File #: 2017-0407   
Type: Informational Report Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 5/31/2017 In control: System Safety, Security and Operations Committee
On agenda: 7/20/2017 Final action:
Title: RECEIVE AND FILE response to Motion 37 (February 2017) on Blue Line Improvements.
Sponsors: Operations (Department)
Indexes: 1st Street Station, 5th Street Station, 7th Street/Metro Center Station, Active Transportation Program, Alignment, Anaheim Street Station, Aquarium of the Pacific, Blue Line Improvement, Blue Line Initial Segment, Board approved a Motion, City of Los Angeles, Construction, Customer service, Division 11, Downtown Long Beach Station, Downtown Los Angeles, First/Last Mile, Gateway Cities (Southeast LA County) Service Sector, Gateway Cities subregion, Grade separations, Graffiti, I-10, Informational Report, Intersections, Light rail transit, Light rail vehicles, Long Beach, Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Los Angeles Union Station, Metro Blue Line, Metro Exposition Line, Metro Gold Line, Metro Rail A Line, Metro Rail E Line, Metro Rail L Line, Motion / Motion Response, Pacific Avenue Station, Pacific Coast Highway Station, Pedestrians, Pico Station, Pilot studies, Procurement, Program, Program management, Public private partnerships, Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project, Request For Proposal, Safety, Safety and security, Security, Slauson Station, Station 0704, Street closure, Supportive Transit Parking Program (STPP) Master Plan, Terminal operations, Terminals (Communications), Traffic safety, Traffic signals, Traffic speed, Travel time, Turning lanes, Wardlow Station, Washington Station, West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor (WSAB) Project, Willow Street Station
Attachments: 1. Attachment A - MBL Motion 37, 2. Attachment B - Long Term Imp Summ
Meeting_Body
SYSTEM SAFETY, SECURITY & OPERATIONS COMITTEE
JULY 20, 2017

Subject
SUBJECT: METRO BLUE LINE SHORT AND LONG
TERM IMPROVEMENTS

Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE MOTION RESPONSE

Heading
RECOMMENDATION

Title
RECEIVE AND FILE response to Motion 37 (February 2017) on Blue Line Improvements.

Issue
ISSUE

At the February 2017 Planning and Programming and Construction Committee Meetings, Metro's CEO was asked to provide an update in July 2017 in response to Motion 37 regarding the evaluation of short-term and long-term Metro Blue Line (MBL) improvements, graffiti deterrence program, last MBL stop re-imagination efforts, and the MBL Express concept.

Discussion
DISCUSSION

Improving the speed and reliability of the Blue Line requires a multi-pronged approach. Currently, travel time through the Flower Street and Washington Boulevard corridors are governed by traffic signals at intersections that are synchronized to allow trains to operate non-stop between stations. However, this is only achievable if the trains can maintain the design speeds along each corridor and an even spacing based on the scheduled headway (6 minute on both the Blue and Expo Lines). At the Washington/Flower junction (Wye), the Blue Line speed is also restricted by the tight curvature of the track which limits operating to no more than 10 miles/hour southbound and 5 miles/hour northbound. In addition, with a combined headway of 3 minutes between the Blue and Expo Lines, the terminal operations at 7th/Metro Center requires that arriving trains alight customers, reposition to the departing track, load passengers, and depart within three minutes of the preceding train.

In an ideal operating environment, trains would consistently run at the maximum designed speed, evenly spaced, without delay. However, operating issues (e.g. operational delays and vehicle reliability), and at-grade street issues (e.g. illegal left turns by motorists in front of trains and pedestrians violatin...

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