Transit guide to Carmageddon: where to find the free rides, increased service and other tips

Affected area and transit service enhancements.

Affected area and transit service enhancements.

FREE fares on subway and select bus lines

Free fares in effect on Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, July 17

Line & Main Corridor Line & Main Corridor
2 – Sunset Bl 233 & 761 – Van Nuys Bl
4 & 704 – Santa Monica Bl 234 – Sepulveda Bl, Brand Bl
20 & 720 – Wilshire Bl 236 – Glenoaks Bl, Balboa Bl
33 & 733 – Venice Bl 240 – Reseda Bl
150 – Ventura Bl 242 & 243 – Tampa Av, Winnetka Av
152 – Roscoe Bl 244 – De Soto Av
155 – Riverside Dr, Olive Av 245 – Topanga Canyon Bl
158 – Woodman Av 656 – Van Nuys/Hollywood OWL
161 – Agoura Rd Metro Orange Line
183 – San Fernanado Rd Metro Red Line
224 – Lankershim Bl Metro Purple Line
230 – Laurel Canyon Bl

Increased service on rail and select bus lines

Line Additional Service
2 – Sunset Bl Between Downtown LA & Beverly Hills;Between Beverly Hills & Pac. Palisades
150 – Ventura Bl Between Universal City Red Line Sta & Reseda Bl
534 – PCH Between Downtown Santa Monica & Malibu Civic Center
704 – Santa Monica Between Vermont/Santa Monica Red Line Sta & Century City
720 – Wilshire Bl Between Wilshire/Vermont Red/Purple Line Sta & Century City
733 – Venice Bl Between Downtown LA & future Culver City Expo Sta (Venice/National)
761 – Van Nuys Bl Between Pacoima & Sherman Oaks (Van Nuys/Ventura)
Metro Red Line Every 5-10 min all weekend; Longer trains all weekend
Metro Purple Line Every 5-10 min all weekend; Longer trains all weekend
Metro Blue Line Longer early morning & late night trains
Metro Green Line Every 10 min all weekend; Longer early morning & late night trains
Metro Gold Line Longer early morning & late night trains
Metrolink
Extra service on Antelope Valley & Ventura County Lines
96 – Riverside Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
155 – Olive Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
156 – Burbank Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
158 – Woodman/Devonshire Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
161 – Agoura Every 25-30 min instead of every 50-60 min
167 – Plummer Every 25 min instead of every 50 min
183 – Magnolia Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
218 – Laurel Cyn Every 17-20 min instead of every 35-40 min
222 – Hollywood Every 25-30 min instead of every 50-60 min
236 – Balboa Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
242 & 243 – Tampa/Winnetka Every 30 min instead of every 60 min
244 – De Soto Every 25 min instead of every 50 min
245 – Topanga Cyn Every 25-30 min instead of every 50-60 min

Bus lines on detour due to 405 closure

Major delays are expected on Line 761 and Line 233 traveling between Sherman Oaks and Westwood/UCLA due to anticipated congestion for the I-405 Weeekend Closure.

Line Location Detour
233 (Late Night/Early Morning Westwood Trips) 405 Fwy between Ventura Blvd. & 10 Fwy Southbound Only: Regular route to Ventura Blvd. and Kester Ave., then continue via Ventura Blvd. to (L) Sepulveda Blvd. to Herscher Way and regular route.
761 405 Fwy between Ventura Blvd. & 10 Fwy Southbound Only: Regular route to Ventura Blvd. and Kester Ave., then continue via Ventura Blvd. to (L) Sepulveda Blvd. to Herscher Way and regular route.

After the jump, more info on LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid service, Metrolink, Amtrak, Big Blue Bus and additional tips for surviving Carmageddon without a car.

For the LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid soccer match at LA Coliseum on Saturday evening, extra service will operate before and after the game on:

  • Lines 204 & 754 (Vermont) between Wilshire/Vermont Station and Vermont/ML King Jr.
  • Line 81 (Figueroa) between 7th/Hill (near 7th St/Metro Center) and Figueroa/ML King Jr.
  • Fans from the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood or Westside should travel via Metro Red/Purple Lines to Wilshire/Vermont, then transfer to Line 754 Southbound on Vermont Av (in front of Shell gas station).
  • Fans traveling through Downtown LA should travel via Metro Red/Purple Lines to 7th St/Metro Center, then walk to Line 81 Southbound at Hill/7th or Flower/8th (in front of Subway restaurant).
  • Regularly scheduled service will be in place on all other lines in the area, including Metro Silver Line. All lines around the Coliseum are subject to traffic related delays associated with the event.

