Gold vs. Purple

The mayor is perhaps the biggest backer of the "Subway to the Sea." So it might raise some eyebrows that he is also backing light rail from Pasadena to Ontario Airport. The Gold Line extension is a rival to the Wilshire Purple Line subway extension in terms of funding (not enough for either right now):

As part of a plan to reduce congestion at LAX while increasing regional air-traffic capacity, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced his support today for extending a proposed light rail line to city-operated Ontario International Airport. Ontario Mayor Paul Leon and San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt met with the mayor to discuss the possibility of extending the Metro Gold Line east to Ontario, even though the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has yet to approve any extension of the downtown-to-Pasadena line. The MTA is considering a proposal to extend the light rail line 22.4 miles from Pasadena to Montclair. Last year, Ontario officials announced their support for making the Ontario airport the end of the line. "Ontario must be a major point of entry into Southern California," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. "I think we’re actually onto something here. Stopping in Montclair doesn’t quite do it. Taking it to Ontario makes this something that we have to look at." The mayor said he wants to increase the number of passengers at Ontario airport from 7.9 million a year to 30 million by 2025. The relationship between LAX and Ontario would be similar to that of O’Hare International Airport, a major international hub, and Chicago Midway International Airport, which serves mainly smaller, domestic flights, Villaraigosa said. "I think we’re going to have to continue to strategize, to figure out how to get air traffic to Ontario," Villaraigosa said. (CNS)

Comments

[Marcotico]

"Metrolink almost all ready goes to Ontario Airport. Add a few thousand feet of track from the UP line (or is it the BNSF). Then run trains from LAX to ONT via Union Station - making only a few stops in-between. Run them every half hour in both directions."

Great idea and it should be supported, but keep in mind that Metrolink runs on other companies' rails and increasing service is also a matter of funding new right of way acquisition and rail construction (including servicing facilities. Also the way Metrolink is structured they can't offer express service. Since each city pays for their station, all trains have to stop at every station.

So it isn't a free proposal, but the planning should get under way now for this.

[Marcotico]

"Metrolink almost all ready goes to Ontario Airport. Add a few thousand feet of track from the UP line (or is it the BNSF). Then run trains from LAX to ONT via Union Station - making only a few stops in-between. Run them every half hour in both directions."

Great idea and it should be supported, but keep in mind that Metrolink runs on other companies' rails and increasing service is also a matter of funding new right of way acquisition and rail construction (including servicing facilities. Also the way Metrolink is structured they can't offer express service. Since each city pays for their station, all trains have to stop at every station.

So it isn't a free proposal, but the planning should get under way now for this.

[land lots of land under starry skies above]

Ray, the reason that Southwest Airlines is the only constantly profitable airline (and is still in business) is because they only have to maintain one specific aircraft, the 737. They only have to train crews on one aircraft. Keeping it simple, stupid--translates to LUV at Love Field.
Now, if you want to really help out here; allow Southwest to fly non-stop between Love Field and LAX. A little sweetheart legislation originated by
Braniff Airways tried to keep Southwest on the ground before it had its
FAA wings. Decades later, Southwest is the well-oiled machine;
Braniff? Well, Braniff is rusting away in a couple of aircraft bone-yards
in Arizona and Washington Senators' (and I don't mean the baseball team)
offices. Three cheers for Herb Kelleher. Hip Hip Hooray.

[LRT for SC and HP!!!]

i live in the a "south LA suburb" and have been waiting for LRT for a while. LA got it right with the freeway grid, but it cant grasp the idea of a rail grid. its not that hard. start in greater los angeles (look at a yellow pages to see the boundries [mostly 323 area code]) and then work towards the far off places like ontario and burbank. make a grid that includes crenshaw, slauson, atlantic, etc. it is not hard. it makes me steam that the pasadena line came before the east side line. the east side line was desperately needed, but the powers/money that be went to bourgie pasadena instead. put rails where the people need it. where people already take buses. then put it in places where it would be "nice" to take the train. the poor, densely populated labor force of los angeles needs LRT!!!

[Ray]

For Christsakes... stop wasting money. Do LA officials go anywhere else to see what types of rail fit with different applications - 40 miles of light rail? Ridiculous. This is a job for regional or intercity rail.

Metrolink almost all ready goes to Ontario Airport. Add a few thousand feet of track from the UP line (or is it the BNSF). Then run trains from LAX to ONT via Union Station - making only a few stops in-between. Run them every half hour in both directions. Then go wild and put $8 peak weekday and weekend exodus periods on the 10 and 60 for all passenger vehicles with only a single drivers on-board. Commuters will start using them and the vast airport parking lots too!

And sure - eliminate landing fees at ONT and while we're at lets RAISE fees for ALL short haul flights from LAX within the state and the southwest. Force an increase in capacity too. Take off and landing congestion pricing iskey. Ban commuter flights (bye bye American Eagle) and reduce 737s out of LAX. Southwest should be flying 757's to their major destinations every hour instead of every 20 minutes. LAX should be home to nothing smaller than a 757 on up to an A380.

Connect the Surfliner to LAX to make up for the loss of commuter flights. Passengers from Santa Barbara can take the train to go to NY or London.

[jk]

I agree about lowering prices. Create the demand for the rail first, then it's easier to justify building it. Otherwise, you might end up with empty trains draining the public treasury.

Rail is expensive, no matter how many middle class people think it's not.

[Dan W.]

