|
|||
---|---|---|---|
A Metro Liner with a bicycle rack at North Hollywood Station. |
|||
Overview | |||
System | Metro Liner | ||
Operated by | Metro (LACMTA) | ||
Line number | 901 | ||
Type | bus rapid transit | ||
Status | in service | ||
Opened | October 29, 2005 | ||
Daily ridership | 25,485 (May 2011) [1] | ||
Website | Orange Line | ||
Route | |||
Character | at-grade in private right-of-way | ||
Termini | North Hollywood Warner Center Transit Hub |
||
Stations | 14 | ||
Line length | 14 mi (22.5 km) | ||
Technical | |||
Rolling stock | North American Bus Industries 60-BRT and 65-BRT | ||
Yard | Division 8 (West Valley) | ||
|
The Orange Line is one of two lines on the Metro Liner bus rapid transit network in Los Angeles County, California. It operates between Warner Center in the Woodland Hills and the North Hollywood Metro Station in the San Fernando Valley where it connects with the Red Line on the Metro Rail light rail system for Downtown Los Angeles. The 14 mi (22.5 km) line uses a dedicated right-of-way with stations at approximately one mile intervals; tickets are purchased from ticket machines on the platforms before boarding to improve performance. The Metro Orange Line bicycle path runs alongside part of the route.
The line, which is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority opened on October 29, 2005 with a construction cost of $324 million. It is well used with 21,902 average weekday boardings in July 2010 with vehicles at times full to capacity.
The route follows part of the former Southern Pacific Railroad Burbank Branch Line which had provided a passenger rail service from 1904 to 1920 and was subsequently used by Pacific Electric streetcars (the 'Red Cars') from 1938 to 1952.
Contents |
Because of its many differences from a standard bus service, the authority has branded the transitway as part of the region's network of light and heavy rail lines. It appears on the Metro Rail System Map. Orange Line vehicles, called Metro Liners, are painted in the silver and gray color scheme of Metro Rail vehicles. Likewise, it is one of the authority's two bus lines that have been marketed with a color designation rather than its line number (901). The Orange Line is rarely referred to by its line number, but it sometimes appears on documents and destination signage.
The transitway's color name, the Orange Line, refers to the many citrus trees that once blanketed the San Fernando Valley. The name was adopted in January 2004 by the Board of Directors. In the planning stages the transitway was known as the San Fernando Valley East-West Transitway, and later the Metro Rapidway.
Stations on the Orange Line listed in order from East to West, many of which have large, free Park and Ride lots some with 'paid reserved parking' (where spaces are reserved until a certain time of day for commuters displaying a parking permit purchased from LACMTA after that time, typically 11AM, the spaces become available to all commuters). The large parking lot at the North Hollywood Station fills by early mornings by inward-bound Red Line users and outward-bound Orange Line users.
Stations | Connections | Parking[1] | Date Opened |
---|---|---|---|
North Hollywood | Red Line Metro Local: 152, 154, 156, 183, 224, 353, 363, 656 City of Santa Clarita Transit: 757 |
951 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
Laurel Canyon | Metro Local: 156, 230, 656 | n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Valley College | Metro Local: 156, 167, 656 LADOT Commuter Express: 549 LADOT DASH: Van Nuys/Studio City |
n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Woodman | Metro Local: 154, 158 | n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Van Nuys | Metro Rapid: 761 Metro Local: 154, 156, 233, 237, 656 LADOT DASH: Van Nuys/Studio City City of Santa Clarita Transit: 793, 798 |
776 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
Sepulveda | Metro Rapid: 734 Metro Local: 234 |
1,205 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
Woodley | Metro Local: 164, 237 | n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Balboa | Metro Local: 164, 236, 237 LADOT Commuter Express: 573, 574 |
270 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
Reseda | Metro Rapid: 741 Metro Local: 240 |
522 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
Tampa | Metro Local: 242 | n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Pierce College | Metro Local: 164, 243 | 373 Spaces | October 29, 2005 |
De Soto | Metro Local: 164, 244 City of Santa Clarita Transit: 796 |
n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Canoga | Metro Local: 164, 165 City of Santa Clarita Transit: 796 |
612 Spaces | December 27, 2006[2] |
Warner Center (off dedicated busway) |
Metro Rapid: 750 Metro Local: 150, 161, 164, 245, 645 City of Santa Clarita Transit: 791, 796 |
n/a | October 29, 2005 |
Sherman Way | Metro Local: 163, 363 |
Park & Ride Lot | Summer 2012 |
Roscoe | Metro Local: 152, 353 |
n/a | Summer 2012 |
Nordhoff | Metro Local: 166, 364 LADOT DASH Northridge |
n/a | Summer 2012 |
Chatsworth | Metro Local: 158, 166, 167, 244, 245, 364 LADOT Commuter Express: 419 Simi Valley Transit: C Santa Clarita Transit: 791 Ventura County Metrolink Line Amtrak |
Parking Expanded | Summer 2012 |
The Orange Line had 21,902 average weekday boardings in July 2010, and 20,593 in July 2009.[3] Ridership has been lower during the economic recession. In September 2008, 27,987 average weekday boardings set an all-time record.[4] At least prior to the recession, in many peak periods, coaches departed the North Hollywood station full with little standing room for riders wanting to board at points west.
