Los Angeles Metro Rail

Metro Rail
Metro Rail rapid transit (subway) train in 2008
Metro Rail light rail train in 2023
Overview
Area served	Los Angeles County, California
Transit type	Light rail Rapid transit (subway)
Number of lines	4 light rail lines 2 rapid transit lines
Number of stations	102
Daily ridership	208,300 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	61,981,300 (2023)[2]
Website	metro.net
Operation
Began operation	July 14, 1990; 34 years ago (1990-07-14)
Operator(s)	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
Technical
System length	109 mi (175 km)[3]
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line (light rail) or third rail (rapid transit), 750 V DC
System map Show interactive map Show static map Legend Light rail      (2025) Pomona (2025) La Verne (2025) San Dimas (2025) Glendora  APU/Citrus College  Azusa Downtown Irwindale Duarte/City of Hope Division 24 Maintenance and Storage Facility Monrovia Arcadia Sierra Madre Villa Allen Lake Memorial Park Del Mar Fillmore South Pasadena Highland Park Southwest Museum  Atlantic  Heritage Square East LA Civic Center Lincoln/Cypress Maravilla Division 21 Maintenance and Storage Facility Indiana Chinatown Soto     Union Station Mariachi Plaza Pico/Aliso Little Tokyo/Arts District Historic Broadway   Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill     7th Street/​Metro Center   Pico  LATTC/Ortho Institute Grand/LATTC   Jefferson/USC San Pedro Street Washington tail track Expo Park/​USC Washington Expo/Vermont Vernon Expo/Western Slauson  Expo/Crenshaw  Florence Martin Luther King Jr. Firestone Leimert Park 103rd Street/ Watts Towers Hyde Park  Norwalk  Farmdale Lakewood Boulevard Fairview Heights Long Beach Boulevard Downtown Inglewood Willowbrook/ Rosa Parks  Westchester/Veterans  Avalon Division 16 Maintenance and Storage Facility Harbor Freeway   (2025) LAX/Metro Transit Center Vermont/Athens  Aviation/Century  Crenshaw Expo/La Brea Hawthorne/​Lennox La Cienega/​Jefferson Aviation/LAX ( via   ) Culver City Compton Palms Artesia Westwood/​Rancho Park Mariposa Expo/Sepulveda El Segundo Expo/Bundy Douglas Division 14 Maintenance and Storage Facility Division 22 Maintenance and Storage Facility 26th Street/​Bergamot  Redondo Beach  17th Street/​SMC Del Amo  Downtown Santa Monica  Division 11 Maintenance and Storage Facility Wardlow Willow Street Pacific Coast Highway Anaheim Street Pacific tail track Pacific Avenue 5th Street  Downtown Long Beach  1st Street Rapid transit    Division 20 Maintenance and Storage Facility  Union Station     Civic Center/​Grand Park   Pershing Square   7th Street/​Metro Center     Westlake/​MacArthur Park Wilshire/​Vermont Vermont/​Beverly Wilshire/​Normandie Vermont/​Santa Monica  Wilshire/Western  Vermont/Sunset Wilshire/La Brea (2025) Hollywood/​Western Wilshire/Fairfax (2025) Hollywood/Vine Wilshire/La Cienega (2025) Hollywood/​Highland Wilshire/Rodeo (2026) Universal City/​Studio City Century City/​Constellation (2026)    North Hollywood  Westwood/UCLA (2027) Westwood/VA Hospital (2027) Key A Line     E Line B Line     K Line C Line   Multiple services D Line      BRT All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram

The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system serving Los Angeles County, California, United States, consisting of six lines: four light rail lines (the A, C, E and K lines) and two rapid transit lines (the B and D lines), serving a total of 102 stations. The system connects with the Metro Busway bus rapid transit system (the G and J lines), the Metrolink commuter rail system, as well as several Amtrak lines. Metro Rail is owned and operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

Los Angeles Metro Rail has been extended significantly since it started service in 1990, and several further extensions are either in the works or being considered. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 61,981,300 or about 208,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.

