LA Metro increasing train frequency to address growing demand
Los Angeles Metro trains will be arriving more frequently to accommodate increased demand as the transit service continues to rebound toward pre-pandemic ridership numbers.
Beginning Dec. 10, Metro will be increasing train frequencies along the A, C, E and K lines, reducing the time between trains by several minutes.
On the A and E lines, trains will be taking off every eight minutes, two minutes faster than previous, during weekday peak hours. On weekends, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., trains will arrive every 10 minutes instead of 12.
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Another new change coming on the A and E lines that has been a frequent request of riders — later trains.
Metro announced that two additional trains will be added at the end of the night, extending service on the A and E lines by 40 minutes every night. The later trains will be a welcome change for riders departing from Long Beach, Azusa and Santa Monica, Metro officials said, with late departures taking place after 11:30 p.m.
In addition to the A and E Lines getting improved frequency, the C Line will also have reduced wait times for trains. Train frequency has been slashed from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes on the C Line during midday weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends.
The K Line will see waits drop from 12 minutes to 10 minutes during midday hours on weekdays. Weekend service, however, will operate every 20 minutes due to ongoing construction of the LAX/Metro station and testing work to connect the C and K lines.
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The decision to offer increased train frequencies and later service is a result of rider feedback, Metro said, particularly with rebounding ridership numbers and the opening of three new train stations that provide easier access in downtown Los Angeles.
The Metro Regional Connector opened in June, bringing with it better downtown service and reducing the need to transfer for many riders.
In October, Metro hit an important milestone, topping more than 950,000 average weekday riders, making October its busiest month since the pandemic began. Metro officials say it’s the second-straight month that milestone has been surpassed.
In October 2019, Metro saw more than 33 million riders on bus and rail. This October, that number reached more than 24 million — a far cry from pre-pandemic totals, but continuing along a trend of a consistent bounce-back.
“Our ridership on weekdays is 79% of Oct 2019. On weekends we’re at 92% of Oct 2019 ridership,” Metro officials said on X, previously Twitter. “We think the gains are result of restoring more bus & train service, increased focus on public safety, programs to make riding affordable & more folks out-and-about.”
Bus ridership continues to make up the bulk of Metro’s service, accounting for nearly four-times the amount of riders utilizing train.
Metro will also updating the schedules for 37 weekday, 29 Saturday and 24 Sunday buses, which it says is necessary to “improve reliability, and route and stop changes to various bus lines to improve service for riders.”
To see a complete list of bus route schedule changes, click here.
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