Well, there are transfers and then there are *transfers*...

Transferring between Blue and Red or between Blue and Green is relatively easy. Just get off the train, grab an elevator or escalator (or stairs if you want buns-of-steel) to the other platform and board the next train.

From the Gold Line to the Red Line, however, is a walk of at least 5-10 minutes, depending on how fast you walk. The three sets of stairs/escalators needed to make the trip don't help much either, especially when things get crowded in the morning.

(A direct elevator between the Gold and Red Line platforms would be *nice*, but probably not practical due to the way the platforms are situated).

The Downtown Connector should be of the highest priority. 7th/Metro is crowded enough during rush how now, imagine how it will be like when the Expo line opens...

Question: Why is a Bay Area newspaper reporting on a Gold Line extension?

Well, KNBC-4 did a story Friday on the afternoon news about a bus in the Bay Area that steers itself. There's still a driver needed to accelerate and brake, but the bus follows magnets imbedded in the road.

It's supposed to be a bus rapid transit project, and a San Diego Transit articulated bus was used.

Basic transportation modeling tells you that one transfer does not account for the difference in riders that would actually make this line "OK" in the ridership department

Because it's easier to link to the Bay Area newspaper than whatever local paper (the San Bernardino Sun in this case) out of the MediaNews chain did the story.

It doesn't connect Downtown Los Angeles, in case you haven't noticed. Union Station is not Downtown. While a transfer is annoying when you are coming in from Santa Ana or Upland on the Metrolink, it is painful when you are just pulling in from Lincoln Heights or South Pasadena, when there is a one shot bus that does it in the same amount of time instead.

The "second most populous city in the country" is nonsense, because we are talking about a local light rail line. The 3.5 million people in Los Angeles who are not served by the Gold Line don't care where it goes. The other thing that is holding the Gold Line down is its speed. The Green Line, despite serving not much more than the middle of a freeway, gets 40,000 riders. The Gold Line eastward will run at a high speed, because of its dedicated right of way. It will not be stuck in traffic in the median of a local street. The time from Azusa to Pasadena will be competitive with driving at all hours, not just during the rush hour.

There are two existing railroad tracks that pass immediately north (UP) and immediately south (SP) of Ontario Airport. Metrolink Riverside line runs on the SP line along the southern fence of the Ontario Airport. The East Ontario Metrolink station is about 3-4 blocks from the Ontario Airport. Amtrak Sunset Limited trains run along the northern border of the airport, across the street from the passenger terminals. The Ontario Amtrak station is located at 228 South Plum Street, about 2 miles west of the airport.

If the Gold Line Construction Authority, LAWA, Ontario city, SCRRA, and Amtrak actually work together, they might be able to design a trail station at the airport which can conveniently take passengers to the Gold Line, Metrolink, and Amtrak.

Actually it's really not. A 13 mile corridor in the middle of an area with that much residential density connecting two major economic centers (Downtown LA and Downtown Pasadena) and with considerable traffic 25K or even 30K is not OK ridership in the second most populous city in the country.

Indeed the fact that the line is by far the worst performer of any fixed guideway project for Metro based on passenger mile cost clearly shows that it's not OK.

I do agree that Metro should look at somehow putting a metro rail line through Glendale and Burbank and connect to the redline at NoHo or Universal.

As for your comment:
"But why would a transportation agency in LA do something silly like directly serve major economic centers? That stuff only happens by accident."

You mean like the red line (downtown, Hollywood, Universal, Noho) and the blue line (downtown L.A., downtown Long Beach)? Those "accidents" were apparently a long time coming, given how long it took to get them built.

Is there any - I mean one shred of documentation to indicate that a light rail to Ontario airport is needed? And does anyone have a clue how much money the Gold Line is currently bleeding Metro operations because it's ridership is so low?

I'm with Snoble, build it to Azusa and make the rest Metrolink.

And discussion of Gold Line extension beyond that needs to focus east. Head out of Downtown Pasadena towards Downtown Glendale, the Burbank studios, and connect with the Red Line at Universal City.

But why would a transportation agency in LA do something silly like directly serve major economic centers? That stuff only happens by accident.

Agreed. 75 minutes is absurdly long to get from Downtown to Ontario. I believe this project will fill a different niche in our transportation network. Some airport trips it could be quite useful for:
-Downtown airport-goers could take Metrolink to Upland and transfer to the Gold Line to reach the airport.
-San Bernardino airport-goers could similarly transfer from Metrolink.
-Pasadena and Foothill airport goers would have a direct link to the airport.

AND, don't forget, someday a CA high-speed rail stop will be directly in front of the Ontario Airport terminals. All the cities along the Foothill Gold Line would have direct access to the HSR network through the Gold Line.

There's been a lot of discussion about whether it would have been better from a public policy perspective to enhance Metrolink service.

Isn't that still a good idea? I know there are problems with shared tracks with freight, but I still think Expanding Metrolink is important even when the Gold Line goes through.

What about the old Silver Line project? Could that be recessitated to cover the ground in between the Foothill and Whittier branches of the Gold Line?

I know both airports are operated by LAWA, but LAX is only one place...