly executed especially for a place like dodgers stadium there needs to be more ways to get there besides car.
Re: the Sepulveda line section, I'm surprised those emails don't constitute criminal harassment, threats, or cyberstalking in and of themselves.
Imagine if after the Bay Area closed the key system that they built a monorail in the center of the bay bridge instead of the Transbay Tube for BART. That’s how stupid an idea the Sepulveda monorail is
Yes
This is a perfect analogy.
*DID YOU SAY MONORAIL?:* th-cam.com/video/ZDOI0cq6GZM/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=saveourspit
Yup! He recommends valley residents to vote and support Alt #4
THIS IS GOLD. between your takes on the colossal consulting fuck up and the digs at century city i was cackling in the first ten minutes. call! them! out!
Patiently waiting for the day LA passes a “everybody has to shut up and let transit happen and inevitably reap the benefits even though you’re complaining now” law
I’d love that
Yep. I truly cannot understand how a town could sue a metro operator for wanting to build a metro. That makes no sense
Yes please! Maybe then all these projects would finish faster!
The ultimate Anti,-Nimbyism law
Gotta support that
but then they'd inevitably abuse that to raze low income neighborhoods (because the eminent domain fees are cheaper) to build freeways
I appreciate you and the work you do! And I don't even live in LA. Thank you!
Same here! :)
Same my brother only lives at OC, though we are interested about LA Metro
As someone in the south bay, I am soooooo pissed that the extension to Torrance is taking forever and might be canceled. The only thing even close to me is the J bus. :(
Visited the Torrance Transit Center and it's overbuilt for just serving a few bus routes. The terminus for a light rail? That would justify the fancy bus bays and massive parking lot.
Please support the C Line Extension to Torrance by filling out this form in support of Metro ROW option and show up on Dec 16 if you can: mitchell.lacounty.gov/c-line-green-line-community-walk/
If SVGCOG wants to have the same type of grade separation as the westside, they should adopt the same zoning density as the westside.
I’d love to see all these projects completed by the 2028 Olympics but that would require a miracle
Imagine! Put so much pressure on CA / Federal gov / LA that people will need transit for the games and that the car just won't be able to handle it.
Was waiting for this vid all fall and it did not disappoint! Honestly the reality check, as bleak as it is, is really important to have. I thought I’d been keeping up with metro news, but you brought up stuff I didn’t even hear about
Amazing work and service you're providing. May transit in LA connect the city all over!
Thanks for the detail and thought you put into this. The K line northern extension segments are amazing. A tourist visiting could get from LAX to the Farmer's Market to a hotel at Hollywood/Highland in one line. Mind-blowing. What an obvious great idea, I could see tons of people who live or work in WeHo becoming Metro riders.
It's not safe or clean.
Thank you man, you are the best one to cover all LA Metro news!
Yeah found out today a family friend has been working on the LAX people mover and has been sick from stress, so yeah South Bay gotta stop bickering about everything.
Also I take the shuttle to SoFi and I hope the IPM is built.
Love your videos. One thing to add is that in response to SOHA, Bechtel put out a concept addendum to Alt 4 to extend the tunnel past Ventura bl to avoid SOHA’s elevated complaints.
Impressive video. Impressive plans from LA to expand their public transport, despite the NIMBY opposition. I wish our MTA in the NY area would have that many plans, and would especially make much more haste with the 2nd Avenue subway.
Please keep up the good fight putting out these transportation development summaries because the people of Los Angeles deserve to have these projects put into context because GOOD PUBLIC TRANSIT is the most important thing for a city which will bring growth and equity to everyone who lives there!!!!! Thank you for doing what you do.
Just got off the A(Blue Line) at Historic Broadway and saw this video in my notifications! So Ready! Will comment more after watching!
all these bickering cities are such a headache i h ave so much respect for any productive transit work getting done in california at all. incredible video as always, really unrivalled map animations.
Surprised to see no mentions about the OC Streetcar opening up next year. Though I don't know if it counts as a "Metro" project since OCTA and Santa Ana are mostly funding it themselves. As far as I can see, most of the tracks are laid down now but need to finish some street work to level the street and then install the electrical systems to then test the streetcars.
6:07
seriously, that is just beyond embarrassing! There must be a serious lack of communication and disconnect between Metro and whoever is building that project.
