The Secrets of Metro Rail Operations
July 25, 2012 4 Comments
Last night, I went to the meeting of the Transit Coalition at Metro’s Headquarters. It was being billed as a place to “learn the secrets of metro rail,” and while I don’t know how much of this was secret, it was incredibly informative.
Bruce Shelburne, Metro’s Interim Executive Director of Rail Operations spoke and took questions for nearly two hours. Here are some of the best takeaways…
Special Event Service
With the fast-approaching college football season and the new Expo line passing by the Coliseum, Metro is heading into regular special event service for the first time. They’ve run extra trains or longer trains for events here and there, but nothing with 100,000 attendees directly off a light rail line, and nothing with the regularity of USC home football games. Shelburne says this will be a “gamechanger for us at Metro.”
USC Football at the Coliseum, plus the Expo Line, is a “gamechanger for Metro.” (Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri on Coliseum Wikipedia Page)
So far, the plan is to have trains running every 6 minutes in both directions on the Expo line for much of the day, hours before and after the games. There will be staff at every Expo station. Other lines will also have increased service and added staff at key stations. Metro is actively working with USC to get information on where fans come from and scheduling/staffing accordingly (this fan will be taking the Red/Purple Line from Union Station to the Expo Line — Fight On!). Service will be refined throughout the season.