Ridership continued to increase from the Orange Line's first full month of operation in November 2005 through 2008. Metro reported 548,111 boardings for June 2006, 652,875 for June 2007, and 679,578 for June 2008. This was an increase of 24% in two years. Metro's newer Gold Line (light rail) saw a 47% increase in boardings, while boardings on Metro's older, established light rail lines had modest increases over the same period. Studies of its use suggest that most riders are long haul and in fact travel east to or travel west from the Red Line subway service. This "extension" effect of Red Line service is more "traffic productive" than the more typical boarding and dropping off of a passenger along the bus line. Creating better service, with higher frequency or longer coaches on the Orange Line, may further stimulate traffic on the subway.
During the first few months of operations on the Orange Line, there were collisions with cars at level crossings about once a week. There were several injuries but no fatalities and in each case the driver of the other vehicle was determined to be at fault. The LACMTA has noted that the Orange Line had about the same accident rate as other bus lines in the city on a per-mile basis,[5][6] and has stated more recently that the line's accident rate is "less than half" of the MTA's entire fleet of buses.[7] The Blue Line also had a significant number of collisions in its early years and currently has the highest fatality rate in North America.[8]
After two collisions in November 2005 and one car driver was critically injured the MTA issued a "slow order" for every driver of every Orange Line bus; until further notice, all buses had to slow down to 10 mi/h (16 km/h) while going through every intersection along the transitway, as opposed to the 25–30 mi/h (40–50 km/h) speed limit originally put on line intersections.[9] MTA officials pledged that they would review any and all ideas to improve safety on the line and report back to the public in a timely manner. They also installed white strobe lights on the sides of the buses to improve visibility.[10]
In December 2005, MTA called for the installation of red-light cameras at many of the Orange Line's intersections.[11] As of May 2006, installation is still continuing,[12] and the cameras are supposed to be operational by August 2006.
Some residents protested aspects of the Orange Line, saying that the buses should have been painted orange to be more noticeable (instead of the silver scheme they currently have). Others have concerns that the transitway does not employ railroad crossing-style arms or lights (or grade separations) to prevent motorists from crossing that roadway while a bus approaches, relying instead on traffic lights and warning signs.
There is concern that the Orange Line will soon reach its engineered capacity.[13] During peak hours, the signaling system is designed to balance the Orange Line buses with vehicle cross traffic. Adding more buses would either require running convoys of two or more buses or shorter green times at cross streets. The other alternative would be purchasing bi-articulated 80-foot-long (24 m) buses as long as the state law can be changed or another exemption can be obtained from Caltrans to allow them. The maximum capacity of bus rapid transit lines and light rail lines are similar, but North American transit operators have little experience operating high-capacity bus rapid transit systems.[14][15]
The majority of the Orange Line is built on part of the former Southern Pacific Railroad Burbank Branch Line right-of-way. The line had passenger rail service from 1904 to 1920, with stations at several locations including North Hollywood and Van Nuys. It had Pacific Electric Red Car service from North Hollywood to Van Nuys again from 1938 to 1952.[16]
The right-of-way was purchased by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (later merged into the current Metropolitan Transportation Authority) in 1991 along with several other railroad rights-of-way across the Southland for future use in transportation projects. Transit planners had seen an extension of the Metro Red Line subway as the most natural option as the line ends at the North Hollywood station, the current terminus of the "Chandler" right-of-way now in use by the Orange Line - and a subway extension would provide for an efficient "one seat" transit experience.
