Purple Line (Los Angeles Metro)

The Purple Line is a subway line operating between Downtown Los Angeles and Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown, Los Angeles, California in Los Angeles; one of five lines on the Metro Rail System.

The Purple Line is one of the city's two subway lines (along with the Red Line). Although they separate in different directions west of downtown Los Angeles, the two subway lines (Purple and Red) were until recently considered two branches of one line, and are still marked this way in most stations, on schedules, and on older rail maps. As of July 2011 the combined Red and Purple lines averaged 171,000 boardings per weekday.^[1] The line is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Service description

Route

The Purple Line begins at Union Station and travels southwest through Downtown Los Angeles, passing the Civic Center, Pershing Square (near the Historic Core) and the Financial District. At 7th St/Metro Center, travelers can connect to the Metro Blue Line. From here, the train follows 7th Street west through Pico-Union and Westlake, arriving at Wilshire/Vermont in the city's Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown district. Up to this point, track is shared with the Metro Red Line: at Wilshire/Vermont, the two lines diverge. The Purple Line continues west for one additional mile, and terminates at Wilshire/Western.

Hours of operation

Trains run between approximately 4:45 am and 11:30 pm daily.^[2] First and last train times are as follows:

To/From Wilshire/Western

Eastbound

• First Train to Union Station: 4:41 am
• Last Train to Union Station: 11:42 pm

Westbound

• First Train to Wilshire/Western: 4:56 am
• Last Train to Wilshire/Western: 11:27 pm

During the evenings Purple line trains sometimes run as shuttles. Passengers must transfer to a Red line train at Wilshire/Vermont. This will change once the Purple line is extended to Westwood.

Rolling stock

The Purple Line uses Ansaldobreda A650 75-foot (23 m) electric multiple unit cars built by Ansaldobreda in Italy. Trains usually run in four-car consists during peak hours and two-car consists outside of peak hours. The acceleration for cars #530 and up is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority because they both use General Electric traction motors.^[3][4] The cars are maintained in a yard on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.

Ridership

The Purple Line is utilized mostly as a downtown shuttle on its shared segment with the Red Line. The stub between Vermont and Western has a very low ridership. According to Metro Service Coordinator Conan Cheung, the stub is operating 11% full during peak hours, and even lower at other times.^[5]

History

Originally, the "Purple Line" was one of two branches of the Red Line: this branch was completed in 1996. Only one mile of this branch was ever built: a short stub connecting Wilshire/Vermont and Wilshire/Western. In 2006, the service ending at Wilshire/Western was renamed the "Purple Line" to help distinguish it from the North Hollywood branch.

Future extension

Metro is now aiming to complete the subway to the Westside. The new project is called the Westside Subway Extension and is currently seeking federal funding. Metro staff is now working to complete preliminary engineering and a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), which is the final study required before construction can begin.

Operations

The Purple Line is operated out of the Division 20 Yard (Santa Fe Yard) located at 320 South Santa Fe Avenue Los Angeles. This yard stores the fleet used on the Red and Purple Line. It is also where heavy maintenance is done on the fleet. Subways get to this yard by continuing on after Union Station. Trains make a right turn before coming to surface level at Ducommun Street, and then travel south to 1st Street where they enter the yard.

Station listing

The following table lists the stations of the Purple Line, from east to west:

See also

• Westside Subway Extension (Los Angeles Metro)
• Red Line (Los Angeles Metro)
• Los Angeles County Metro Rail
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Comparisons

It is the ninth busiest rapid transit system in the United States. Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's subway system transports 8,846 passengers per route mile, making it the sixth busiest, ahead of San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Chicago 'L'.

References

External links

• Purple Line homepage
• Purple Line schedule