I live in Hawthorne and had no idea the role we played (or aren't playing ) in the extension of the rail system! very informative video.
Coming from someone who’s interviewed a fair number of developers at this point, we really need some sort of public contractor to do these public transport projects. In my dream scenario we get an actually good president who takes advantage of some sort of “declaration of climate emergency” to activate the army corps of engineers to develop projects like cal train etc. but really we could also use the ideas within the green new deals “civilian climate corp” to do the same thing though you’d be missing out on the engineering side unless the scale and vision of the CCC is changed. Anyways, wonderful video, excited to see more.
someone should make a similar video, but on the nandert video release roadmap and corresponding delays ;)
But in all seriousness, great video, take your time!
Good video! I hope that metro gets its head out of its rear and starts to figure out what the hell is taking so long. Also good on you for not only correcting your mistake but owning up to it. I hope that K line extension is built in a timely and reasonably cost effective way.
Please support the C/K Line Extension to Torrance by filling out this form in support of Metro ROW option: mitchell.lacounty.gov/c-line-green-line-community-walk/
When I went to Korea earlier this year I was shocked how amazing their subway was and was envious we couldn't have it here
I had seen an ad for the potential of having gondolas and thought it was an interesting concept. Then I went to CDMX and was shocked they already had a system built and running! I wish LA's transit was better. Thanks for the video!!
Agreed, but why would you be shocked that Mexico has gondola lines? They've existed for many years. Mexico City has the second largest subway system in the Americas behind NYC. They also have a myriad of other public transit services.
@@mrxman581 I was shocked because in LA gondolas are mere theory. So to see them fully functional I was like WOW they have their shit together
the quality and depth of information in each of your videos is inspiring.
Phenomenal video. We in the LA transit community are lucky to have someone put so much effort into a resource like this. I learned so much that would take many hours of reserach to glean. And the production is fantastic!
If that Crenshaw North were open now, I'd be riding regularly from my new local station at Midtown Crossing :) Build it!
For La Brea BRT at 1:04:15, I hope they include a stop at Pico. There's a lot going on at that intersection of important LA boulevards.
I have no idea why Metro places so much importance on Claremont and Montclair. Many other projects like WSAB, er, Gateway and Vermont could use that money and energy. And it's not even in the County!
another native Angeleno here in NELA. just wanted to say thank you so much for providing us with such an incredible resource in this channel. ive seen around me first hand the desperate need for actual transit (and also majorly: housing) in this city. i hope every angeleno comes across your channel eventually!
Love it, come on LA. Less cars more transit has to be the future!
Glad do see you back after a bit (hope the video doesn't get taken down)
the chaos of this new metro plan both brings me joy and entertainment
yt algorithm finally working right to show me this video - fully enjoyed the briefing.
I wish I could show this video directly to Gavin Newsom and shake him! Los Angeles is so far behind the bay area in terms of public transit, for the second largest metro area in the country and to see Metro repeatedly fumble over and over again makes me so upset. There is so much budget surplus money that California receives and does not use every year, and public transportation in Los Angeles (especially for the Olympics in 5 years) should be in the top 5 priority for allocating any amount of unused funds imo. If the process and regulations of requesting state money was simplified for public transit agencies, as well as construction in regards to CalTrans, Metro could be given the sitting tens of billions in Sacramento for these projects at once. Because what else is it going to do? The only issues would be NIMBY's and dumbasses in local cities and HMO's, outflanked by a huge budget set in place. I'm nowhere near as technical in thinking about these things, but it doesn't take much for this to make sense. Projects being bogged down by costs and procedures like the K Line Torrance extension or the Sepulveda Line, or the G Line improvements wouldn't be a problem anymore.
Having more straight forward funding would help, but there are many other things that would still cause delays, some legitimate, but most not. NIMBYism, frivolous lawsuits, and politics are still a huge issue. It's complex when you're dealing with a county agencies and many independent city governments as well.
LA Metro is doing an admirable job considering the huge complexities of building public transit across the entire county and within dozens of cities with their own city councils.
@@mrxman581 I absolutely get that, but there seems to be many other instances where that's not necessarily an issue. The A Line Claremont and Montclair stations, the G Line improvements, the Inglewood PeopleMover, the remaining D Line construction following Beverly Hills' construction regulations, and more smaller tasks to improve service before 2028.
