Metro Moves Is Printed Entirely on Recycled Paper

Metropolitan FEBRUARY 1994 Transportation Authority METRO SM TRO MOVES , E e 4 ' 4 L.A.'s Transportation System Meets the U timate Challenge s the aftershocks subside and Gibson should know. The 20-year employ- Los Angeles embarks on its long ee drove a Line 424 bus through the south recovery from the traumatic San Fernando Valley along the east-west Jan. 17 earthquake, one thing Ventura Boulevard on the day of the remains certain: the traveling quake. He described the scene as a frantic Apublic has a new appreciation for public mess. "Ridership was light early in the transit. Within hours of the Northridge day," said Gibson. earthquake, the MTA, along with other municipal transit agencies and the Southern California Regional Rail "A lot of people counted Authority (SCRRA), which operates on us to get their When President Clinton came to town, Metrolink, rallied to reassure the Los families to shelter and MTA employees were enlisted to shuttle Angeles public that bus and rail systems the entourage from the Burbank Airport were up and running. to find food." to some of the county's most damaged areas. Above, MTA tun/ driver Steve On the day of the quake itself, MTA buses Ford not only got to meet the President, "The passengers were mostly senior citi- and Metro Blue Line trains achieved 94% but he has this photo to prove it. MTA service delivery, despite the numerous zens looking for a place to get some food. vans also carried Govern,or Wilson, and debris-strewn streets in the San Fernando They asked me if I knew where to find an Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Valley. The next day, the Metro Red Line open grocery store, a restaurant, or a Boxer. was runnirg on schedule after safety hardware store. I took them to places on inspections gave the subway tunnels a my route where I'd seen lines of people. funding resources and respond to the pub- clean bill of health. "I was very proud that day," said Gibson. lic's short- and long-term mobility needs. "I really felt that if the buses hadn't been Reassuring Sight The MTA heads up two of the task force's there, a lot of people would not have got- The sight of MTA buses and trains on the ten the emergency help they needed." county's streets, freeways and tracks let Continued on page 3 citizens know they were not stranded. Many of the county's commuters, accus- tomed to their beloved automobiles, looked Help from to public transit for the first time. They TRANS- called the MTA telephone information lines to learn how to use the system, High Places resulting in a 40% increase in the number PORTATION alifornia Gov. Pete Wilson and of calls. President Bill Clinton both HOTLINE Emergency Transportation toured the areas that sustained For information about public Service major earthquake damage, and transportation or rideshar- have vowed their help in getting Almost as soon as the earth stopped shak- ing options, call the 24-hour ing, the MTA began laying plans for both Crelief to Southern California. line (800) COMMUTE. immediate and long-term emergency Governor's Emergency Relief transportation service. Requests began Task Force pouring in to the bus dispatch center for emergency transportation of people who Having met the county's most urgent I N S D E were displaced from damaged homes and needs, MTA staff began setting up a public hospitals. It wasn't long before the MTA transportation network to handle the Clinton's Budget for Transit Page 7 stall had handled 156 requests for buses; increased transit demands during the time Metro Red Line Anniversary Page 3 of this number, 110 MTA buses were pro- it takes to repair our damaged freeways. vided, and arrangements were made for California's Governor Pete Wilson, in coop- Metrolink Update Page 2 other area transit providers to handle the eration with U.S. Secretary of remaining 46. Transportation Federico Pefia, established Rideshare or Telecommute Page 4 "A lot of people counted on us to get their a transportation relief task force made up Passes for Quake Victims Page 6 of municipal, county, state and federal families to shelter and to find food," said New LAX Bus Service Page 4 MTA bus Operator Willie Gibson. transportation officials to identify Prob- lems, secure federal and state emergency Metrolink Shines Antelope Valley Ridership Triples Overnight Thanks to Metrolink, thousands of commuters in the areas most critically affect- ed by the earthquake were able to get to work by train instead of driving alone in their cars on the overly clogged freeways . The collapse of the State Route 14 freeway at the 1-5 Interchange caused Metrolink ridership from the Antelope Valley to Los Angeles to triple overnight. In fact, Metrolink trains offered one of the few accessible connections between the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles. To handle the load, Metrolink