Three rail lines have become two rail lines in Los Angeles, providing one-seat rides from four corners of Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) opened the long-awaited Regional Connector to the public on June 16, completely redrawing Metro’s rail service map in the process.
“The 1.9 miles of new track laid allows light-rail trains to travel between Union Station and the busy 7th St./Metro Center Station in downtown LA’s Financial District,” according to an article by Brandon Lewis for Mass Transit magazine. “Bridging the gap allows L.A. Metro to merge the hook-shaped L (Gold) line with the A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, creating two serpent-like train lines where there were once three.”
In effect, the two newly formed lines allow one-seat light rail rides from Azusa to Long Beach on the A Line, and East L.A. to Santa Monica on the E Line. The project overcame delays in 2019 and a lawsuit in 2012 to come to fruition.
The new project also delivered three new underground stations to serve the newly formed A and B lines in downtown—the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, the Historic Broadway Station, and the Grand Avenue/Bunker Hill Station.
Local coverage of the Regional Connector’s contribution to transit in Los Angeles is available from L.A. Taco and the Los Angeles Times [paywall]. See also Metro’s Regional Connector Transit Project page for more information.
Read the full story: L.A. Metro celebrates opening of Regional Connector
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