Bolstering funds that clearly aren't there now I think would change situations around in board meetings, because the way Metro conducts itself is reaching out to areas that would include proximity to projects before any plea for funding for the project occurs.
If Metro approaches a situation with money (and lawyers), I think it would deter some loud opposition. These people aren't that smart lol, and train authorities seem to enjoy being kicked around by rich politicians and NIMBY groups. If Metro was made more powerful of an organization, this wouldn't be as much of an issue. I think it's something that could be voted on, on a statewide level to allocate state budget surplus funds to LA Metro and Metrolink to help along the slow progress of projects for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics.
@@mrxman581Will the AV and SB lines be electrified?
The Bay Area is light years ahead of SoCal? There is so much budget surplus money? I'd like the drugs you are smoking because neither is even close to the truth.
Crazy how slow and costly this is in the US. Love watching metros built in Asia since they actually have timelines that are fun to watch.
Exactly! It's ridiculous how long and how impossible it is to get a project to construction and then how expensive it is to get it to completion. Meanwhile, China proposes a major subway or high speed railway and five years later it's open for travel.
@@edwardmiessner6502 Since you think China is a beacon of human rights and freedom why don't you move there?
@@cactusjackNVYes, truly it is impossible to have basic human rights and build train fast. Given the previous commenter never mentioned human rights that’s the only way your comment seems to make sense.
@@edwardmiessner6502those systems were actually proposed decades ago.
@@cactusjackNVbuddy your propaganda is no longer working just stop . Americans have no business talking about human rights. Shame
One can only hope for the optimistic approach you reached here. You're doing the Lord's work piecing all this together into a highly detailed overview of projects and all I can say is THANK YOU
Thank you for the Sepulveda Line breakdown, especially with info on who to reach out to in support of the project. It's so desperately needed!
Love to see this. Thanks for keep us informed.
So happy to see another video from you. The density of info along with the pacing and humor is unrivaled. Huge bummer to hear projections have gotten worse but hopefully as the Olympics loom nearer some asses will be kicked into gear. The 10 being out of commission is a great opportunity to make an opportunity out of a crisis as well. Best case scenario is the lack of a freeway won't impact the surrounding traffic very much, help giving justification for starting to give serious talk to getting rid of freeways slowly but surely. Worst case would it just being an easy advertisement to taking transit and getting more people on board.
I agree that extending the A line to Montclair is a waste given the existing Metrolink corridor. Double track and electrify Metrolink from El Monte to San Bernardino (or even Redlands)
That's what I thought, but apparently building this section increases ridership significantly. I guess few people want to ride Metrolink for a short distance and then a Metro train for a longer distance. Also, Metro Rail will always run much more frequently than Metrolink.
Oh, and I always thought ARROW should be part of Metrolink San Bernardino line to begin with, but the main issue is NIMBYs in Redlands who don't want the slightly noiser Metrolink trains by them.
@@Geotpf You could look for an alignment that runs south from Pomona for the Metro line and make the Pomona station a real interchange. Better yet make Metrolink fast enough to beat the A line to Union Station from Pomona so you can incentivize riders to take the metro to Metrolink. But that would require much more frequent service than Metrolink's goal of thirty minute headways. I wish Metrolink prioritized increasing ridership.
@@Geotpf the best thing about the arrow trains is that electrification is actually possible with them. Too bad Metrolink seems allergic to electrification.
@@GeotpfI think the argument for Montclair is that there is a transit hub there. However, the A line is already so long as it is. Taking it to Pomona is good enough for now.
Bro, when I saw this in the recommended videos, I foamed at the mouth in excitement!! Glad to see you back 😁!!
Absolutely fascinating. Very well done...informative and funny as well. I grew up in LA from 1963 to 1992 but come back often. Great to see so much progress planned.
I'm always excited for another nandert video! Thanks for the in depth update
"Mired in endless studies" seems to be the theme of this video, but at the very least, LA is getting some lines built. Lets just say that in Canada, "endless studies" takes on a whole new meaning. The extension of the blue line in Montreal has been the object of "studies" for at least 4 decades at this point. Same for HSR in the Québec Montreal Toronto corridor. Its absolutely ridiculous.
That’s called corruption
These are always amazing. Thanks for doing them.
