Metrolink to increase fares by five percent and change fare policy effective July 1

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Here is the news release from Metrolink, the commuter rail agency. Metro helps fund Metrolink along with transportation agencies representing Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Metrolink to institute fare increase, fare policy change effective July 1

Metrolink Board adopts 5% system-wide fare increase, as well as changes to Weekend Pass and Personal Care Attendant fare policies. Student fares remain unchanged.

LOS ANGELES - Following multiple public workshops, a public hearing and an extensive outreach effort, the Metrolink Board of Directors adopted a 5 percent system-wide average fare increase and two new fare policy changes to help close an existing $10.2 million funding gap for the Fiscal Year (FY) 13-14 budget.

Monthly Pass holders will begin to see the new fares when they purchase their July passes on June 25. The impact to riders will vary depending upon their origin and destination, as well as the type of ticket purchased. For more information, please visit www.metrolinktrains.com.

In addition to the fare increase, the Board changed the existing Weekend Pass to a Weekend Day Pass, still priced at $10.

The Board also opted to exempt students from the new fare changes, resulting in a student discount changing from 10 to 15 percent.

The fare increase and the Weekend Day Pass will become effective on July 1, 2013.

The Board also voted to require personal care attendants (PCAs) to obtain an official Metrolink PCA identification card at the cost of $25. Additional PCAs assisting the same person would be required to obtain an official Metrolink PCA identification card at the cost of $10. Implementation date of this policy is pending and will not occur on July 1.

Prior to adopting the final FY 2013-14 budget at the end of June, the Metrolink Board has examined various options to address the anticipated budget shortfall due to increases in operating expenses. The major increases include:

 

  • $8.3 million for implementation and operation of positive train control (PTC). PTC refers to state-of-the-art safety technology capable of intervening and automatically stopping a train, preventing train-to-train collisions.
  • $2 million in increases to contracted vendor costs for service providers.
  • $1.6 million for new operations at the Eastern Maintenance Facility (EMF) to reduce traffic at Metrolink’s Central Maintenance Facility in Los Angeles, allowing equipment to be serviced in the most efficient and effective manner. Continue reading →

Nextrip for Metro Rail now available; please let us know what you think

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Nextrip on an iPhone. Click above to visit Nextrip’s desktop version for Metro Rail.

The Nextrip program that currently provides real-time arrival information for bus service has been expanded to include real-time arrivals for Metro Rail.

There are multiple ways to access the Nextrip real-time train arrival information. It can be viewed on the web, via smart phone browser, by texting a Metro bus stop ID number to 41411 and via telephone by dialing 511 and saying, “Nextrip.” (A Nextrip Rail app is in development.) And coming up soon, electronic signs on the train platforms will show real-time arrival information rather than the scheduled arrival times displayed now.

While the program continues to roll out, riders should give themselves extra time to ensure they don’t miss the train. The service is brand new and still being tweaked. As always, let us know what you think. Is it working for you?

If using a smart phone to access real-time rail info, remember to enable Nextrip to use your current location if it asks. The Nextrip mobile site also allows you how to look up arrival times at all rail stations: on a smartphone, click on “menu,” then “select specific stop” and then select “Los Angeles Rail” from the next list. At that point, select the Metro Rail line and then select a station.

Transportation headlines, Friday, June 14

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed. Reminder: the Library is switching over to a new format for its headlines on Monday. No need to act right now! We'll be changing this topper to help guide you straight to the library's new headlines page.

O.C. toll roads could keep fees through 2053 (L.A. Times)

The Foothill-Eastern toll roads have struggled to attract motorists willing to pay the tolls that, in turn, continue to pay for the construction of the new roads. A new bond sale means the tolls could remain in place until the early 2050s instead of being lifted sooner. Bottom line: it continues to be hard to pay for new roads with expected tolls.

Climate change could reduce snowfall in local So Cal mountains (L.A. Times)

A new UCLA study forecasts a 30- to 40 percent decline by mid-century due to global warming. There still may be more precipitation in the region — including more intense storms — that would pose a challenge for the region's stormwater system. Reminder: taking transit, even occasionally, is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Construction Authority Board opposes Measure R amendment (Foothill Extension Construction Authority)

The Board adopts a resolution against the amendment, which is part of a project accleration proposal by Metro staff that is scheduled to be considered by the Metro Board this month. The Construction Authority Board wants the amendment to include the full cost of extending the line to Claremont, which they see as a key step in getting the project funded. An 11.5-mile segment extending the line from Pasadena to the Azusa/Glendora border is now under construction.

As the release mentions, not all Measure R transit projects are fully funded — i.e. the reason the subway isn't going all the way to the sea and the reason the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor is looking into a public-private partnership. It may also be worth mentioning that Measure R is investing more than $2 billion in extending both legs of the Gold Line deeper into the San Gabriel Valley.

 

Go Metro Weekends, June 14 – 16

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First Chinatown Summer Nights of the summer is this Saturday!

