Los Angeles MTA (Rail):
Metro Blue Line
Los Angeles's first rapid transit rail line was the Metro Blue Line, a light rail corridor connecting downtown Los Angeles to the city of Long Beach and passing through the areas of South Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park. Lynwood, Watts, Compton, and Carson. The Blue Line opened in 1990 at a cost of $877 million and was operated by the SCRTD, the predecessor to the LACMTA, until the latter agency was formed in 1993. The Blue Line is currently the second-busiest light rail line in the United States, after Boston's MBTA Green Line.
Plans were devised in the 1990s to extend the Blue Line past 7th/Metro Center to Pasadena, via a new "Regional Connector" subway line between 7th and Los Angeles Union Station and existing railroad rights of way to Pasadena. Construction began on the Pasadena segment in 1998, but work was stopped with a 1998 ballot initiative banning the use of taxpayer money for subway construction. In 2000, a separate construction authority was created for the "Pasadena Blue Line" which would turn operations over to the LACMTA upon completion. The Pasadena Blue Line eventually became the separate Metro Gold Line, connecting Union Station to Pasadena. The plans for a Regional Connector through downtown Los Angeles have been shelved.
The Blue Line mainly operates at street level, except for certain elevated sections as well as one underground station at 7th/Metro Center. All stations consist of single island platforms, except for 7th/Metro Center with two side platforms, and several of the single-track stations in Long Beach. The street level operation has given rise to safety concerns surrounding the many grade crossings on the line, with a number of vehicular and pedestrian accidents having occured.
The Metro Blue Line opened with a fleet of 54 P850 light rail vehicles constructed by the Japanese firm of Nippon-Sharyo. All cars are articulated and are designed for high-level boarding. In 2000, the Blue Line received 14 Nippon-Sharyo P2020 LRVs, identical to the P865s. These cars originally operated on the Metro Green Line and were transferred to the Blue Line when newer P2000 cars were ordered for the Green Line. There are currently 69 cars in the Blue Line fleet.
Metro Blue Line
Los Angeles's first rapid transit rail line was the Metro Blue Line, a light rail corridor connecting downtown Los Angeles to the city of Long Beach and passing through the areas of South Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park. Lynwood, Watts, Compton, and Carson. The Blue Line opened in 1990 at a cost of $877 million and was operated by the SCRTD, the predecessor to the LACMTA, until the latter agency was formed in 1993. The Blue Line is currently the second-busiest light rail line in the United States, after Boston's MBTA Green Line.
Plans were devised in the 1990s to extend the Blue Line past 7th/Metro Center to Pasadena, via a new "Regional Connector" subway line between 7th and Los Angeles Union Station and existing railroad rights of way to Pasadena. Construction began on the Pasadena segment in 1998, but work was stopped with a 1998 ballot initiative banning the use of taxpayer money for subway construction. In 2000, a separate construction authority was created for the "Pasadena Blue Line" which would turn operations over to the LACMTA upon completion. The Pasadena Blue Line eventually became the separate Metro Gold Line, connecting Union Station to Pasadena. The plans for a Regional Connector through downtown Los Angeles have been shelved.
The Blue Line mainly operates at street level, except for certain elevated sections as well as one underground station at 7th/Metro Center. All stations consist of single island platforms, except for 7th/Metro Center with two side platforms, and several of the single-track stations in Long Beach. The street level operation has given rise to safety concerns surrounding the many grade crossings on the line, with a number of vehicular and pedestrian accidents having occured.
The Metro Blue Line opened with a fleet of 54 P850 light rail vehicles constructed by the Japanese firm of Nippon-Sharyo. All cars are articulated and are designed for high-level boarding. In 2000, the Blue Line received 14 Nippon-Sharyo P2020 LRVs, identical to the P865s. These cars originally operated on the Metro Green Line and were transferred to the Blue Line when newer P2000 cars were ordered for the Green Line. There are currently 69 cars in the Blue Line fleet.
| Nippon-Sharyo P865 LRV 1989-1990 Nippon-Sharyo P865 LRV (100-153) | ||
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| Nippon-Sharyo P2020 LRV 1994 Nippon-Sharyo P2020 LRV (154-168) | ||
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