Metro is set to host three meetings to update communities on the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor (WSAB) Project, a 19-mile light rail line that will connect southeast Los Angeles County to downtown Los Angeles.
Metro will provide information on Initial Operating Segment (IOS) options, general project updates and the project delivery schedule. As part of the project’s environmental study, staff will be analyzing two Initial Operating Segments (IOS) in addition to the entire project between Artesia and downtown Los Angeles. The two segments are:
- IOS 1 – I-105/Green Line Station to Pioneer Station
- IOS 2 – Slauson Station to Pioneer Station
As we wrote last month, Metro staff is optimistic that IOS 2 is feasible to fund and deliver by 2028. Please see this Source post for more about the initial operating segment options.
The upcoming community meetings will be held:
Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church in Little Tokyo, 222 S. Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Simms Park Auditorium in Bellflower, 16614 Clarke Avenue, Bellflower, CA 90706
Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Salt Lake Park in Huntington Park, 3401 Florence Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255
For more information on the project and these upcoming meetings, please visit the project website at metro.net/wsab.
Here are larger maps of the southern and northern parts of the project:
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
This line as proposed still has quite a few problems, even if they sort the downtown LA issue out.
Not enough stops south of the I-105 to collect enough passengers to warrant what will be an expensive transfer station at the I-105, not to mention difficult to build in an active freeway. The Gardendale station needs to move north short distance to Garfield/Imperial Highway for more bus interface.
Washington Blvd needs a stop so WSAB passengers can transfer there, rather than Slauson- in other words, keep more people on the WSAB trains, than overloading the Blue Line even more. The route from Slauson to Washington sounds great elevated, but then the Blue on the same stretch should be also. Time to start eliminating more grade crossings. The WSAB having an elevated route over the already elevated Santa Monica Freeway is absolutely ridiculous- incredible hight for a train to climb. Undergrond from Washington since you are already underground north of the I-10.
I also keep suggesting that the proposed line going up Alameda should be the BLUE as to shorten its incredibly long Long Beach to Pomona/Monclair route. Passengers needing to go into the downtown area can transfer at Washington (not Slauson) from the south and 1st/Alameda from the north.
The only way I vote WASB to go to 8th/Flower station is that it is set up to then continue west under the Harbor freeway and turn to head up to Echo Park/ Silver Lake area.
Needless to say, going to the public update meeting !
Final a rail to Norwalk ,Whittier ,Santa ana.next a rail to Disneyland and knott’s berry farm.
Way too many at grade crossings here. :/
I lost interest in this line once they started refining the northern segments and took Pershing Square out of the mix. That would have spread out the connections and allowed for future expansion.
Can we get government agencies together on these things? At the other of the the ROW in Orange County, they’re building “OC Streetcar.” Can anyone connect the dots across county lines? Are the technologies compatible? Somehow with Metrolink several governments were able to work together. It would be nice if transit agencies realized that human beings need to cross county lines.
You guy’s are crazy too think Metro is going to have Express lines just passing up the poor folks it was designed to move from point A to point … all for $1.75 just pass up Compton to DTLA LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! y’all funny AF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are they still advocating running parrelll tracks adjacent to the Blue Instead of integrating the two lines on to one track in each direction as other transit agencies have done along with every railroad in the United States? Although arial construction seems like a great alternative to at grade running it has proven to be very expensive and plagued with over runs in Hawaii in addition to the constant delay in the opening of the first phase.
Agreed – in that area paralleling the “A Line” (Blue Line), there are currently four tracks at grade (2 active for LRT, 2 inactive HRT) that are fairly insulated from traffic compared to the stretch along Washington Blvd. – they should just reactivate the remaining two for this new line that could also host express trains on the A Line alongside the Santa Ana line trains that can bypass Vernon Station and maybe even Washington Stations as well if Slauson is considered to be the transfer point. This would save money without damaging speed dramatically if crossing-gates could be timed according to rail over traffic. That saved money should go into accelerating the connection to 7th & Metro in Downtown LA via 8th Street – the best alternative from a transfer and operational perspective.
Not too be a buzz kill, but I would not call a 2 station bypass train an express train, if were gonna build this at-grade and have both Santa Ana and Blue Line trains (Yes, I’m still personally using colors and names), then those 2 tracks need to be deactivated beyond Slauson all the way to Del Amo. If there isn’t at least a 25% savings in time over a local Blue Line trains, then I rather keep the expensive 2 mile bridge instead.
Thing is, I know that Metro can add express trains to both Blue and Santa Ana from day 1, but the excuse of “well it cost more money,” is becoming old now. Again, build it right, wait until the money is there or don’t build it all. No more half baked projects.
Also, I hope people continue to complain about the removal of 183rd and Gridley, the people wanted a station were they actually want to go Metro, and a place they don’t want to go to is a parking garage,
You should start referring to it by its future letter designation in all publications.
On the map, the I-105/Green Line junction does not show as a direct transfer station to/from the Green Line. Would a new Green Line station have to be built in the style of the now-existing Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station?
Sorry for slow response!
Yes, Metro is proposing to build transfer stations as part of the WSAB Project — an I-105/Green Line Station would be built and an infill station would be built along the existing Metro Green Line to provide a connection between WSAB and the Metro Green Line. The project will provide a pedestrian walkway and vertical pedestrian access to allow for transfers between the two stations. Metro is coordinating with Caltrans and local jurisdictions to accommodate these transfer stations at this location.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source