Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
Preamble
Motion by:
GARCIA, GARCETTI, HAHN, SOLIS, and DUPONT-WALKER
September 28, 2017
Historical Preservation Efforts for Rail Vehicles
The oldest rail vehicles in the Metro fleet are being retired and scrapped over the next two years. These vehicles began service on the Metro Blue Line when it opened in 1990 and have since primarily remained in revenue service on the Metro Blue Line. They have each traveled an average of over 1.5 million miles since they were put into service 27 years ago. To date, Metro has already retired and scrapped at least eight of these vehicles.
The Metro Board of Directors has a policy relating to Metro retired assets that limits the donation of these assets. However, some of these vehicles should be retained and made available for other uses. These other uses could include, but are not limited to: museum display, ceremonial special service, adaptive reuse, and emergency services training.
The very first of these rail vehicles - numbered 100 in the Metro fleet - is named after the City of Long Beach, and we wish for this vehicle to be made available first to its namesake city.
The current Metro Rail system will serve Los Angeles for many generations to come, and Metro should ensure that future generations are able to understand and engage with Metro's history. Metro should take steps to preserve at least one of each bus and rail vehicle model to create a heritage fleet that can be displayed in a future Los Angeles Transit Museum or deployed for special heritage or ceremonial service.
Metro can look to New York for inspiration on its historical preservation efforts. The New York Transit Museum opened in 1976 and features many historical rail vehicles, railway equipment, and vintage buses. Additionally, New York MTA runs special trains with vehicles as much as 100 years old.
Protection and preservation of Metro transit vehicles are important, as transit history can be co...
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