However, with the MTA's decline in revenue from sales taxes due to a recession, the subway's high cost of construction (in the billions of dollars), and Federal funds even more difficult to secure, a subway extension seemed financially out of the question at a time when other planned rail lines such as the Eastside subway extension and the current Gold Line section from Union Station to Pasadena (later revived, but not as originally planned) were being permanently canceled and cut from the proposed system.
At the time, then-L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan had suggested some type of "trench" construction in which to lay the rails to save money and extend the subway trains to Warner Center: "Some way to get it out of the ground," Riordan said, referring to a trench's much lower cost to construct compared to deep-burrow tunnel boring machines (TBM), and to address the objections of residents for any elevated line. However, local community groups fiercely opposed such alternatives and, in fact, any rail construction that was not completely underground.
Objections cited included noise and perceived danger to a large Orthodox Jewish community which the right-of-way bisects. Because Shabbat prohibits driving or using electricity from sundown Friday through Saturday, those travelling to temple are compelled to walk and, while not backed by any studies, claim to be exposed to greater potential danger by crossing rails on foot, especially at night. Groups were organized and funded by the community to kill anything but a subway.[17][18]
Prior to his 1993 conviction and prison sentence for accepting bribes,[19] California state Senator Alan Robbins introduced a piece of legislation which prohibited the use of the corridor for any form of rail transit other than a "deep bore subway located at least 25 feet below ground." The California Legislature passed it as law in 1991.[20][21]
In response, supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky promoted and Los Angeles County passed Proposition A in 1998, which prohibited Metro from using its county sales tax funding to build subways anywhere in the county.[20]
With subway and light rail now legally prohibited, but with growing political pressure to use the right-of-way for "something," the only available, legal option to make use of the transit corridor was to build a busway - which was also strongly opposed by neighborhood groups who vowed to fight it.
$44.8 million of Proposition 108 money, (the Passenger Rail and Clean Air Bond Act of 1990) was used for the purchase of the right-of-way. But because this voter-approved bond specifically states that this money is to be used only for rail infrastructure and operation, the California Transportation Commission is entitled to repayment of said funds in current dollars unless the Orange Line is converted to rail within ten years of completion of the busway. This repayment deadline would be 2015.[20]
Construction began in September, 2002. During construction the contractor experienced several delays: a dead body found tucked in a barrel along the alignment, and toxic soil had to be removed.
In July 2004, an appeal by a local citizens' group known as 'C.O.S.T. (Citizens Organized for Smart Transit)' was successful in convincing the California Court of Appeal to order a temporary halt to construction. They claimed a network of Rapid Lines should have been studied as a possible alternative to the Metro Orange Line. The legal maneuver was unsuccessful in killing the project, but costs to taxpayers for the 30-day shutdown were $70,000 per day ($2.1 million total) to hold workers and equipment while the matter was resolved.
The line opened on October 29, 2005. Construction had cost $324 million ($23 million per mile).[22]
After opening, the line was busier than anticipated. Ridership grew rapidly, exceeding predictions, and the Orange Line now operates at full capacity during part of the day. An extension of the line to Chatsworth began construction on June 23, 2009.
On December 12, 2006, Metro closed the transitway between Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood and Fulton Avenue in Valley Glen (at the Valley College station) to repave the transitway surface that Metro says is showing signs of wear.[23] The closure was expected to last approximately two weeks to rebuild the busway's crumbling pavement. Buses were to be detoured onto surface streets during the closure. No similar problems have occurred with the track on Metro's rail lines, which cannot be detoured.
In January 2007, Metro began testing a new, longer 65-foot (20 m) bus on the Orange Line for a test during the summer as a way of expanding capacity on the line. The agency had to receive a special waiver from Caltrans to operate the bus for testing purposes, since current state law only allows the operation of buses 60 feet (18 m) or shorter.[24] 65-foot (20 m) buses have a seating capacity of 66 passengers and can accommodate 100 passengers.[25] Officials have also looked into possibly using 80-foot (24 m) buses for future expansion.
