Metro

When the Metro board approved fare hikes last May, it also directed Metro to engage experts from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to study Metro's fares and look into other revenue strategies. APTA experts completed their review recently, and presented their findings at last week's Metro board meeting. Though the APTA review recommended approving Metro's proposed fare increases, many of their findings contrast somewhat with present Metro policies.

Metro's outgoing CEO Art Leahy spoke enthusiastically at last week's Metro board Planning and Programming Committee about potentially extending the Red and Purple Line subways into the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. The new station or stations would take advantage of existing tracks in Metro's Heavy Rail Maintenance Yard, which extends southeast of Union Station, sandwiched between the Arts District and the Los Angeles River, mostly between First and Fourth streets, but extending all the way from the 101 Freeway to below Sixth Street.

Expo Phase II completes the long-anticipated rail connection between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica. Construction on Phase II began in 2011. Currently, the Expo line ends in Culver City. When the new 6.6-mile extension opens next year, it will be possible to take the train from the beach to Downtown Los Angeles for the first time in half-a-century.

Numerous speakers at Metro's press conference this morning went to great length to assure the public that "the Metro system is safe." Nonetheless, the speakers focused on the number of crimes, foremost including assaults on bus operators, that take place on transit in Los Angeles. Metro reports that operators were assaulted by passengers 138 times in 2014.

"So..." I begin, looking around the table at CALO YouthBuild students Abigail Navarro, Irvin Plata, Stephanie Olwen, and Eric Aguayo.

The date for the grand opening of Leimert Park's People St Plaza is not quite set in stone, yet, but it's coming very soon. And I couldn't be more excited. The stakeholders in Leimert Park have begun to install some of the unique features they developed as a way to tie the plaza to the culture of the community, and they look pretty fantastic.

Last December, Streetsblog L.A. reported that construction had gotten underway for Metro's new tunnel below Lankershim Boulevard. The $22 million North Hollywood Station Underpass will connect the Red Line subway with the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit. Full details and diagrams at the earlier article.

The Metrolink board of directors voted unanimously this morning to hire Art Leahy as CEO.

This morning, the Metro board of directors voted unanimously to hire Phillip A. Washington as the agency's new CEO. For the past six years, Phil Washington was General Manager and CEO of the Denver's Regional Transportation District (RTD.)