Your videos set the standard and I eagerly await them. Thank you for taking the time to put together these high quality reviews. It is really appreciated.
Amazing job! Thanks for the review. I didn't think I'd watch the whole thing without skipping; very captivating.
The map that you showed at 1:49 has the signature look of the map of the Montreal Metro. Very few map use a black and gray background which makes it rather iconic. I have to say that I'm quite partial to that particular design choice.
I love you nandert. Your visuals are amazing, your expressions enhance and help empathize our shared frustration for the area we share
And congrats on the marriage!!!
the quality of your vids is amazing dude, can't wait to see your channel blow up!
Finally!!!
I need this video for my Acadeca speech
24:10 Every transit reporter eh? Did that include you?
Also just WHY is the C line extension to Norwalk Metrolink not being built sooner? The connectivity benefits seem so important, especially after the LAX people mover opens.
58:32 The way Little Tokyo/Arts District was rebuilt lacks the flexibility to have an underground connection from mezzanine to mezzanine because the current one doesn't actually have a mezzanine. It's a semi-open top entrance for the A and E Lines with a tight loop with no room for a mezzanine
Anyone else find it funny how the recent i10 closure warrant's an emergency declaration and federal DOT response yet they let the LOSSAN corridor close for over half a year due to a relatively minor issue that only required like 1mil in repairs. The priorities here are crazy when you consider there are several other freeways accessing DTLA yet the LOSSAN corridor is the only way to use rail south of LA County. This is why I'm actually glad that HSR is (eventually) using an inland route to build redundancy to the rail network. Hopefully the i10 stuff will convince people to at least try transit options.
The Sepulveda Line showdown is fucking evil. Using the SF Valley as bait and pretending to care about equity when there is literally no difference between elevated rail and subway other than cost.
It's so telling that they pretend to get outraged about heavy rail if it's elevated but are totally fine with monorail being elevated. Or if heavy rail is elevated on both sides, suddenly they're okay with it. It's so petty and unbelievably cruel.
thank you for your service and i look forward to enjoying every single second of content you produce
Welcome back Nandert! Happy to finally see this annual update video 🎉
“Maybe we should take their concerns with a grain of *very* white salt” goddamnit I love this channel 😂
your attention to detail is impressive and very much appreciated :)
Thank you for making this, I look forward to your future videos!
I've been waiting for this!
Amazing work, as always. I was literally checking your channel every week or two waiting for this to drop 😅 For consideration: you could think about starting a Patreon if the money would help you dedicate more time to this? :) And/or a Substack/newsletter. You could also think about releasing the "chapters" in these Metro updates as separate videos (and just put them together in a playlist) if it would make it more manageable for you to release the sections individually rather than all together in one chunk. Just a thought!
How do we organize a pro-heavy rail sepulveda group/ weigh in future discussions?
As usual amazing work. I was waiting for an update for a minute. I hope we get these bi-annually but of course that a lot to research.
Good comprehensive overview of Metro projects.
Section 1 of the new D line construction was supposed to open in late 2024, but now it's been pushed back to 2025. However, the 2nd sections is still opening in 2025. That probably means that section 1 will open in the first quarter of 2025 and the 2nd section in the 4th quarter of 2025.
BTW, any news on the LA Streetcar project?
Love the background music, its a good fit
This is amazing, very well detailed city council members must hate you for making this information easily accessible. Any chance of doing San Diego's plans or the Bay Area?
You are the best! I rewatch your videos!! 🙌🏾💜
You would think that Beverly Hills would WANT the 'undesirables' traveling underground and not at eye level
Well, they didn't want the subway there at all, but they're slowly making peace with it. The Bel Air opposition stuff is even more ludicrous as there won't even be a stop there; they just don't like the idea of the hoi polloi traveling hundreds of meters beneath their mansions.
I’d you don’t mind me asking, how were you able to create the maps and visuals? I’ve been wanting to create something like this for the Bay Area and Northern California but I never know what to use
Any updates on the Brightline West project. Do they still plan to break ground with a month & a half left in the year?
seeing this video in my feed gave me an ounce of bliss
Are there any plans to connect the LA region with Caltech in Pasadena by rapid transit? That seems to be a missed opportunity.
The A Line has a station about a mile away on Lake Avenue. It takes about 30 minutes walking or a 20 minute bus ride up Lake Avenue. It's so close it's unlikely LA Metro would build a new rapid transit line to serve Caltech.
