January 1,2003 Metro Rapid Line 720 Upgrades Will Improve Service When completed in 2005, new Metro Rapid transitway upgrades on Wilshire and Whittier boulevards will result in an additianol 25% savings in travel time compared to local bus service. Whilshire/ Whittier Metro Rapid transitway improvements, beggining in 2003, will include longer buses with mure seationg room,(Possibly NewFlyer D60LF's and NABI Compobuses) additional signal priority and reconstructed curb lanes to provide smoother rides. New fare vending and security equipment will be installed and new station shelters will allow for multiple door boarding and de-boarding. Testing of an initial peak-hour bus-only lane between Centinela and Federal avenues in West Los Angeles may begin as early as this spring For More information Visit www.mta.net January 13,2003 MTA Will Recive New Buses MTA has ordered NABI 40C-LFW's they are made of compositie materials thats why they are called CompoBuses. MTA will also receive NewFlyer D60LF's, but they aren't coming yet. These NABI are coming in this year. I will try my best to get the photos as soon as a fleet moves out. TO SEE PICTURES GO TO www.nabi.hu January 27,2003 New Bus Stop Signs New bus signs are being installed at all Metro Bus stops and will help passengers better navigate the Metro Bus system by providing updated information on bus routes and schedules. These signs are attached to the poles of Metro Bus stops and have fare, line, and time information. These signs also feature a map to help you navigate through the line. MORE INFO AT www.mta.net March 6,2003 MTA Approves Order of NABI 60-LFW Articulated Buses Two days ago MTA's staff approved the order of 70 more 45 foot NABI CompoBuses. These buses are made out of fibeglass with a balsa core. They are easier to fix and have a longer lifespan that other low-floor coaches. These buses seat 15% more than the standard 40 foot models. They can hold 46 passengers plus standees. MTA ordered 30 of these buses last year due to arrive this summer. MORE INFO AT www.mta.net February 10,2003 MTA Gold Line Opening Soon The Metro Gold Line will open in June or July of 2003. This Light Rail Line will go both underground and above ground. This route will also have a 1/2 mile aerial section Downtown. The new line will stretch from Downtown L.A.'s Union Station and go to South Pasadena/ San Gabriel Valley. The stops are; Chinatown, Ave 25, French Ave, Southwest Museum, Ave 57, Mission St, Filmore St, Del Mar Blvd, Memorial Park, Lake Ave, Allen Ave, and last Sierra Madre Villa. This line will use a new kind of rail car. They are like the Green Line Siemens. They are the P2000 rail car. This rail vehicle has 185 HP and a top speed of 70MPH, and they can seat 76 passengers plus standees. MTA Plans to open a Eastside Light Rail Project from Union Station to East Los Angeles. The MTA Board of Directors today approved the purchase of 200 high capacity 60-foot articulated buses powered by compressed natural gas as the final installment of the Board�s original plan to purchase nearly 2,100 new buses. The articulated buses seat 50 percent more passengers than a standard 40-foot bus. Total cost for the bus procurement is $138,888,329 for 200 low floor CNG articulated buses manufactured by North American Bus Industries in Anniston, Alabama. Each vehicle will cost $632,914. The new buses will be 60-feet in length and will �bend� in the middle to improve their operation on city streets. They will feature an advanced aerodynamic design, larger passenger windows, three large doors for entry and exit, comfortable seating for up to 60 passengers and will be significantly quieter that existing MTA buses. The new state-of-the-art CNG articulated buses will begin arriving in the summer of 2005 and will be placed into service on the new San Fernando Valley Metro Rapid Transitway in the San Fernando Valley, now under construction, as well as other MTA Metro Rapid bus routes in demand for high capacity buses. MORE INFO AT www.mta.net February 26,2003 MTA Approves Order of NABI 45C-LFW Compobuses March 15,2003 MTA Plans For Two New Light Rail Projects The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has made plans to open an Eastside Light Rail Project as well as a Mid-City/Westside Light Rail Project. The Eastside project would strech from L.A.'s Union Station to East L.A. having an estimated total of 10 stops. The Rail project titled Exposition Light Rail project would begin at 7th St. Metro Center and would share 3 stops with the Metro Blue Line and