Los Angeles had two previous rail transit systems, the Pacific Electric Red Car and Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car lines, which operated between the late 19th century and the 1960s. The Metro Rail system uses many of their former rights of way, and thus can be considered their indirect successor.

In Los Angeles Metro terminology, common with most other metro systems, a line is a named service, defined by a route and set of stations served by trains on that route. (The word does not refer to a physical rail corridor, as it does in New York City Subway nomenclature.)

Metro also uses the same line letter naming system for its Metro Busway services (which are bus rapid transit routes operating in transitways).

Six Metro Rail lines operate in Los Angeles County:^[3]

Line name	Stations	Termini		Type
		Western/Northern	Eastern/Southern
A Line	44	APU/Citrus College	Downtown Long Beach	Light rail
B Line	14	North Hollywood	Union Station	Rapid transit
C Line	11	Aviation/Century	Norwalk	Light rail
D Line	8	Wilshire/Western	Union Station	Rapid transit
E Line	29	Downtown Santa Monica	Atlantic	Light rail
K Line	12	Expo/Crenshaw Aviation/Century	Westchester/Veterans Redondo Beach	Light rail

The B and D lines follow a fully underground route, and the C Line follows a fully grade-separated route. The A, E, and K lines run in a mix of environments, including at-grade in an exclusive corridor, street running, elevated, and underground.^[3]

The two rapid transit (subway) lines (B and D) share tracks between Union Station and Wilshire/​Vermont, while two of the light rail lines (A and E) share tracks between Pico and Little Tokyo/Arts District.

The Los Angeles Metro Rail system consists of 102 stations. The light rail stations are either at ground level or elevated, with some trenched or fully underground. All rapid transit stations are fully underground.^[3]

Stations include at least two ticket vending machines, wayfinding maps, electronic message displays, and bench seating. Call boxes are available at stations to allow employees at the Metro Rail Operations Control Center to assist passengers with concerns. Unique artwork is integrated into every station, showcasing local culture and improving the aesthetic of the system.^[4]

Street-level stations are typically simpler with platforms designed with shade canopies, separated from nearby roads and sidewalks, where passengers can purchase fares and board a train. Free or paid park and ride lots are available at 44 stations and most have bike storage available.^[5]

Underground stations are typically larger with a mezzanine level for fare sales and collection above a platform level where passengers board trains. Underground stations and tunnels are designed to resist ground shaking that could occur at a specific location. There is no general magnitude of an earthquake that the entire system is expected to withstand. However, the Metro Rail system has not suffered any damage from earthquakes since its opening in 1990.^[6]

Metro Rail uses a proof-of-payment fare system, with Metro's fare inspectors randomly inspecting trains and stations to ensure passengers have a valid fare product on their Transit Access Pass (TAP) electronic fare card. When passengers enter a station, they encounter TAP card validators which collect fares when a customer places their card on top. Additionally, fare gates (turnstiles) connected to TAP card validators are at all underground stations, all elevated stations, and some surface stations. Once passengers pass these validators or board a train, they have entered the "fare paid zone", where fare inspectors may check their TAP card to ensure they have a valid fare. Passengers who fail to comply may be penalized and removed from the system.^[7][8]

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Metro Rail maintains two distinct systems of rail: a light rail system and a rapid transit (subway) system, which use incompatible technologies, even though they both use 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and use 750 V power. Metro's rapid transit lines are powered by third rail, whereas its light rail lines are powered by overhead catenary. Also, the two separate systems have different loading gauge, and platforms are designed to match the separate car widths.

