A Better Blue Line: Blue Line to run every 40 minutes between DTLA and Willowbrook tonight

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Essential track maintenance will continue on a key crossover of the Metro Blue Line tonight. After 8 p.m., trains will again run every 40 minutes between 7th Street/Metro Center and Willowbrook Station, and will serve the remainder of the Blue Line, between Willowbrook and Long Beach, every 20 minutes.

This means every other northbound train will turn around at Willowbrook Station, and its destination sign departing Downtown Long Beach will read either “Willowbrook” or “Imperial.” Customers should expect all trains to arrive on the Downtown L.A.-bound track between Vernon and Willowbrook stations. Expo Line will be unaffected by the track work and will follow a regular Friday evening schedule, departing every 10 minutes.

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Construction notice: week-long closure of intersection of Lincoln & Colorado in Santa Monica begins Monday for Expo Line track work

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Lincoln1

Lincoln2

The good news is that construction of the second phase of the Expo Line continues to chug along at a speedy pace. The not-quite-as-good-news: the busy intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica needs to be closed for a week to accommodate construction of the tracks along Colorado Ave.

Please help spread the word. The official notice from the Expo Line Construction Authority — the agency building the project — is posted above.

The second phase of the Expo Line is funded by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by Los Angeles County voters in 2008. It is one of three rail projects receiving Measure R funding that are currently under construction (along with the Crenshaw/LAX Line and Gold Line Foothill Extension) with construction of two other projects expected to begin later this year (Regional Connector and Purple Line Extension). Metro has also begun receiving the first of 550 new state-of-the-art buses and is spending $1.2 billion to overhaul the Metro Blue Line, including the purchase of new light rail vehicles.

Go Metro Weekends, April 18 – 20

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Hello again! Here are some events over Easter weekend that should keep your pockets and weekends full!

Friday

For all of you “old school” music lovers out there, hit up the Art Laboe Block Party at The Forum! Join the likes of Evelyn “Champagne” King, ZAPP and Sugar Hill Gang. Doors open at 7:30 p.m and tickets are still on sale. Prices vary. (Metro Bus 115 or 212 to Manchester/Prairie)

Saturday

If you have a pet that you really care about, bring him or her to the Blessing of the Animals at Pueblo De Los Angeles. It’s free, with ceremonies starting at noon. Reminder: pets are only allowed to board Metro in a secured carrier. (Metro Red, Purple or Gold Line to Union Station, several Metro buses to Union Station including lines 40, 704, 733 and Metro Silver Line)

If you missed out on Coachella, use the money saved for Brokechella! Created specifically for those on a slimmer budget, this DTLA music and art showcase features some of the hottest up and coming artists in Los Angeles and beyond. Gates open at 3 p.m., with tickets ranging from $20 – $25. (Metro Bus 18 to 6th/Mateo then walk north along 6th Street to Santa Fe, or Metro Bus 60 to 7th/Santa Fe)

Sunday

Have any Easter plans? Join the Aquarium of the Pacific for a special Easter Breakfest at 8:30 a.m. Ticket prices vary. If you’d like to visit the rest of the aquarium afterwards or on any other day, use your TAP card to get a discount on admission!  (Metro Blue Line to Downtown Long Beach Station, then use free Passport bus to Aquarium entrance)

Afterwards, head to Duff’s Cakemix for some Easter cupcake decorating! Bring the kids along for some family fun. The event starts at 3 p.m., tickets are $25. (Metro Bus 217 to Fairfax/Melrose then walk 1/2 mile west along Melrose Avenue)

All Weekend

Enjoy some night shopping at the K-TOWN Night Market this weekend! The event takes place at the RFK Community Schools and starts Friday from 4 p.m to midnight and Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight. Admission is free. Don’t forget to get your FREE drink when you show you TAP card. (Metro Red/Purple Line to Wilshire/Vermont Station, Metro Purple Line to Wilshire/Normandie Station)

UPDATE: Blue Line resumes normal service in Long Beach

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UPDATE- 6:45 a.m: Blue Line service in the Long Beach Loop is resuming normal service with residual delays of up to 15 minutes. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Blue Line service in the Long Beach Loop is disrupted due to a overturned car blocking the tracks at Broadway and Pacific Avenue. There is limited train service between Downtown Long Beach and Anaheim stations, as well as Pacific and Anaheim stations. Some trains will turn back to Los Angeles from Willow Station. Service north of Willow Station remains unaffected.

For real-time service alerts, follow us on  @metrolosangeles or @metroLAalerts on Twitter.

 

Service alert: boarding change for Dodger Stadium Express at Union Station

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Temporary Bus Stop Diagram

Due to construction work at Union Station’s Patsaouras Transit Plaza, the boarding location for the Dodger Stadium Express is shifting temporarily from Bay 3 to the front of the Metro headquarters building on the north side of the plaza — as shown on the above map.

The new boarding location takes effect for Friday night’s game against Arizona.

There will be Metro staff on hand on the plaza and inside Union Station to help guide passengers, as well as signs pointing the way. If coming from inside the station, please use the left escalator or stairs up to the plaza.

Click here for more information on the Dodger Stadium Express.

Our first podcast: filming over the years at Union Station

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A scene from the "The Dark Knight Rises" that was filmed in the old ticket room at Union Station. Credit: Warner Bros.

A scene from the “The Dark Knight Rises” that was filmed in the old ticket room at Union Station. Credit: Warner Bros.

Good morning, readers and listeners! Above please find our first Metro podcast. The subject: filming at Los Angeles Union Station over the decades, a subject that Kim tackled earlier this week as part of her ongoing series of posts on Union Station’s 75th anniversary.

We’re new to the podcast thing and it’s going to take a few of these to completely find our footing in the audio world. If we sound like podcast rookies, well, we are. Please bear with us!

That said, I’m really excited about this. It’s great to post articles on the blog, but I think it’s also important for our riders and taxpayers to literally hear the voice of their government. I hope you enjoy our initial offering and we should have more podcasts soon.

 

Participate in Metrolink’s online Strategic Plan survey

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Metrolink is inviting rail commuters to take part in a web-based survey and provide input on the future of Metrolink and regional rail service.

The survey is short and only takes a few minutes. Your feedback will help as Metrolink works to develop a Strategic Plan that will be implemented over the next ten years. As an added bonus, participants of the survey who provide email contact information will be entered into a drawing for a monthly Metrolink pass!