@@PASH3227 Thanks. It would be nice if Caltech had its own stop for convenience, it would also make it easier to get around Pasadena.
Another amazing video, Nick! Congratulations also on getting married.
Amazing video! You do amazing work and I wish we could have someone like you in Phoenix.
nandert, a resident of LA county: "Man, transit projects in our region are experiencing woefully pathetic cost overruns and delays'
Me, a resident of Toronto: "Huh, first time?"
At least people actually do take transit in Toronto area
Dude no offense but LA is on a completely different tier of incompetence from Toronto
BABE WAKE UP, NEW NANDERT VIDEO UP
I just attended the LA Metro board meeting today regarding the C Line. It was RIDICULOUS. Hawthorne and Redondo Beach residents claimed their would be train derailments (even though the freight line will be upgraded ), a loss of trees and park space (I guess the freight rail line is a recreational amenity), property values falling, sleep deprivation. The arguments were BONKERS. The Hawthorne NIMBYS outnumbered the ROW supporters (including me) by about 2 to 1. Staff want the Board to vote for ROW since it’s significantly cheaper and faster. Mayor Butts and Holly Mitchell will align with the NIMBYS but not sure what else will happen.
Of course the subway option has the best performance. But if one has GHG reduction as the most urgent goal it is of no help. It has taken over 30 years to get from downtown for the Purple Line so far, and it still has not reached UCLA. Do not laugh at the monorail concept if it can be built quickly and combined with aggressive bus priority. Reduce car use fast by providing options fast. As for the construction costs, get rid of the prevailing wage laws which are really just Congressional pandering to the upper 20 percent of workers. Start hiring and training locals immediately by avoiding federal funds. The USA has another crisis, the lack of vocational training which would be addressed at the same time and thus help lower the cost of future transit construction.
The LA metro is my Roman Empire
The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns😂.
thank you for this video! appreciate your critical lens
Great work on these and thanks for the update
Another great video! You are an invaluable source for collecting and condensing all the crazy things happening at Metro that they hope we won't notice. So thank you for all that work!
How do these costs keep increasing by the billions?! I can't wait for your video on that. I do like your new maps better stylistically.
Caltrans should have its mandate changed to include using its ROWs for transit wherever possible, including using freeway for transit wherever possible and where passenger throughput is greater than car throughput, for example instead of HOV lanes and widening projects to building transit lanes. Caltrans should also help design, build and manage those transit projects.
Metro is terrible at naming things. I have been thinking of the WSAB line as the "Artesia Line". Simple. Everyone understands where it's going. Makes sense. There should be a station at 183rd as well as Lakewood Blvd. And yeah, the Artesia Line Little Tokyo station should be connected via paid zone connection to the other Little Tokyo station. This is also a standard globally for intersecting transit lines, which shows that LA Metro is not a world class transit provider.
I kinda like the Vermont Line going to MacArthur Park and heading to Glendale and then to E Pasadena under Colorado Blvd. It should be heavy rail.
Isn't San Berdo County planning a BRT from Victoria Gardens to Pomona servicing both the Rancho Cucamonga Station and Ontario Airport? They could later convert to it light rail.
Fred Rosen is using the disgraceful but now typical GOP approach to govt, which is threatening and dehumanizing govt employees to terrify them into quitting. That should be a crime.
Your take on the Inglewood Gadgetbahn is the right one. Metro should not operate it. After it's built, they should hand it off and walk away for the City of Inglewood and the stadiums to solve.
As for Dodger Stadium, any kind of rail station at all is a waste of money. Tunneling under Chavez Ravine would cost billions. Because Dodger Stadium is so absolutely isolated, compared to Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium, that station would serve no other purpose. Let the Dodgers build that gondola and whatever else for Dodger Stadium. Metro should only provide stronger bus connections.
Your take on the Montclair extension is also the right one. Increased Metrolink service should be enough. Increased express bus service can also help.
How nobody at Metro didn't notice that the specs for the A/B rail yard were not correct is mind blowing and is incompetent. That's a major systemic problem at Metro.
What is also mind-blowing is that multiple entrances to a subway station, on what will be a heavily used subway line, are controversial. That is basic "Subway 101" around the planet. Of course, they will build it later at twice the cost.