Love red carpet movie premiers, outdoor screenings, live music and more? Don’t miss the L.A. Film Fest, back in town until June 23. The Moo Man (I love cows!) is screening this Friday at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. at Regal Cinemas. Tickets are $13. Brasslands is screening at Figat7th for free this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. TAP card holders can save 10% on passes with the promo code 2712ME. (Metro Blue/Expo Line to Pico Station for Regal Cinemas, hop off at 7th/Metro for Figat7th)

Join the Angel City Derby Girls on Saturday as they kick off their 8th season of women’s flat track roller derby at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Culver City. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and there are two games, one at 7 p.m. and one at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door, go Metro to save $5 on general admission. (Metro Expo Line to Culver City Station, then hop on Culver City Bus 7 to Culver/Overland)

Celebrate the Juneteenth Heritage Festival at Leimert Park this weekend. The festival will take place both days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bring the whole family for good food, good music and great kid-friendly activities. (Metro Bus 102 to 43rd/Degnan or Metro Bus 40 to Crenshaw/Vernon)

Enjoy Forever Flamenco at the Ford this Saturday. Forever Flamenco’s dancers, musicians and singers have been delighting audiences for years with their passionate performances. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets start at $50. Go Metro to save 20% on this show and select others throughout the summer. (Metro Red Line or Rapid 750 to Universal City Station, transfer to free Ford Shuttle)

This weekend is also the first weekend of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, which continues until June 30. There are over 200 shows scheduled at locations all over Hollywood. Go Metro to save $2 when purchasing a Fringe Button at Fringe Central Station. The exclusive Fringe Button allows you save on every Fringe show and receive discounts around Hollywood. Fringe Central Station is located at 6314 Santa Monica Boulevard. (Metro Rapid 704 to Vine/Santa Monica)

From Dinos to Disney: the Natural History Museum gets a facelift for its 100th birthday

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From gazing up into the ferocious jaw of a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex to wandering through the exotic landscape of fluttering butterflies, every day this summer boasts family-friendly fun at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

The museum is now 100 years old and it has revamped itself into an indoor and outdoor adventure to celebrate the past and future all in one setting.

With two convenient Metro Expo line stops in Exposition Park — Expo Park/USC Expo/Vermont — Metro provides easy access to avoid parking fees and traffic hassles. Also, by showing a valid Metro TAP card at the box office, visitors get $1.25 off the $12 adult admission. To plan your best route, visit Metro’s Trip Planner.

At the museum, kids can gawk at the gigantic dinosaur skeletons in the renovated 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall. This collection is twice the size of that in the previous hall and includes 20 full body dinos. Visitors can see the only place in the world that shows the three different phases of the life of a Tyrannosaurus rex. And the exhibit features the youngest known baby T-Rex fossil.

Continue reading →

Full Sepulveda Boulevard closure between Valley Vista and Sherman Oaks planned June 14 – 16

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More work being done on the I-405 this weekend.

Here’s the press release from Metro:

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements project contractor is anticipated to fully close a section of Sepulveda Boulevard between Valley Vista Boulevard and Sherman Oaks Avenue in Sherman Oaks during the weekend of June 14 – 16, 2013. The weekend closure will begin on Friday, June 14, at 10 p.m. and end on Monday at 6 a.m.

This full closure is necessary to install girders for the freeway overpass above Sepulveda Boulevard.  Work will be performed during the day and night time hours and will allow for the contractor to complete this major operation in a much shorter timeframe.

 

  • Pedestrian and vehicle access to local residents will be maintained.
  • Detour: Ventura Boulevard to Beverly Glen to Mulholland Drive to Skirball Center Drive.
  • Vehicle access will be maintained from Ventura Boulevard to Sherman Oaks Avenue to Sepulveda Boulevard
  • Detour signage will be placed in the area of closure

The # 4 & # 5 southbound freeway lanes on the I-405 will be closed nightly from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Schedule and details are subject to change.  For a listing of daily closures and latest updates visit our website at www.metro.net/405 or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/I_405  and Facebook at www.facebook.com/405project

Detours on I-10 ExpressLanes due to overturned big rig

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Overturned big rig blocking ExpressLanes on I-10. Photo: Metro

Overturned big rig blocking ExpressLanes on I-10. Photo: Metro

The I-10 ExpressLanes near the I-5 interchange has been blocked by an overturned big rig. The California Highway Patrol expects to clear this incident and resume normal operations around 4:30 p.m.

The Silver Line, 485 and 487/489 are currently detouring via a combination of local streets and I-10 general purpose lanes. Customers at LAC+USC Med Center or Cal State LA should board detoured buses on the upper street level. Metro supervisors have been dispatched to these stations to assist patrons. Silver Line customers along the I-110 ExpressLanes portion may experience residual delays as a result of the incident.

Customers are encouraged to consider using alternate service: Bus Line 70, 71 serve LAC+USC Med Center, Line 71 and Metrolink San Bernardino Line serve CSULA.

Those wishing to use the I-10 ExpressLanes this afternoon can enter at the I-710 interchange. However, the ExpressLanes entrance at Alameda is closed until the incident is cleared.