Metro is currently putting the finishing touches on the four-mile extension of the Orange Line from the Canoga station to the Chatsworth Metrolink station. The project is expected to open in June.
The above maps show the plan that Metro staff is recommending for the Orange Line. The Metro Board of Directors will consider approving the plan later this month as part of the agency’s proposed Tier 1 service changes.
Under the plan, buses will continue to run directly between North Hollywood and Warner Center. The extension will also allow every other bus to run directly between North Hollywood and Chatsworth. In late night hours, one bus will run between North Hollywood, Warner Center and Chatsworth, allowing for a single-seat ride to all Orange Line stations.
The following slides from this Power Point presentation spells out the operating plan.
The Board of Directors are scheduled to consider the service changes in their Systems Safety and Operations Committee on Thursday, March 15 (noon), and at the full Board meeting on Thursday, March 22 (9 a.m.), at Metro headquarters adjacent to Los Angeles Union Station.
Categories: Projects
That’s not the case, Connor. If you look at the PowerPoint it’s half the buses of today going to each branch, except at night when 20 minute service operates along the whole route (because otherwise each branch would get 40 minute service).
Any word on the December 2011 changes? According to Metro’s January’s meeting minutes, the December 2011 changes are supposed to be implemented on March 2012.
So from what I understand, this will effectively double the frequency on the south valley segment (Canoga to Noho). I’m certainly quite fine with that! However for the sake of those using the line the full length say at night I can understand the skepticism both in the proposed frequencies (for that trip) as well as the “doubling back” involving Warner Center. Now, if only we could get a touch of absolute signal preemption along the line. Ahhh if only…
The frequencies of service stays the same as it is now, except when you get to Canoga Ave. Then, every other bus goes either north or south and there is a shuttle between these two points along Canoga Ave.
Metro decided to not go with starting two buses at the same time at the North Hollywood station to relieve crowding at peak hours from the passengers exiting the Red Line Subway station. So, the first bus will be crammed with passengers mostly wanting to get to Van Nuys Blvd and the few people who could not squeeze on will wait for the next bus.
Transit use is very low in the Canoga Ave area of the valley and this new extension will not change that. Nor for that matter would having it become a train. A few months back I calculated that if there was a high-speed Magnetic levitation train–averaging 230 MPH from Universal City to West Hills–that it would still be faster to drive at the speed limits during off-peak hours to get from my home to work. You still would have to walk, bike or take another means of transportation from the train to final destination. The speed and ease of moving around by car is why people will stick to that form of transportation in the west end of the Valley.
See http://www.humantransit.org/2011/02/basics-branching-or-how-transit-is-like-a-river.html
so late at night is the orange line running from north Hollywood to chasworth then warner center or Warner center to chasworth from north hollywood
Hi Chad;
During late night hours the Orange Line will run between Chatsworth, Warner Center and North Hollywood. In other words, a single bus will stop at all stations while traveling from one end of the line to another.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
I’m curious about the process; it seems a little late in the game to be resolving this operational question. We’ve got the pathways and frequencies for the Regional Connector figured out already, and that hasn’t even had its FEIR/EIS approved yet. This Orange Line extension is 80% complete and they’re just now figuring out how to run it?
As, except during Monday to Friday peaks and late night, going from Chatsworth to Warner Center requires a transfer, is that two rides or one for ticketing purposes? If it is two rides, then the journey will cost $1.50 at certain times of day and $3 at others.
Hi Martin;
You would NOT have to pay a second fare to transfer from one leg of the Orange Line to the other.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
So now we’ll have another colored “Metro Liner” route that does not operate at rail like frequencies and even better, splits at Canoga station into two branches, but doesn’t split in late night. Basically it’s like what the old Red Line used to do at Wilshire/Vermont, except imagine if the train backed into Wilshire/Western, came back out, and then continued to North Hollywood after 8 pm – three different service patterns for any given location on a day. You had people ride to Western Avenue thinking that they were going to Hollywood but ending up in Koreatown.
And the 20 minute midday headways and 24 minute Sunday headways to Warner Center/Chatsworth are atrocious for a colored line. Imagine if the Red Line, when it was still one line, operated during middays every 20 minutes to each end.
Each line should be colored differently as well. MTA staff’s response is colored headsigns. That’s not very helpful. Expect the passengers to get confused. My suggestion was to have all buses serve Warner Center and whatever number of buses needed serve Chatsworth (8 minute peak and 10-12 minute base) as fitting a colored line.