The Los Angeles Metro Rail system runs for about 19 hours each day between 5:00 am and 11:45 pm. Limited service on particular segments is provided after midnight and before 5:00 am.^[9] There is no rail service between 2:00 am and 3:30 am, except on special occasions such as New Year's Eve.^[10] Before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, service operated until approximately 2:00 am on Fridays and Saturdays but was removed to accommodate train cleaning.^[11]

Trains operate more frequently during weekday peak hours and less at other times. During peak hours, the light rail A and E lines run every 8 minutes and the light rail C and K lines run every 10 minutes. The light rail lines operate on 10-minute headways during off-peak periods and weekends. The B and D rapid transit lines operate every 12 minutes throughout the day. During early morning and late night hours, train frequency on all Metro Rail lines is reduced to every 20 minutes.^[9][12] Metro plans to increase train frequencies, proposing to further reduce headways on the B, C, D, and K lines by 2025.^[13]

The standard Metro base fare applies for all trips. Fare collection is based on a partial proof-of-payment system. At least two fare machines are at each station. Fare inspectors, local police, and deputy sheriffs police the system and cite individuals without proof of payment. Passengers are required to purchase a TAP card to ride Metro Rail. Passengers using a TAP card can transfer between Metro routes for free within 2 hours from the first tap.^[14]

Metro introduced daily and weekly fare caps in July 2023, replacing daily, weekly, and monthly passes.^[15] With fare capping, the cost of each trip is credited towards the cost of a daily or weekly unlimited pass, automatically ensuring that all passengers pay the lowest fare possible. Due to this, passengers will never pay more than $5 (3 rides) in a day or $18 (11 rides) within seven days; rides are free once the cap is reached. Discounted or free fares are available for seniors, disabled individuals, Medicare recipients, low-income individuals, and students.^[16]

The following table shows Metro fares, effective July 1, 2023 (in US dollars):^[14]

Metro has implemented a system of electronic fare collection using a stored-value smartcard called the Transit Access Pass (TAP Card). This card was intended to simplify fare collection and reduce costs.^[14] In 2012, paper monthly passes were phased out and replaced with the TAP Card. As of September 2013, first-time Metro riders must deposit an additional $2 (or $1 at TAP vending machines) on top of their first fare payment to obtain a reloadable TAP Card. In addition, in 2008 Metro began installing fare gates at all underground stations, all elevated stations, and some surface stations. Implementation of both programs (the TAP Card and the fare gate program) has turned out to be expensive ($154 million in total, so far) and its initial rollout was problematic.^[17]

In 2023, the Metro Rail system had a ridership of 61,981,300.^[2]

As of the third quarter of 2024, the combined Metro B and D lines averaged a weekday ridership of 67,300, making it the ninth busiest rapid transit system in the United States.^[1] Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's rapid transit lines transport 7,960 passengers per route mile, making this the fifth busiest U.S. rapid transit system on a per mile basis. Metro's light rail system is the second-busiest in the United States with 141,000 average weekday boardings as of the third quarter of 2024.^[1] In terms of route length, Metro's light rail system is the largest in the United States.

LA Metro Ridership by Year^[18]

Year	Bus	Rail	Total	Change
2009	370,983,141	92,540,577	463,523,718	n/a
2010	358,228,816	95,596,698	453,825,514	02.09%
2011	359,604,569	97,762,378	457,366,947	00.78%
2012	360,076,040	108,879,123	468,955,163	02.53%
2013	363,319,498	114,790,046	478,109,544	01.95%
2014	352,058,138	112,535,260	464,593,398	02.83%
2015	333,971,187	106,974,667	440,945,854	05.09%
2016	304,160,857	111,458,473	415,619,330	05.74%
2017	284,708,290	112,783,075	397,491,365	04.36%
2018	275,777,661	108,017,525	383,795,186	03.45%
2019	277,308,845	93,171,898	370,480,743	03.47%
2020	161,171,528	51,918,949	213,090,477	042.48%
2021	179,859,174	47,866,883	227,726,057	06.87%
2022	197,952,375	60,565,995	258,518,370	012.78%
2023	222,922,677	65,165,346	288,088,023	010.99%