From early October to mid December 2008, Metro again repaved portions of the transitway to repair wear on some segments of asphalt and upgrade the pavement to accommodate future traffic growth.
On June 23, 2009 construction began on a four-mile (6 km) extension from Canoga northward to the Metrolink station in Chatsworth. The LACMTA board approved the plan on September 28, 2006, and it is expected to be completed in 2012 at a cost of $215 million.[26][27][28] This continues to follow the Burbank Branch railroad right-of-way.
Another possible extension of the Orange Line proposed by transit advocates, including members of The Transit Coalition,[2] is an extension from North Hollywood station to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, which would approximately go north on Vineland Avenue and east on Vanowen Street to the airport, to connect with the Metrolink station.
Another extension recently proposed is from the North Hollywood Station along Chandler Boulevard that would connect to the Burbank Downtown Metrolink Station.[3] The 3.9 mile long arrangement would provide increased access to commuter rail as well as transit access to the pedestrian-friendly entertainment and retail district of Downtown Burbank at its new terminus. Proponents of this expansion also argue that the extended line could eventually serve as the beginning of a San Fernando Valley / Orange Line to Pasadena / Gold Line connection.
As of October 2011, both the Bob Hope Airport and Downtown Burbank extension options are being studied, in addition to other potential BRT routes in Los Angeles County.[4]
When purchased in 1991, the MTA originally considered the route for use as either light rail or a Red Line extension, and both of these ideas have been floated repeatedly by critics (see below). A rail route would allow longer vehicles, higher speed limits, and greater frequency.
Critics point out the possibility of converting the Orange Line to a light rail system. The conversion would be relatively cheap – former mayor Richard Riordan described it as the "least expensive rail alternative" of the lines under consideration. [5] However, there are significant legal and political challenges. Metro is currently prohibited by law from converting the Orange Line to any form of rail other than a deep-bore subway. Due to a 1998 proposition, Metro also cannot spend the sales tax revenue form previously passed propositions, but can use revenue from subsequent tax increase propositions such as Measure R funds (conversion of Orange Line to rail is not included in any Measure R projects, but does include the "subway to the sea" along Wilshire Boulevard and other subway proposals) and other sources of revenue on deep-bore subways.
Many people have criticized the LACMTA for removing railroad tracks that were already in place for a significant length of the Orange Line's route, tracks which could have been revitalized and used as part of a true light rail system. This, however, is highly unlikely as in past light rail construction all existing rail is removed and new ballast and new rail with modern innovations such as continuous welds and concrete ties are laid in place that provide for faster, smoother and safer rides, and new tracks are placed a few feet from their original position to accommodate double-tracks and island platforms.
On October 27, 2005, two days before the line's official opening, a motorist driving with a suspended license ran a red light and collided with an eastbound bus at Vesper Avenue. There were no injuries.[29]
During November 2005 there were two collisions causing injuries. In the first a fare inspector on the bus was taken to a hospital for minor injuries after a 65-year-old female driver had an illegal right turn against a red light and struck an Orange Line bus near the crossing at Corbin Avenue in Reseda.[30] In the second incident[30] a car driver was critically injured and at least 15 passengers were injured[31] when a 78-year-old woman ran a red light hitting the bus as it cleared the intersection; a witness said that the driver was talking on her cell phone at the time of the accident.[7] After this second accident, the MTA instructed all buses to slow down at intersections[9] and installed white strobe lights on the sides of the buses to improve visibility. They said that they would review any and all ideas to improve safety on the line.[10]
The large buses, which have been dubbed "Metro Liners" by the LACMTA, are twenty feet longer than the standard forty-foot bus, and carry up to 57 passengers, which is about 50% more passengers. The buses are articulated in the center due to this longer length. They have three doors for faster boarding and alighting. Vehicles have no fareboxes because the Metro Orange Line operates on a proof-of-payment system, like the Metro Rail network.
On October 22, Metro issued a Revised Final Environmental Impact Report (RFEIR) that concluded that the Metro Orange Line was superior to each of three Rapid Bus Alternatives studied in the revised report. The RFEIR studied:
The revised FEIR examined the environmental impacts, costs and benefits of each Rapid Bus alternative and concluded:
|