Metro Board Chairman and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich talks about Metro’s new late night service at a press event this morning at the Gold Line’s Memorial Park station in Pasadena. Photo: Steve Hymon/Metro.
There was a media event in Pasadena this morning to remind everyone that late night weekend service until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights begins tonight.
“The new late night service on Metro Rail and the Orange Line is a win-win situation for everyone in Los Angeles County,” said Metro Board Chair and County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. “Businesses will be able to reach a new range of clientele. More people can go out to eat, drink and have fun on weekends without worrying about a midnight curfew, and more workers now have the option of taking that later shift and can rest assured they’re going to have a safe, reliable way to make it home. Los Angeles County residents will benefit from the connections to the rail system, and people from the San Fernando Valley will be able to travel to other destinations in the county such as Pasadena, Long Beach, Norwalk or Culver City late at night.”
At the event, Antonovich also added that “long range we do have a vision…we want to continue this momentum.” In particular, he said Metro needs to keep focusing on connecting to popular destinations — such as the region’s airports.
Metro CEO Art Leahy said that ridership will be evaluated after six months to determine whether late night service will be added every night of the week. Metro is currently evaluating the possibility of late night service on the Silver Line and is also working with Metrolink on the possibility of extending their service to connect with Metro Rail and the Orange Line.
Here are the times that the last trains and buses will be leaving stations tonight and here is a link to all Metro timetables:
RED LINE
The last train departing Union Station will be at 2:12 a.m.
The last train departing North Hollywood will be at 1:56 a.m.
PURPLE LINE
The last trains departing Union Station will be at 2:02 a.m.
The last trains departing Wilshire/Western will be at 2:03 a.m.
GOLD LINE
The last train departing Atlantic will be at 1:43 a.m.
The last train departing Sierra Madre Villa will be at 1:39 a.m.
EXPO LINE
The last train departing 7th/Metro Center will be at 2:12 a.m.
The last train departing Culver City will be at 1:49 a.m.
BLUE LINE
The last train departing Long Beach to downtown L.A. will be 12:58 a.m.
The last train departing 7th/Metro will be 2:07 a.m.
Service between the Long Beach Transit Mall and Wardlaw will continue past 12:58 a.m. with the last train leaving the Transit Mall at 3:07 a.m.
GREEN LINE
The last train departing Redondo Beach will be 1:58 a.m.
The last train departing Norwalk will be at 2:09 a.m.
ORANGE LINE
The last bus departing North Hollywood will be at 2:53 a.m.
The last bus departing Chatsworth will be at 1:50 a.m.
Categories: Go Metro, Go Metro Weekends, Metro Lifestyle, Policy & Funding
Glad to read that LA will have expanded rail service during late nights on Fridays & Saturdays. It’s the same blueprint in Washington, DC, where the Metro runs until 3 AM on those nights. I’m from the Bronx, so we New Yorkers can ride the subway anytime we want–it’s a 24-hours-a-day system.
This is great – for anyone living within a few blocks of a MetroLink station. Others will try it once and find themselves waiting on a street corner 45 to 90 minutes for a bus. For the vast majority of people who would like to leave their cars at home, Los Angeles’ late-night transit still adheres to the Thomas Wolfe principal: You can get downtown, sure, but you can’t go home again. Why should it take only 45 minutes or an hour to get downtown in the evening, but 2 or more hours to get back at the end of the night?
Steve
Buses on Orange line from North Hollywood at night are packed, if any more people were on the bus we would not need to hold on to the hand rails. Again last Tue night people were left at the platform to wait for the next bus because there was no more room and no bike racks available. Need more frequent service and the service should be scheduled so the bus leaves about 6 t0 10 minutes after the red line arrives so you have time to get upstairs from the hole in the ground.
I’m also very disappointed that Blue Line service from Long Beach to DTLA stops at 12:58. That’s the line I was really looking forward to using!
Why hasn’t the silver line added late night service??
If there were another Blue and Green Line Divisions (Headquarters) for trains, such as one at the north end of Blue and one at east end of Green, the trains could run much longer. Having Gr Line train yard at the far west end and Bl Line train yard at the south end, as is now the case, leaves a giant distance between ends of the lines and where the trains go ‘to sleep.’
I believe the reason for the earlier service end time from Long Beach has to do with getting trains (and operators) back to the yards. A train that leaves Long Beach at 2am will have to head all the way in to DTLA, and then turn around at 7th Street (around 3am) and head all the way back to the Station (with passengers on a short line to Del Amo?) where it wouldn’t get in until about 3:30 am. And the first train out of Del Amo to Long Beach is already scheduled for 3:50 am… so you’re basically stepping up to 24 hour service at that point.
That’s the reason we have short line trips on the Blue Line in the first place, right? Because the yard is in the middle of the line.
Marlin, I agree that service should be later from Long Beach to DTLA, but as far as I know, that would actually mean running much later than 2am because of the operational and logistics issues with getting the trains back “home” for the night.
Steve,
I stay in Dwntwn Long Beach & the weekend nightlife is still active until a little past 2am & last call is at 1:30am. The last train should actually leave or depart Long Beach Transit Mall an hr later, at 1:58 a.m. instead of 12:58 a.m., which makes more sense in the long run operational wise & for those ppl leaving to get home & instead of waiting for the Metro 60 to come past to take them the long slow path back into LA.
Also, service between Long Beach Transit Mall should continue past Wardlow up to Rosa Parks/Willowbrook Station past 1:58 a.m. instead of 12:58 a.m. for better connection with the Greenline commuters waiting to head back into Dwntwn Long Beach. Again, makes more sense in the long run.
Steve, If you could past this along, be so much helpful in the future.
BLUE LINE
The last train departing Long Beach to downtown L.A. will be 12:58 a.m.
The last train departing 7th/Metro will be 2:07 a.m.
Service between the Long Beach Transit Mall and Wardlaw will continue past 12:58 a.m. with the last train leaving the Transit Mall at 3:07 a.m.
Hi Marlin;
I’m glad to pass it along. At same time, I also advise folks advocating for more service to contact their elected representatives also. In advocacy, it’s always best to get your message out to many folks as possible who are in position to help.
Best,
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Later hours is nice, but I really wish we had full 24 hour service like New York. A good thing about NY is that it’s a city that never sleeps. Even at 3AM I can expect the subways to be running and able to hitch a cab from the street. In LA, everything becomes dead after midnight.
Why the one hour cut off for Long Beach I wonder?
This is great news, now LA is thinking!! Most major cities have been doing this for sometime.
How come bus riders do NOT get the same level of service that the train riders do? WHY does MTA bus service that does not go into/out of the City of Los Angeles not have ANY “late-night” service? I have to walk 1.5 miles from Santa Anita and Garvey to Peck & Rush Streets in El Monte NIGHTLY due to the lack of MTA bus service! I guess the MTA prefers to give drunks and late night partiers the preference. How sad!
Hi Neglected Bus Rider;
Metro has 29 bus lines that run 24 hours a day. Here’s the list: http://www.metro.net/riding/maps/24-hour/. The short answer to your question is that service is usually offered where there is the most ridership. I suggest contacting your local Metro service council and elected representatives about any additional bus service that may be needed in your area. Here is some additional info about the service councils: http://thesource.metro.net/2012/07/23/voice-your-opinion-on-metro-bus-service-at-service-council-meetings/.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Now all we’re missing is late-night service on the Silver Line! We can we expect this?
Now all we need is to have late-night service on the Silver Line! When can we expect this?
Hi Mike;
As the post says, staff is evaluating whether to add late night service on the Silver Line. I’m not sure what they will decide or when service would be added if they decide to go in that direction.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source