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OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 15, 2018
Preamble
Motion by:
HAHN, BUTTS, SOLIS, NAJARIAN, FASANA & GARCIA
Related to Item 28: Crenshaw/LAX - Green Line Operating Plan
The Crenshaw/LAX-Green Line Operating Plan creates a challenging scenario of having to realign existing and long established service routes. The C-1 alternative recommended by Metro staff would dramatically shorten the segment of the Green Line that services the South Bay, further separating the region from the rest of the rail network and introducing new problems for Green Line riders.
The thousands of daily riders who travel to and from the South Bay would, under C-1, be diverted northward to a temporary station stop at Aviation/Century and wait for another train to finish their commute. With the major job centers in technology, aerospace, and at the Los Angeles Air Force Base, the inconvenience of a forced transfer effectively cuts off the South Bay from the rest of our light rail system. Moreover, this forced transfer would not add any new connections, as the planned Airport Metro Connector and LAX’s Automated People Mover will not be completed until 2023.
Until the airport connections are built, there is little reason to cut the established Green Line service on which many daily riders rely. That is why the C-3 alternative, which has been endorsed by both the South Bay Cities Council of Governments and Gateway Cities Council of Governments, is the superior alternative for opening day. C-3 would keep the one-seat ride from Norwalk to the Expo Line as proposed under C-1 yet would preserve most of the current Green Line service, ensuring the South Bay remains connected to the larger transit system.
There is a perceived $11 million cost difference between alternatives C-1 and C-3. The reality is that the ‘savings’ comes from the dramatic shortening of the existing Green Line by ten fewer stations. As Metro continues to face declining ridership, it makes no sense to cut back on service while simultaneously forcing a transfer.
Subject
SUBJECT: PROPOSED CRENSHAW/LAX - GREEN LINE OPERATING
PLAN
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RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Hahn, Butts, Solis, Najarian, Fasana & Garcia that the Board instruct the CEO to:
A. implement Alternative C-3 for the Crenshaw/LAX -Green Line Operating Plan as a 1 year pilot plan in anticipation of the opening of the LAX Automated People Mover (APM) and 96th Street Station, maintaining the existing headways on the Green Line;
B. report back to the Metro Board one (1) year after the pilot is over to reevaluate the ridership and travel demand; and
C. as a new policy, bring future substantive changes to rail operating plans to the Metro Board for approval as a matter of course, instead of “receive and file.”