Dana Gabbard

Recently the Employee Transportation Coordinator at my workplace asked me how does one pay to ride Metro Rail using tokens. After a few days I acquired and passed along a take one brochure (of the type you see on rail and bus vehicles) describing the procedure. In the interim the ETC had also sent a query to Metro Customer Relations which quickly provided the information. All this effort was necessary because at that time the Metro website lacked the information.

Here are updates on two issues I have been paying close attention to: TAP and the LOSSAN takeover of the Surfliner.

My last Metro Transit Access Pass (TAP) related post detailed the vexing situation regarding TAP and Metrolink's patrons and the ongoing inability of Metro and Metrolink to find a means for Metrolink riders to be able to pass through the Red and Purple Line station gates after they are locked. I couldn't hide my incredulity that after all these years of dancing around this situation the solution being proposed involved temporary paper TAP cards being distributed by hand to Metrolink patrons daily for three months after which temporary plastic 30-day TAP cards would be provided by Metro for distribution to Metrolink’s riders who purchase a monthly pass.

Southern California Transit Advocates is having a presentation by Macy Neshati Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Complete Coach Works on their 100% electric Zero Emission Propulsion System for remanufactured transit bus. Question and answer discussion will follow.

Temporary Solutions for Metrolink's TAP Issue Shelved

Torrance Transit is holding a "kick off" of their new Rapid and ExpressLanes bus services today from 10:30AM to noon at the Del Amo Fashion Center parking lot in front of Macy’s, 3520 Carson St. in Torrance.

One of the staff reports presented during the monthly cycle of Metro Board committee meetings I try to read conscientiously is the Regional Rail Update.

An update in The Source last year confirmed that, thanks to a Federal Transit Administration grant, Metro would be able to accelerate the completion of the Patsaouras Plaza Busway Station to 2014.

When you look over the list of 90 some posts I have contributed to this blog over the past few years, certain recurrent topics become apparent like the Wilshire bus lanes and the statewide bullet train project. Recently I have been quite involved in covering the effort by local agencies to assume management of the Pacific Surfliner intercity rail route.

Now that the Governor has signed the bills to allow local stakeholders to take over management of the Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin Amtrak intercity rail routes the next steps are the formation of the joint power authority boards and in the case of the Surfliner the selection of a managing agency from among the members of LOSSAN (aka the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor).