Thanks for Going Metro to DTLA on Saturday!

by ,

Final update, 6 p.m. Nice turnout and service was pretty smooth throughout the day. This tweet sums it up from our end…

And a few more pics…


Update, 12:02 p.m.: Please help to maintain smooth rail service by using the entire platform for boarding. Remember to load your TAP card in advance to avoid long lines. Use Temple Street to enter Civic Center/Grand Park Station.

Update, 10:22 a.m.: A glimpse of what we’ve been seeing throughout the system today:  

Update, 8:53 a.m.: Due to crowds gathering at 5th and Hill, customers are being asked to please exit Pershing Square Station using 4th and Hill portals. Rail service remains smooth while crowds continue to grow.

Crowds continue to grow at Pershing Square

Update, 7:55 a.m.: We’re starting to see healthy crowds this morning, especially on Gold and Red Line. Consider loading roundtrip fare $3.50 in stored value before starting your trip and use the entire platform to board. 

 

Saturday, 5:55 a.m.: Good morning, everyone! We’ll be updating this post throughout the day. Metro is running enhanced rail service today to help everyone get to and from the Women’s March. Please scroll down for more info.

You can also follow Metro throughout the day on Twitter (for quick service updates) and Instagram (for pics and stories). We’re at @metrolosangeles on Snapchat, too.

If you’re headed out today, we encourage you to bundle up and leave early as parking at Metro stations will likely fill up as the morning progresses. Also, as the map below shows, a healthy slice of downtown L.A. will have street closures.

 

Last year we saw a MAJOR turnout for the Women’s March with a crowd of nearly 750,000 attendees walking the streets of downtown Los Angeles. The Metro system also had its largest day ever.

We are expecting another large turnout for this year’s march on Saturday. Metro Rail will run enhanced service on all lines from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. with longer trains on the Expo, Blue, Gold, Purple and Red Lines in anticipation of large crowds. Maps of our system are at the bottom of the post. Metro Rail will be running the following service:

  • Red Line trains will run every 6 minutes and Purple Line trains every 12 minutes.
  • Expo Line trains will run every 6 minutes.
  • Blue Line trains will run every 6 minutes between 7th Street/Metro Center and Willow Station.
  • Gold Line trains will run every 7 minutes between APU/Citrus College and Little Tokyo/Arts District stations.
  • Green Line trains will run every 12 minutes.

The starting point for the march is outside the Red/Purple Lines’ Pershing Square Station.

If you were one of those attendees last year, you may recall the extremely long lines at TAP vending machines. You can bypass that by buying and loading your TAP card ahead of time.

Buy TAP cards and load fares online at taptogo.net or at any Metro Rail or Orange Line station; here’s a system map. Roundtrip fare is $3.50 in stored value and a Day Pass is $7. Please note: each person must have their own TAP card. Two children under age 5 may travel free with each fare-paying adult.

Some tips:

•DTLA is served by five Metro Rail lines: the Red/Purple Line subway, the Blue Line, Expo Line and Gold Line. If you’re planning to park and ride, here are your options.

•As the march takes place, DTLA buses will be in service but will be on detour due to street closures. If you are traveling by bus, Metro lines 2, 4, 10, 18, 28, 55, 62, 81, 83, 90 and 94 will bring you as close as possible to the march’s starting point. We will provide live updates on service detours and park and ride availability on Twitter at @metroLAalerts and @metrolosangeles.

•If you’re coming in from further away, Metrolink may be an option. Metrolink will be running additional train service to Union Station in DTLA on the Antelope Valley, San Bernardino and Ventura County lines. From there, you can use your TAP-enabled Metrolink ticket to transfer for free to the Red/Purple Line to reach your destination. Please check Metrolink’s website for details on schedules.

•To keep passenger flow moving at Pershing Square Station: the 5th/Hill portal will be ENTER ONLY during the march. The 4th/Hill portals will be EXIT ONLY. ADA customers/strollers may use the elevator at 5th/Hill in both directions.

•To keep passenger flow moving at Civic Center/Grand Park Station: the Temple Street portal will be ENTER ONLY. The 1st/Hill portal will be EXIT ONLY. ADA customers/strollers may use the elevator at Temple Street in both directions.

•Please use the entire platform when boarding Metro Rail!

•The city of West Hollywood is running free shuttles to the Red Line’s Hollywood/Highland Station from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — see the map below for routes and stops.

For everyone’s safety, Metro staff will be monitoring crowd levels at rail stations and adjusting service as needed. And, as always, please be careful around buses, train platforms and train crossings. If walking through rail crossings, obey all signals and safely cross the tracks. 

Click on map to see larger.

Click on map to see larger.

Click on map to see larger.

 

Categories: Go Metro, Service Alerts

Tagged as: , , , , , ,

18 replies ›

  5. The blue line on 1st and Pine in Long Beach have been worked on lately, will it be up and running tomorrow or will there be a bus detour again?

    • Hi, that information is included in this post.

      Thank you.

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source

      • While the scale may be a lot less, but I suggest Metro to also remind riders about the bus detours on Sunday 1/21 for the Pasadena Half Marathon.

  7. This is a joke, as is the metro plan a trip. I want to go from Warner Corporate Center/Owenmouth to Union Station. There is nothing about the Orange line at all, nor the schedule unless there is no special schedule for the Women’s March DTLA

  11. I believe during regular weekend service the trains come every 15 minutes. How about longer trains every 8-10 mins? Granted last year trains could run every 2 mins and still not meet demand, just having longer trains this year-even with potentially a much smaller crowd-just isn’t enough! More frequent trains would also help.

    • Hi Homer,

      Along with longer trains, trains will be running enhanced service with Blue, Expo and Red lines running every 6 minutes, Gold Line every 7 minutes, and Purple and Green lines running every 12 minutes.

      Steven Arellanes
      Writer, The Source

  12. Please add more cars to the Expo line. Last year going to event we could not board at La Cienega or stations east of there as cars were already full. maybe express lines that skip a few stops or remain empty till La Cienega?

    • Hi Susan;

      It was crowded across the rail system last year but we’re going to run more service earlier this time around. There is no express service or limited service planned. My best advice is arrive early and have a TAP card loaded with fare so you don’t have to wait for TAP machines. There’s plenty to do in DTLA before the march begins and sounds like the weather will be nice.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  13. I suggest using the bus instead of light rail. I took the 733 from Mar Vista for last year’s march and heard stories about marchers heading west on Expo first before going east since it was so packed. I will take about an hour from Venice and it feels like the bus is trying to hit every pot hole on the street, but it will drop you off two blocks from Pershing Square.

  14. Please always remember to include information about the Silver Line (#910 and 950) as well, which uses the express lanes of the Harbor and San Bernardino Freeways to travel to/from DTLA and the South Bay and El Monte. In particular, it would be helpful to know how the Silver Line buses will be re-routed through Downtown LA because of the street closures for the Women’s March.

    As of today, Metro has no service advisories regarding the Silver Line and the Women’s March.