Half of the Metro Rail's trains and stations are patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under a law enforcement contract. The Los Angeles Police Department and Long Beach Police Department patrol stations within their respective cities, also under contract.^[19] The system is monitored by security personnel through closed-circuit television cameras.^[20] Metro Ambassadors are an in-house outreach team to provide a better user experience. They help riders navigate and provide information about the system.^[21]

In June 2024, the Metro Executive Board voted 10-0 to create their own transit police force. A cited reason included frustration with a lack of control over the existing contracts. This force is planned to consist of officers, crisis workers, and homelessness outreach teams.^[22]

In the early 20th century, Southern California had an extensive privately owned rail transit network with over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of track, operated by Pacific Electric (Red Cars) and Los Angeles Railway (Yellow Cars).^[23] However, from 1927 revenue shortfall caused Pacific Electric to begin replacing lightly used rail lines with buses. In 1958 the remnants of the privately owned rail and bus systems were consolidated into a government agency known as the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority or MTA. By 1963, the remaining rail lines were completely removed and replaced with bus service.^{[citation needed]}

In the following decades, growing traffic congestion led to increased public support for rail transit's return. Beginning in the 1970s, a variety of factors, including environmental concerns, an increasing population, and the price of gasoline led to calls for mass transit other than buses.^{[citation needed]} The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA, now branded as Metro) began construction of the initial lines throughout the 1980s using revenues from a voter-approved increase in sales tax.^{[citation needed]} The Blue (A) Line opened on July 14, 1990, 27 years after the final streetcar line closed. The system has been progressively expanded since. The following table shows this expansion's timeline:

Just before the opening of the Metro Rail, Proposition U passed, which halved the allowable residential density throughout much of Los Angeles. This reduced the viability of the Metro Rail by limiting dense residential housing near transit stations. Before 2000, none of the land near the stations was converted to residential use.^[24]

Segment description	Date opened	Current line(s) on segment	Endpoints	Number of new stations	Length (miles)	Construction cost
Blue Line Initial Segment	July 14, 1990		Pico – Anaheim Street	17	19.1	$2.2 billion
Blue Line Long Beach Loop	September 1, 1990		Anaheim Street – Pacific Avenue	4	2.2
Blue Line To Financial District	February 15, 1991		Pico – 7th Street/​Metro Center	1	0.7
Red Line MOS-1	January 30, 1993		Union Station – Westlake/​MacArthur Park	3[a]	4.4	$3.1 billion
Green Line	August 12, 1995		Redondo Beach – Norwalk	13[a]	20.0	$1.5 billion
Red Line MOS-2 West	July 13, 1996		Westlake/​MacArthur Park – Wilshire/Western	3	2.0	$3.4 billion
Red Line MOS-2 North	June 12, 1999		Wilshire/​Vermont – Hollywood/Vine	5	4.7
Red Line MOS-3	June 24, 2000		Hollywood/Vine – North Hollywood	3	6.3	$2.3 billion
Gold Line Initial Segment	July 26, 2003		Union Station – Sierra Madre Villa	12[a]	13.7	$721 million
Gold Line Eastside Extension	November 15, 2009		Union Station – Atlantic	8	6.0	$887 million
Expo Line Phase 1	April 28, 2012		Flower/Washington – La Cienega/​Jefferson[b]	8	7.6	$1.3 billion
Expo Line To Culver City	June 20, 2012		La Cienega/​Jefferson – Culver City	1	1.0
Farmdale station			Farmdale	1[c]	–
Gold Line Foothill Extension	March 5, 2016[25]		Sierra Madre Villa – APU/Citrus College	6[25]	11.5[25]	$714 million
Expo Line Phase 2	May 20, 2016[26]		Culver City – Santa Monica	7[26]	6.6[26]	$1.5 billion
L Line Little Tokyo Closure	October 24, 2020[27]	–	Little Tokyo/Arts District	-1[d]	-0.3[e]	–
K Line Initial Segment	October 7, 2022[28]		Expo/​Crenshaw – Westchester/​Veterans	6[a]	5.9[3]	$2.1 billion
Regional Connector	June 16, 2023[29]		7th Street/​Metro Center – Little Tokyo/Arts District	3	1.9	$1.8 billion
Aviation/Century station	November 3, 2024[30]		Aviation/​Century	1	–	–
Total				102	113.3[f]	$21.5 billion

