Making the LAX Transit Connection

April 23, 2012 1 Comment

This week, Metro’s Board of Directors is scheduled to discuss sending the “Green Line to LAX” project into the draft environmental study phase. This means that a few options are going to be studied in much more depth. There’s also a proposal to rename the project “Metro Connector to LAX,” which is a great idea, as it has the potential to serve both the Green and Crenshaw lines (and possibly even additional future lines).

The first two alternates for the LAX Connector include a Light Rail Branch extending off the Crenshaw/Green lines (with either 2 or 3 stations inside the terminal area) or a Light Rail Trunk that would move the Crenshaw/Green lines under the airport (with one station in the terminal area).

I’ve been to the meetings for this project and have meant to write about it for a while. Fortunately, the alternatives being recommended for further study are those I would have suggested, so now I can focus on the merits of this much smaller group of alternatives.

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Lessons From Seattle part 1: Airport Transit

November 3, 2011 2 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately (for work and otherwise), but have been making use of the trips to observe things in other cities. I think there’s a lot LA can learn both in terms of what to do and what not to do.

I spent a few days in Seattle and there will be a few posts based on that city. First up: Airport Transit.

Airport Transit – LINK Light Rail

Far and away, the best part of Seattle’s transit was the airport connection. It may have helped that my hotel was so close to the transit station in downtown, but I got from the airport to my hotel in 40 minutes on the Link Light Rail with no transfers.

Signage pointing through the SeaTac airport parking garage on a walkway to the Link Light Rail.

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Exposition and Crenshaw: Connect the Tracks

September 2, 2011 16 Comments

I may be a year or so late to the planning game, but I think this is an important idea. I’ve been working on maps and thinking about it for a week or so, since I attended the Metro “Green Line to LAX” community meeting and realized that what would really improve transit to LAX is a “one-seat ride.” With all of the options, this would still be impossible from anywhere but the Green Line.

The issue becomes even more timely today as Metro just released the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, which is the missing link in this “one-seat ride” ideal.

The report suggests an underground station (terminus) for the Crenshaw Line at the intersection of Expo and Crenshaw. The study says that engineers found it “technically infeasible” for the line to be at-grade here. They recommend the line and station be underground (Design option 6, they call it) requiring a “northern terminus.” The suggestion is to end the line underground, requiring riders to exit the station and cross the street to the Expo line if they need to transfer. What I propose, however, is connecting the tracks so there is no transfer needed at all.

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