With the first phase of the Expo Line under construction between downtown L.A. and Culver City, Metro had been exploring naming the line after a color — as is the case with Metro’s rail and express bus lines. We even polled Source readers in April and 49.5 percent backed the Aqua Line with 18 percent behind the runner-up, the Bronze line.
Aqua does make sense, as the terminus for the second phase of the Expo Line will be near the ocean in Santa Monica.
Now, according to Curbed LA, Metro officials are saying the color issue has for now been settled: The name of the line will remain the Expo Line — as it has been called for years during the planning and construction process — but it will be colored aqua on Metro maps.
Of course, all of this could change a few years down the road. When the regional connector opens, the Expo, Blue and Gold lines will be connected in downtown L.A. and the plan is for the lines to share trains — i.e. trains will be running between Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley and between Santa Monica and East L.A. (Here’s map of how that will work). At that point, Metro officials have said it may make more sense to rename the lines to avoid passenger confusion over the destination of their trains.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
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Can we please use letters and numbers like other major metropolitan areas such as New York, Paris and Berlin? This crayola box approach is really silly once you’ve exhausted seven basic colors (red, blue, yellow/gold, green, orange, purple, gray/silver).
Even London-type names would be an improvement. We could have the Expo Line, Wilshire Line, the Vermont Line, etc., or even name them after notable figures in Los Angeles and Californian history. The Muir Line, the Sherman Line, the Chaven Line, the Bradley Line. Whatever.
Personally, I’d use letters for rail services and numbers for the bus service.
From the map of the connected Light Rail, it looks like the LA-LB Blue Line and Pasadena Gold Line will need to be named one thing, and the Expo Line and Eastside Gold Line will need to be named the other thing. For the LA-LB Blue Line and Pasadena Gold Line to be named Blue Line would be a return to the history when there was a Pasadena Blue Line construction authority board.