Metro has worked to plan and prioritize project funding and implementation. Metro's 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) was developed to provide a long-term vision of transportation system development for the next 30 years.^[31] Metro worked to update the 2009 LRTP citing new housing trends and fiscal changes. Metro released the updated LRTP in 2020.^[32]

Beginning in 2014, Metro saw its ridership numbers begin to decline. Many explanations exist for the decline, including safety concerns, an increase in ride-hailing service usage, low-income housing opportunities drying up in L.A. because of the increase in rents, and a shortage of housing.^[33] Ridership declines also coincide with passage of AB 60, signed into law by Governor Brown in 2013, which provides for issuance of a vehicle operators license regardless of immigration status.^[34][35]

The fiscal changes are the passage of Measure R, a countywide incremental sales tax increase passed by voters in 2008, providing funding for many of the highest priority projects in the LRTP.^{[36][non-primary source needed]} On November 6, 2012, Metro attempted to pass Measure J,^[37] but failed as it did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass.^[38][39] In November 2016 election, Metro decided to place another sales tax on the ballot. The voters then approved Measure M, a half-cent permanent sales tax increase to fund many local projects, including Metro Rail expansion.^[40]

In 2018, Metro approved renaming its rail lines using a letter-based scheme, similar to those in New York City.^[41][42] Metro recommended the opening of the refurbished A Line in 2019 as a starting point to rename the lines,^[43] and then continuing with the opening of the K line, finishing in time for the opening of the Regional Connector in 2023.^[44][45]

The following rail projects have been given high priority by Metro. They all appear in the 2009 LRTP constrained plan,^[31] and all have funding earmarked from Measure R.^[36][46] With the passage of Measure M in 2016, Metro released an updated Long Range Transportation plan in February 2017, and released a full report in 2020,^[47] along with its Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.^[48]