increased its number of passenger cars from six to 36, while increasing the number of daily trains from 61 to 68. In less than a month after the quake, the credits for helping are Caltrans, Amtrak, schedule, the new track should be in ser- SCRRA opened seven new stations and Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads, vice by May 1. extended its commuter reach 54 miles the MTA and many local cities and coun- from Santa Clarita to Lancaster and ties, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the What's Ahead Palmdale on the northeast and 10 miles unexpected contribution of a number of Recently commuters riding the Santa from Moorpark to Camarillo to the west. Navy Seabees from Port Hueneme who Clarita/Antelope Valley Line have experi- showed up for added manpower. enced delays. Metrolink crews continue to What it Took to Make it Southern California Edison contributed by work 24 hours a day to upgrade the rail- Happen installing the necessary traffic signals road track from freight service to accom- within days, and numerous others, includ- modate the faster commuter trains. A ing contractors, suppliers and support peo- steady improvement can be expected over ple pitched in. Train cars were quickly the next few weeks, and by early March, leased from Caltrain in the Bay Area and the trains will be faster, and there will be GO TRANSIT in Toronto. a better timetable. Simultaneously with the work on the Additionally, it's estimated that by early Santa Clarita/Antelope Valley Line, work summer, commuters will be able to cut 40 was sped up on the 58-mile Ventura minutes from their travel from Lancaster County Line, extending the system 11 to Los Angeles. To do this, Metrolink miles from Moorpark to Camarillo and crews are: adding two emergency stations in ▪ Building new track dedicated only to Camarillo and Northridge. Metrolink trains between Lancaster Meanwhile, work continues on Metrolink's and Palmdale, increasing travel speed own Antelope Valley tracks, which will from 50 mph to 79 mph. run parallel to the Southern Pacific tracks. Replacing older track and straightening Lancaster Station where crews worked With the current escalated construction around the doch to get track ready for curves, increasing the speed in Metrolink trains. Soledad Canyon from 30 mph to 45 mph. • Rehabilitating the tunnel between Santa Clarita and Sylmar/San The SCRRA didn't have to do it alone. The Fernando, increasing the speed to 40 agency's partnership with public and pri- mph from 20 mph. vate groups literally produced miracles. ▪ Improving the communication system The challenge was to quickly and safely between Lancaster and Santa provide alternative commuter rail service Clarita, allowing better control of train — especially in the Antelope Valley where movements in the area. service was not scheduled to start up for Repairing railroad track and grade several months. In cooperation with crossings between Burbank and Los Southern Pacific Railroad, existing freight Angeles. train tracks were put into emergency service. Metrolink currently operates four routes covering 350 miles and 54 train stations. Metrolink's engineering and construction Pre-earthquake, ridership averaged 9,500; teams worked 24 hours a day for 12 days post-earthquake, ridership jumped to to get the track ready and build the sta- 31,276 at its peak, and currently main- tions in Lancaster, Palmdale and Sylmar. tains a daily average of 18,000. The Among the numerous groups the SCRRA Navy Seabees working on tracks. Orange County Line is scheduled to open Positive Press for Metro Rail Metro Red Line Celebrates No Structural Damage From First Anniversary Quake Transportation officials celebrated the The Metro Red Line's subway tunnels, both first anniversary of the Metro Red Line an the operating section and those under con- Jan. 30, praising the system for becoming struction, suffered no structural damage a pivotal transportation link for thousands from the Northridge earthquake or the U.S Transportation Secretary Federico of daily commuters. aftershocks. Peria tours the new Metrolink station in Lancaster with Richard Stanger, Red Line Ridership Up Metrolink's executive director, and John Since Red Line service began, the system Rinard, Metrolink's director of engineer- has carried about 4.87 million riders and ing and construction. trains have logged some 712,000 miles. MTA operations reports that Metro Red "Help.." continued from page 1 Line passenger loads have increased late- ly by 40% due to the increased Metrolink four subcommittees: Art Leahy, the MTA's patronage from the San Fernando Valley. executive officer for operations, chairs the The Red Line is currently carrying an Transit Subcommittee, and Linda average of 21,000 passengers a day, up Bohlinger, the MTA's deputy executive offi- from an average of 15,000.

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