Comments on: Students, Professors Acitivsts Call for Grade-Separated Connector

By: David Galvan

David Galvan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:59:28 +0000

@J: Effectively, it does connect to Union Station. The connector will allow blue line riders from points south to keep traveling on the same train onto the gold line north into Pasadena. Once that train connects to the gold line (south of Union Station) it will then make a stop at Union Station. Similarly, Expo line riders from points west will be able to ride the same train onto eastside goldline extension without changing trains. Not sure of the details, but I presume that if they need to get from Expo to goldline pasadena section they will either need to transfer to a northbound train at 7th/Metro, or maybe there will be both pasadena-bound and eastbound trains traveling along the Expo line.

By: Interurbans

Interurbans — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:32:28 +0000

The regional connector needs to be at the top of the list of any new projects including the Purple Line subway to the sea and it does need to be subway. I can understand why the MTA picked the worst alternative for the surface routes since a surface route would be to slow and delay auto and bus traffic even if a better alternative was selected.

The overall plan looks good with the exception of the Alameda and First St intersection. Here they spent all of this money to widen the first street bridge for traffic capacity. Most of that traffic on First wants to turn on to Alameda not continue west on First Street. Their plan is a disaster and will make traveling through or trying to turn from First on to Alameda very difficult at best.

The new LRT lines need to be below grade, not Alameda and First streets. The connection and the Little Tokyo station need to be below grade with Alameda and First Street to be at grade and the intersection should be as it is today. The Gold Line can return to the surface between the Little Tokyo Station and the Temple St. crossing and in the center of First Street after the connection with the other lines. A temporary “shoe fly” for the Gold Line could be built on the now vacant property just east of the current line during the construction of the new below ground station. The station could also be incorporated into any new development planed for the North East corner of First and Alameda.

By: J

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:13:52 +0000

Why does the route go so close to Union Station without connecting to it? It seems to me that that would be the ideal route, providing the most connections to other transit lines. I don’t live there, though, so I don’t know the specifics.

By: Spokker

Spokker — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:55:58 +0000

“Meshkati, an expert on factoring human behavior into transit planning, pleaded with Metro not to build at-grade light rail because he didn’t want to spend hundreds of pro-bono hours fighting with them again, “I would give the plan for Expo a C-, if I was feeling generous…I plead with you not to do this again.”"

Don’t let Expo issues get tied up with the regional connector. This project needs to be grade separated and it isn’t because a bunch of high school kids don’t know how to cross the tracks.

By: Dan Wentzel

Dan Wentzel — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:56:23 +0000

The Downtown Regional Connector is the second most important rail project on the docket after the Purple Line extension.

It’s not just about serving downtown. I will really help create a SYSTEM.

I wish there had been more money for it in Measure R, and perhaps there might be some money available from the High Speed Rail bonds. However, this is a project that isn’t parochial. I would hope all of Los Angeles County’s members of Congress would be working together for a project that helps everyone, westside, eastside, southbay, etc…

By: David Galvan

David Galvan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:10:06 +0000

“The connector could save riders up to 21 minutes if a rider from Long Beach needed to get to Hollywood and had to transfer multiple times and buy multiple tickets.”

LB to Hollywood? That’s an odd route to use as a metric. . . Do you mean LB to Pasadena? Because the downtown connector won’t affect how people transfer from blue line to Red line. . .