Many Streetsblog readers and Metro riders already know this story: Metro ridership keeps on growing steadily. Recently released ridership data from January shows twenty-six consecutive months of increases. January 2025 saw 918,375 average weekday boardings, a five percent increase over January 2024.
Bus ridership grew nearly six percent while rail ridership grew three percent. Ridership growth has been across the board, and especially strong on weekends.
Metro also recently released annual ridership data for calendar year 2024.
Ridership dipped at the outset of the pandemic, and then has gradually recovered. From 2023 to 2024, Metro annual boardings grew eight percent - surpassing 300 million for the first time in the Pandemic Era. With new automated bus lane enforcement underway, and new rail extensions (eight stations) and new bus lanes opening this year, 2025 looks poised to tie or surpass pre-pandemic ridership.
See additional recent SBLA Metro ridership coverage from January, November, and October.
Below are some additional February 2025 Metro news briefs, mostly related to construction:
- Metro is building a mile-long grade separation bridge structure for its G Line (former Orange) Bus Rapid Transit. The BRT and the parallel bike/walk path are detoured at Van Nuys Station now through 2027.
- Early construction is underway for the new Union Station run-through tracks project (LinkUS). Metro shared photos of building demolition taking place at the northeast corner of Center Street and Commercial Street southeast of Union Station. Demolition is visible from from the A Line train or the El Monte busway station.
- This week the Metro board is expected to approve $15.3 million for phase 2 of installing taller and more robust station faregates (staff report) purported to benefit station security. Metro already announced it is installing hardened faregates at a half-dozen new stations opening this year, and at ten existing stations.
- The Metro board will also vote on ramping up substantial early construction phases ("pre-construction") for two light rail projects: the East San Fernando Valley Line (approving $608 million - staff report, see also February construction notice) and the Southeast Gateway Line (approving up to $998 million - staff report).
- Where there is public works construction, there are often cost overruns. This month, Metro is voting on increasing its half-billion dollar 57/60 Freeway widening project budget by $16 million [staff report], which is within the project contingency. Metro also reported significant change orders [staff report] on its $700 million North County 5 Freeway widening (+$33 million), $2 billion Regional Connector close-out (+$66 million), and $638 million 105 Freeway widening (+$391 million, though staff described this 105 Freeway change order as not really a cost overrun, but more a shifting of funding between phases to accelerate construction.)
All the above items, and more, will be discussed and many voted on at this month's Metro board meeting, starting this Thursday February 27 at 10 a.m. [agenda and staff reports]. Streetsblog posts live coverage of Metro board meetings via Bluesky.
