Final Update: Blue and Expo Lines resume normal service

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Final Update, 7:30 a.m.: The vehicle has been removed from tracks. Blue and Expo Line trains are resuming normal service, though customers can expect residual delays through 8:15 a.m. If your trip was impacted by this morning’s incident, please call Customer Relations for delay verification at 213.922.6235.

Earlier:

There is currently no Blue or Expo Line service between Pico and 7th Street/Metro Center Station due to a car blocking tracks. While Metro personnel and law enforcement work to remove the vehicle, trains will travel as far as Pico Station and turn back towards Santa Monica or Long Beach.

Bus shuttles are in service between LATTC/Ortho Institute and 7th/Metro. To help reduce train congestion in the downtown area, some northbound Blue Line trains are turning back southbound to Long Beach at Washington Station.

We will continue to provide updates regarding this incident here at The Source or follow us @MetroLosAngeles or @MetroLAalerts.

Categories: Transportation News

5 replies ›

  1. Another reason for undergrounding all trackage between Metro Center, Washington Station,, and USC, I can think of no better use for Measure M funds,.

    Even without a stalled car, the Pico grade crossing is plagued with non-synchronized traffic signals causing numerous delays..

    I understand that Metro is considering building a flying junction where the Blue and Expo lines join. This should be part of the underground project.

    • FWIW, there is no Measure M specific project to grade separate the Blue Line and/or the Expo Line; only the Orange Line got a specific grade sep project. There may be other funds available, but putting such a lengthy section of track underground would certainly cost many, many millions of dollars.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

      • Yes, but those “many millions of dollars” would be dollars well spent! Assuming a grade separation only saved three minutes per trip, that would add up to more than one million hours of travel time savings per year. At a conservative value of time of $10 per hour, that’s $10 million per year saved by transit riders! When you calculate the number of new riders that you would attract with the improved travel times, this improvement would quickly move to the top of the rankings of the most cost effective projects for the Metro system.

        • The issue I’m trying to raise is that there are a lot of very pricey projects being discussed at the moment, ranging from Blue Line improvements to an Arts District station for the Red/Purple Line to an LAX Express train to the Union Station run-through tracks project. I think it’s great that people are interested and I’m glad to see the issues being studied and environmentally cleared.

          At the same time I want people to understand that transportation funding for capital projects has historically been limited and that a lot of the Measure R and Measure M dollars are already committed. I just don’t want people thinking all these things are definitely going forward until the money has been deposited into the treasure chest, so to speak 🙂

          Steve Hymon
          Editor, The Source

      • And would be worth it due to the time savings for the train crews, not to mention the passengers,

        At the very least you MUST get those loggerheads at LADOT to agree that trains with a hundred passengers deserve absolute priority over autos with 1 or 2 passengers, What is really needed is crossing gates between Metro Center and the junction. with traffic signal priority beyond to the various rights of way,.