Because I took the Los Angeles Subway home after finishing my Downtown walking tour, I thought it would make for a great story for today’s Metro Monday. Along with over 200 bus lines, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has four Metro Rail Lines.

Los Angeles Metro Subway Background

With about 14 million people in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is world known as being one of the most traffic-congested cities in the country. To confront that reality, voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase in the 1980’s to build a network of metro and light rail lines.

Los Angeles first fully underground subway, the Red Line, opened in 1993 after seven years of construction. Originally designated as one line with two branches, the subway was later re-designated as two lines–the Red Line now runs from downtown Los Angeles, west to Hollywood and then north to North Hollywood– after a $1.5 billion, 3-mile twin tunnel extension in 2000; and the Purple Line runs along Wilshire Boulevard to Koreatown.

By mid 2008, the combined Red and Purple lines averaged a weekday ridership of 153,928; making the Los Angeles Metro Subway the ninth busiest rapid transit system in the United States.

Each individual underground station differs aesthetically, as 0.5% of the total construction budget of the stations was reserved for public art. Due to the city’s proximity to fault lines, tunnels had to be built to resist earthquakes of up to a magnitude of 7.5.

A Primer about how to Ride the Subway

If you’re new to the Metro system, virtual tours of the subway might be the way to go. I tend to learn by doing, plus I’m a veteran of the DC Metro system; but I understand how others might either be a tad nervous because they never rode the subway before, so it’s useful to be sure. To get you started, here’s the map:

Click here to see the full sized map

The ride was comfortable, quick, and easy; and the train was clean. For my second subway ride in LA, I couldn’t have been happier. Although the ride was a short one, over the next several months, I plan on visiting the rainbow of Metro’s rail lines while I’m Travelin’ Local.

When Travelin’ Local around here, it’s not only cool to take the Metro, it’s trendy to know all of your transportation options.

With the advent of high-speed rail and the reengineering of more city-friendly urban areas, we’re living and participating in both the historical and sweeping changes in our travel infrastructure during our own lifetimes.

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