The Metro System Rapid Transit Network
The map below is from the draft (March, 2003) version of MTA's Short Range Transportation Plan. It shows the Metro Red Line (subway), the Metro Blue, Green, and Gold Lines (light rail), Metrolink (SCRRA-operated commuter rail), and Metro Rapid bus lines (excluding the two lines that were added to the program -- 734 Sepulveda and 741 Reseda-Nordhoff -- under the San Fernando Valley North-South Transitway Major Investment Study, which was still pending approval when this map was created; those lines are shown on a later map). The map also shows the route of the El Monte Busway, the Harbor Transitway, planned Metro Rapid-exclusive lanes and possible future light rail extensions.
This second, earlier map illustrates the complete existing Metro Rail system, including the Metro Red Line Segment 2-B to Hollywood/Vine Station, which opened June 12, 1999; Segment 3 to North Hollywood Station, which opened June 24, 2000; the proposed Red Line extensions east from Union Station and west from Wilshire/Western Station (highlighted in yellow, officially suspended in January, 1998; the corridor is again under consideration for a subway extension); the Burbank-Chandler right-of-way, which was used for the Metro Orange Line busway; and the Pasadena Gold Line (shown as dashed blue lines, as it was under construction as an extension of the Metro Blue Line when this map was released). Metrolink lines are shown in purple. This map is included to show the names of all MTA and Metrolink rail stations, although three of the Gold Line stations were changed by the MTA board two months before the line began operation. Those station names are cross-referenced in the June, 2003 service changes report.
The entire Metro Rail system, as originally proposed, had nearly three times the mileage.
(Thanks to David Mieger at MTA for providing the maps.)
The addition of the Gold Line's 13½ miles makes the 73.1-mile Metro Rail system the fifth largest rail transit system in the United States. The ten largest US urban rail systems (in miles, by agency) are New York City's subway (229 miles), Chicago's "L" (108), the San Francisco Bay Area's BART (104), Washington D.C.'s Metro (102), Los Angeles' Metro Rail (73), Boston's "T" (63), Atlanta's MARTA (50), the San Diego Trolley (49), Cleveland's RTA (44), and Philadelphia's SEPTA (43). Once the Metro Gold Line East L.A. extension, the Exposition light rail line, and the Wilshire subway extension are completed, Metro Rail will grow to about 120 miles, making it the second largest rail transit system in the country.
The LAX 2015 Master Plan includes proposals to extend the Green Line into Los Angeles International Airport.