Concept name	Description	Construction	Operational	Status	Ref.
LAX Automated People Mover and  K Line stations	Will connect LAX terminals and a new rental car facility to the Metro Rail system through the construction of an automated people mover system. LAX/Metro Transit Center station of C and K lines will open as this project is completed.	2018–2026	2025 (C & K lines) 2026 (APM)	Under construction	[49] [50][51][52][53][54]
D Line Subway Extension Project Sections 1, 2, and 3	Section 1 extends the D Line west along Wilshire Blvd to La Cienega, Section 2 extends a further three miles west from La Cienega through Beverly Hills to Century City. Section 3 extends west to Westwood/UCLA and the VA Medical Center. All phases are under construction with plans to finish in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.	2015–2027	2025 (Section 1) / 2026 (Section 2) / 2027 (Section 3)	Under construction	[55][56][57][58][59][60][61]
Foothill Extension Phase 2B	Further extends the northeast segment of the current A Line eastward from APU/Citrus College to Pomona.	2019–2025	2025	Under construction	[62][63][64][65][66][67]
East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project	Constructs a light rail line connecting the east San Fernando Valley to the G Line, largely along the median of Van Nuys Blvd and San Fernando Road. The line will connect with Metrolink and Amtrak at the Van Nuys station and the future Sepulveda Transit Corridor.	2024	2031	Under construction	[68][69][70][71][72][73]
Southeast Gateway Line	Creates a new light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles to Artesia and the Gateway Cities, much of it along the West Santa Ana Branch.	2025	2035[74]	Under construction	[75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82]
Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2	Further extends the southeast segment of the current E Line eastward along Washington Boulevard to Whittier.	2025	2035	Final EIR certified / NEPA clearance underway	[83][84][85][86]
C Line Extension to Torrance	Extends the C Line from its current terminus in Redondo Beach towards Torrance and South Bay cities. By the time this extension is complete, the K Line will have taken over this extension after the C Line is rerouted to LAX/Metro Transit Center.	2026	2033[87]	LPA adopted / Draft EIR in progress	[88][86]
Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project Phases 1 and 2	Planning is underway on a rail connection between the G Line and the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor (see above) in the Valley to the D and E lines on the Westside. Modes under consideration include a standalone rapid transit line; or a monorail, which unlike the other modes could traverse the Sepulveda Pass without tunneling. Existing local funding sources will provide approximately $5.7 billion for the project for a scheduled opening in the early 2030s; additional funds, including from public–private partnerships, are being sought to complete the line before the 2028 Summer Olympics.	2028	2033–2035 (Phase 1) / 2057–2059 (Phase 2)[89]	Five LPA's analysis in progress / Draft EIR in progress	[90][91]
K Line Northern Extension	Create a new underground light rail line connecting the B Line's Hollywood/Highland station south to the D Line, and the K Line's Expo/Crenshaw station via Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Possible north–south routes include Fairfax, La Brea, and San Vicente Boulevard. An extension north of the K Line is included as a Tier 1 Strategic Unfunded Plan project in the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan.	2041	2047	Three LPA's analysis in progress / Draft EIR Completed	[31][92][93][94][95][96]
Arts District/6th Street station	Extend the B and D rapid transit lines from their eastern terminus at Union Station, south along the L.A. River to the Arts District, and possibly across the river along Whittier Bl to the Eastside. However, Metro is studying the possibility of adding one or two stops along the river in the Arts District as part of a project to improve and expand the rail yard already in the area to accommodate increased headways once the D Line extension west is completed.	Unknown	Unknown	Draft EIR in progress	[97][98][99][100]
Vermont Transit Corridor	Create a new north–south route down Vermont Avenue between Wilshire/Vermont station, the Metro E Line and C Line. Included as a Tier 2 Strategic Unfunded Plan project in 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan; a bus rapid transit line has been funded in the near term by Measure M, but studies will be conducted for possible heavy rail rapid transit, as the Vermont corridor is Metro's second busiest public transportation corridor.	BRT 2020; HRT 2060	BRT 2028–2030; HRT 2067	Three LPA's analysis funded / Pending Draft EIR for BRT
G Line LRT Conversion	Converting the current G Line bus rapid transit route into light rail. Made possible after the 2014 repeal of state legislation prohibiting light rail along the G Line right of way, which had been enacted due to neighborhood opposition in the 1990s. Long term plans include complete conversion in phases with full replacement by 2057. Metro commenced BRT upgrades in 2018 to add grade crossing gates, and two new elevated segments at Van Nuys Bl and Sepulveda Bl, reducing travel time by 20%.	2051	2057	No current funds available for LRT until 2051	[101][102][103]
Lincoln Blvd BRT/LRT Line	Extends the C Line from LAX northwest to Venice and Santa Monica Beach and possibly connect with the E Line's western terminus. The C Line was originally engineered to maintain compatibility with this extension. Included in City of Los Angeles Westside Mobility Plan, and as a Tier 2 Strategic Unfunded Plan project in 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan.	BRT 2043; LRT Unknown	BRT 2047; LRT Unknown	No LPA or EIR conducted	[31][104]

Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan was published in 2009,^[31] and was updated in 2020.^[32] The following proposed line/system expansions do not have funding or high priority in Metro's long-range plans. Some are listed as "strategic unfunded" in the last Long Range Transportation Plan, indicating some possibility they could be constructed should additional funding materialize. Others have been the subject of Metro Board discussion, with the possibility of future feasibility studies. (More information on each project can be found in the references.)

• History of the Metro Rail System
• Network map (to-scale)
• Google map of Metro Rail/Busway stations
• Go Metro – Rail Map
• Image of the underground construction of Metro Rail system in Los Angeles, California, 1989. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.