Metrolink

Metrolink will operate additional trains on the Antelope Valley Line and the Ventura County Line on July 16th and 17th to support the closure of the 405 freeway construction.

The Ventura County Line schedule is the same on both days. The Antelope Valley Line schedules are different on Saturday and Sunday. Please see schedule details here.

TIP: Purchase a Metrolink Weekend Pass for only $10. This pass allows a rider to ride anytime, anywhere system-wide from 7 p.m. on Friday through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

The Weekend Pass offers free connectivity to rail or bus throughout Southern California. For example, after you purchased your Weekend Pass and took Metrolink from Irvine to downtown LA, you can board the subway at Union Station and ride all the way to Hollywood and Highland for free!

The $10 Weekend Pass is available for purchase through all Metrolink ticket vending machines (TVM) starting at 7 p.m. on Fridays.

Amtrak

Amtrak California is offering Pacific Surfliner coach passengers a 50% discount on all trains traveling between Los Angeles Union Station (LAX) and Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR) Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17 only.

With this limited time offer, the adult fare is just $3.00 each way.  Plus – two kids (ages 2-15) can ride at the discounted price of $1.50 each way (per adult ticket purchased).

To book your reservation, use the FARE FINDER on the home page (enter promo code X563) or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

Tickets can also be purchased at Amtrak staffed stations or from an Amtrak Quik-Trak or Metrolink TVM, or onboard the train by passengers boarding at Burbank Airport. Talk to a conductor.

Santa Monica Big Blue Bus

Big Blue Bus will be operating according to regular weekend schedules (traffic permitting) with only the Route 14 detouring slightly on Saturday and Sunday as follows:

Route 14 traveling from Culver City towards Brentwood: buses will end service on Barrington Pl. at Chayote, just south of Sunset Blvd. No service to the following stops on Saturday or Sunday:

  • Sunset at Woodburn
  • Church Lane at Sepulveda
  • Moraga Drive at Sepulveda

Route 14 traveling from Brentwood towards Culver City: buses will begin service on Barrington just south of Sunset Blvd. No service to the following stops on Saturday or Sunday:

  • On Moraga Dr. at Sepulveda
  • On Church Lane at Sepulveda or at Sunset Blvd.
  • On Sunset at Woodburn or at Barrington

If safety officers ask BBB to reroute farther away from the construction site, service may be detoured at San Vicente and Gorham.

For questions about BBB service this weekend, call Big Blue Bus Customer Service at (310) 451-5444.

Tips

  • Traffic is going to be bad, prepare for delays on bus lines.
  • Get real time bus arrival information using Nextrip or by calling 5-1-1.
  • Follow @MetroLAalerts on Twitter for service updates.
  • There is NO overnight rail service this weekend.  Last trains generally end around midnight.  Check timetables if traveling late.  Click here for night owl bus service, many of which serve rail stations.
  • Take advantage of some Destination Discounts if you are looking for something to do this weekend. But remember, most Discounts require showing a TAP card or rail ticket, so be aware if you are riding a free line. Of course, this weekend is a great opportunity to get a TAP card if you don’t already have one.

Factoids

  • Net increase of 100 Metro buses & 32 Metro Rail cars
  • Extra service where demand is highest in order to maintain integrity of main corridor
  • Avoid running extra service in potential gridlock areas
  • Additional Bus & Rail supervisors to be deployed throughout the region to monitor service
  • Metro volunteers to be strategically placed at key transfer points to assist customers

5 replies

  1. With the 405 being closed and increased traffic in the area on fri and sat nights, mta really should have kept the redline running past normal operating hours. it would have been much safer on the roads if you guys would have atleast kept the trains running till 2:30 or 3am
    helping keep the drunks off the roads.

  2. @CDLESQ-metro has confirmed that all fares tomorrow & Sunday will be free.
    Will this event convert more vehicles drivers to transit? Doubt it-for all the increased service on Metro, they may be sitting in traffic like vehicle drivers who venture out and about over the weekend. Sitting in traffic on an overcrowded bus vs the comfort of one’s vehicle? I’d vote later and I can probably get to my destination quicker than waiting on late buses stuck in traffic.

  3. Thanks for this post, it will really help a lot. I also agree that this will serve as a better opportunity for never-transit users to actually try it. I am curious though, why the 761 would be slower since sepulveda would only be open to residents therefore very few cars. Wouldn’t it be faster?

  4. Carmageddon is an opportunity to encourage all Angelenos to try the bus. Bus fares should be free on all lines for the entire weekend. This may be just the event to convert more drivers into riders!

  5. Good job in this report, buutt Metro really needs better OWL service for events like this (and Holidays). Hopefully thats an idea that can come out of this.