The Crenshaw North line would bring ridership on the entire light rail line (almost 100,000) to levels that are better suited to heavy rail. I think the biggest flaw in LA's transit projects is relying on light rail at all for central city projects. I know how we got here, but didn't need to stay here. Light rail has less capacity, is often running at grade in mixed traffic which impacts speed and reliability, and light rail tunnels are not that much cheaper than heavy rail tunnels. In the end, the K Line will be grade separated for about 85% of its entire alignment. It should have been heavy rail and entirely grade separated.
The CA HSR line between LA and Anaheim is now not going to be high speed. Instead, it will share tracks (including a newly built 4th track) with both Metrolink AND the freight lines. Travel time from LA to Anaheim will be exactly the same as Metrolink from LA to Anaheim. This makes me wonder why CA HSR should go to Anaheim at all if it is an exact duplication of Metrolink. CA HSR should save the $10B and use it to get to San Diego instead. hsr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/LA-A-SAA-and-PA-Overview-NovBoard-A11Y.pdf
I love your point on CAHSR. Metrolink between Irvine and LA Union Station should beef up service dramatically while CAHSR uses the Inland Empire for high speed service!
I'm chuckling to learn that the Centinela grade separation project was shelved just to build a people mover to some new stadiums. Well, if it gets the K line finished sooner, we can keep laughing up our sleeves.
Well, i haven't been to LA, and i'm not sure when and if i'll visit. Nethertheless, i really enjoyed watching this one hour video here in Austria.
Come for the Olympics. Many transit projects will be finished by then so you'll be able to use them for yourself.
What proportion of LA’s population is now directly (walking distance) served by rail? What will it rise to?
What is the aggregate ride share between cars/rail/bus/bike/walking?
I note they guy saying “flying cars are about to replace metros” did NOT say “The Boring Company is about to replace Metros”.
Nick, has anyone discussed running the A line trains through the Warehouse District direct to Union Station and then Azusa, and giving the Gateway line trains the duty of serving LACTC? That would take a lot of pressure off the Washington/Flower intersection, and Washington Avenue itself, save about 10 minutes between Long Beach and Union Station, and still give people the option of going to the Financial District and Bunker Hill by rail over three different routes.
Diverting the A line into the Warehouse District would also help justify a third downtown subway that the Gateway line alone will have difficulty establishing. I think this tunnel should run up San Pedro north of 9th St., instead of running up auto-oriented Alameda, to improve ridership and route the A line through the existing Little Tokyo station. The Gateway Line trains could terminate at either Union Station or Chinatown station, to access the existing LRT yard near the L.A. State Historic Park. Does that make sense to you?
My favorite Metro project will be them actually assigning a law enforcement officer to patrol the trains and remove the homeless people smoking crack.
The substitute for the D line extension up to the final extension phase is the
LADOT commuter express: route 534
from
Los Angeles Union station at the Patsaouras bus plaza
To
Westwood VA hospital (Wilshire Blvd & Veteran Ave)
But this Commuter express route might get discontinued because of the D line when it’s fully completed like the Foothill transit route 499 to San Dimas when the A line foothill extension is complete
Also, I feel like the Coachella Valley Line could be an extension of the Riverside Line with a name change like the 91/Perris Valley Line did. "Riverside/Coachella Valley Line"
Your videos, even showing how metro is flailing sometimes, makes me want to move back so much. Even when doing badly they are doing so much better than MARTA is in the south.
As a former Atlanta resident, yes. MARTA is sadly stuck in the mud due to lack of support and overall general racism from certain cities outside the perimeter. It’s a shame because by itself it is a good system. All heavy rail, so all grade separated and super fast. I always take it from the airport.
Don't even bother. Until LAPD and Metro address the violent afro american crime problem, the Metro is simply not worth taking. It's just flat out not safe if you are White or Asian. I have witnesses so many racially motivated hate incidents from afro americans that I will never take it again.
Great work here! Very informative.
Thanks for keeping us informed
For all the bullshit, we’re still planning all this awesome stuff, love the visualization as always!
There are several under construction as well.
Thanks for the video. Where did you learn about the options that are being explored for the ESFV line. I've been following it closely and I know they are completing the additional EIR, but I have not seen the three options, including the infill station you mentioned. Can you link me to it?