Earlier today, Metro opened its long-anticipated new Regional Connector subway project. The $1.8 billion 1.9-mile long project ties together three existing Metro rail lines, adding three new downtown stations. The new facility doesn't look like much on a map, but it is making a big difference for Angelenos. Trips in and through Central L.A., trips that used to involve one or two transfers will be one-seat rides, with no transfers. This connectivity saves transit riders a great deal of time, by eliminating the wait time for connecting trains.
The three new stations in downtown L.A. are: Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway, and Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill. Photos of these are below.
The newly connected light rail lines through downtown are:
- The A Line now runs all the way from Long Beach to Azusa - 49.5 miles. According to Metro, it's the longest light-rail line in the world, and it will be even longer when construction extending the terminus to Pomona finishes in a couple of years. (The A combined the former Blue Line and Foothill Gold Line.)
- The E Line now run from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles - 22.5 miles. (The E combined the former Expo Line and Eastside Gold Line.)
Metro trains, buses, and bike-share are free today through Sunday.
Metro celebrated the opening of the connector with festivities at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. National, state and local leadership praised the new facility. Metro board chair Ara Najarian termed the connector the "missing link" that would "catalyze ridership growth systemwide."
Several speakers commemorated Norman Mineta, the pioneering U.S. Transportation Secretary who Metro worked with to secure federal financing for the Regional Connector. The new Little Tokyo Station is dedicated to Mineta.
The new Little Tokyo / Arts District Station is located at Central Avenue and First Street.
The Historic Broadway Station is located at Broadway and 2nd Street (behind the historic L.A. Times building).
The Grand Avenue Arts / Bunker Hill Station is located at 2nd Street and Hope Street, behind the Broad Museum. Located ten stories below Bunker Hill, this station is currently the deepest in the Metro system.
For more information on the Regional Connector project, see earlier Streetsblog coverage and Metro's Regional Connector explainer page.