then branch out into it's own track. Stops will include Exposition Park/USC, Vermont, Western, Crenshaw, La Brea, La Cienega, and Venice/Washington. No word yet if this plan will be made The MTA Board of Directors have approved a multi-million dollar contract for the purchase of 50 additional light rail vehicles to be used on both the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line and the extension of the line to the Eastside. The light rail vehicle contract was awarded to Ansaldobreda S.p.A. of Naples, Italy for the manufacturing and delivery of 50 light rail vehicles in an amount of $158,738,671 with options to purchase an additional 100 light rail vehicles in future years. The rail cars will provide the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Gold Line with additional vehicles needed to augment the 26 light rail cars already assigned to the line. The Metro Gold Line will open for revenue service this summer. In addition, the cars will be used on the line�s extension to the Eastside, which is projected to open in late 2008. April 29,2003 MTA Orders 50 Light Rail Vehicles August 1,2003 MTA's Vehicle Makeover The MTA will color code all of it's fleet according to line Local, Limited,Express will all be color coded to make travel for transit users easier buses/trains will be painted from 8/01/03 and on. August 1,2003 MTA's Fuel Cell Bus The MTA has been testing an all new fuel cell bus. You can catch em' on the lines 002 and 004 but only for a limited time! The buses aren't here to stay, sadly. These coaches emit ZERO EMISSIONS, Z-E-R-O, nothing but water vapors. We shall probably see this type of bus in the years to come. Fuel cell buses cost about 3.2 million dollars a vehicle. September 16,2003 MTA's Vehicle Makeover Changed It seems that the LACMTA will not be painting there buses in the blue EXPRESS scheme. So for now all we will have are the orange LOCAL which will be used on local, limited, and express lines. And the modified red for the METRO RAPID service. While the signs are not yet programed to announce stops they do read the time every 1.5 seconds. and when the cord is pulled to announce stops, a voice replies "Stop Requested". It reads Stop Requested in bright ORANGE side scrolling LED. September 22,2003 MTA Adds Real-Time Info to Buses MTA's mechanics went on strike Tuesday morning at 12:01AM. Bus operators support the mechanics for better health care. MTA bus service is in "Suspend Mode" and will not be operated untill further notice. However MTA's contracted service is up and running as well as various municipal lines around L.A. County. All MTA buses/ trains will not be operated until further notice. visit MTA.net for more information October 14,2003 MTA Mechanics/ Bus Operators Go On Strike November 11,2003 STRIKE WATCH!!! New Lifeline Shuttles added Line 754 Vermont Ave Rapid Opened Buses run every 10 minutes and make only rapid stops!!! See Strike Page for more information. If you would like to See SITE UPDATES see my Site News page. November 29,2003 New Transit Projects Might Be Delayed According to our new governor all new transportaion projects would effect the states exisiting budget deficit severly. This will probably mean that all big transit projects will be postponed such as the Eastside Light Rail Project as well as the Exposition LRP. Hopefully we can finish the San Fernando Valley Rapid Corridor. More info as it becomes avaliable. REMINDER: NEW FARES TAKE EFFECT JANUARY 1, 2004 VISIT www.MTA.net for more information. September 10, 2004 Gold Line To Eastside Construction STARTS!!!! Work in preparation for bridge to be built over the I-101 Freeway Construction is beginning at Union Station, this week, on the first segment of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. Crews are starting preliminary work in preparation for Caltran�s construction of a bridge over the I-101 Freeway. The work will continue for approximately five weeks. The construction crews will be shortening the Metro Gold Line track alignment south of the Union Station platform by removing 250 feet of track just north of the existing baggage-handling road. Access to the Metrolink and Amtrak station platforms is also provided along this road. Access will be maintained during the construction activities. The work hours will vary depending on the activities. Some work will be done during peak hours, while other will occur between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. TAKEN FROM www.mta.net |
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