"Folks--neither the Expo, Purple, Gold, Green or Red Lines are mutually exclusive from the other. The Green Line should go to LAX, the Gold Line should go to Ontario, the Red Line should go to Burbank...and Metrolink should go to them all."

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Absolutely. We should be thinking about a system, not a random assortment of corridors. They are all important.

As for Airports, there hasn't been enough discussion about a 405/Sepulveda alignment. It could go from OC Airport, Long Beach Airport to LAX, up to UCLA into the Valley and connect with Metrolink. Transfers would be available to the Orange, Blue, Red, Purple, possibly "Pink" and numberous Rapid and local bus lines. The great distance could be covered by a Metrolink Train, and it would bring Metrolink to the west and south of L.A. and Orange Counties.

Also, metrolink or lightrail could go from Union Station to the Harbor and/or LAX. A "1-seat" train journey from Union Station to LAX needs to be developed through Metrolink or a special train on the Blue and Green lines.

[Dan W.]

"He must show us why we cannot afford not to fund these investments."

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This is absolutely true. Bus-only extremists and single-occupany motorists in denial about the ever-worsening congestion, and Howard Jarvis fanatics, who don't think there is such a thing as public goods that we all must contribute too will complain about the cost. It will cost several billion dollars to create the transit infrastructure we need, and we are 20-30 years behind where we should be.

However, the economic and environmental cost of NOT building it will make building it seem like chump change. That is the missing part of the discussion -- the cost of not building it.

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"Anyways, subways don't belong in Los Angeles, or Southern California period. It's bad enough having to spend all our time on flat, ugly, crowded freeways for almost half of our day; to have to spend that time underground while the sun shines beautifully above us would be a shame."

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While, I like light rail and enjoy the California sunshine, there is no above ground project that can be built on Wilshire Blvd. with the speed of a subway. Eventually, if a train goes to Downtown or to Century city or even Hollywood, it's going to need to go underground. Subways will be fine in "earthquake country". They can be built safely and be safe during an earthquake as in Tokyo and San Francisco's BART system under the bay in 1989.

The Purple Line and what's being called the "Pink Line" (connector between Hollywood/Highland stop on the Red Line and somewhere in Beverly Hills/Century City on the Purple Line), will need to be built underground for most of the alignment. But for the other lines, light rail is more probable, especially if the Green Line is extended north to LAX, up the westside to UCLA and into the Valley.

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Another important point is connectivity. When new lines are built, they just don't benefit laterally. They benefit exponetially because more people can get more places because they can transfer.

Waxman caused a 22-Year Delay and Yaroslovsky really delayed transit too. They seem to be trying to redeem themselves.

Get Waxman, Yaroslovsky, Villaraigosa, the Governator, Nunez, Perata, Feinstein, Boxer, Pam O'Connor (MTA Chair) and whoever is chairing Metrolink and have them hammer out a fundraising strategy to get this done..

The recent state budget was a disaster for transportation. The will of the voters was totally disregarded to preserve tax cuts for the superwealthy to buy yachts and other spending priorities.

We also need an initiative to protect transportation money from being raided so that politicians don't have to make tough choices.

Also, we need to write our elected officials (hard letters are taken more seroiusly than e-mail). Waxman/Boxer/Feinstein needs to hear that although lifting the ban on subway tunnelling is very welcome, public transportation money is a priority. Governor/Leglislature need to hear that we do care about transit and they will not get away with balancing the state budget at its expense again.

[Tim Buchheim]

I can't wait. I'll be able to commute to Claremont by metro rail once they finally get around to finishing the gold line. but I'm sure it'll be ten years.. :-(

LAX is way overcrowded, and Ontario is a great airport. The only problem right now is that it's hard to get to it unless you drive.

[David Raether]

The Gold Line to the Ontario airport makes perfect sense for a Los Angeles mayor to support. The more light rail and other mass transit infrastructure we can get built in the entire region, the better for the city itself.

[David Raether]

The Gold Line to the Ontario airport makes perfect sense for a Los Angeles mayor to support. The more light rail and other mass transit infrastructure we can get built in the entire region, the better for the city itself.

[Armadillo by morning (up from San Antone)]

"how to get air traffic to Ontario?" DUH!
Cut the landing fees 75%.
Air carriers will be tripping over each other to better serve Ontario.
You run empty trains all over hell's-half-acre.....if you want air
service at Ontario, cut the fees, big-time. Otherwise, quit complaining.
Empty trains vs. Loaded planes. As for the video tape, you're on your own.

[Paul]

Do it! It will cost a fourth as much as the purple line and face half the opposition. Ontario Airport will become Southern California's 2nd major airport, plus with San Bernardino International picking up passengers you can be sure the Inland Empire will have plenty of flight capacity. If it isn't done now, the I.E. will become overbuilt and face the same problems as Orange County's attempt to build a light rail system: no room, no support and an expensive freeway system eating up all the funding.

If the purp line is going to be built, it'll have to tap into federal resources, but it shouldn't hog local and state resources in the process. Anyways, subways don't belong in Los Angeles, or Southern California period. It's bad enough having to spend all our time on flat, ugly, crowded freeways for almost half of our day; to have to spend that time underground while the sun shines beautifully above us would be a shame.

[Ken Alpern]

Folks--neither the Expo, Purple, Gold, Green or Red Lines are mutually exclusive from the other. The Green Line should go to LAX, the Gold Line should go to Ontario, the Red Line should go to Burbank...and Metrolink should go to them all.

Having an organized rail network shouldn't be that hard a concept to grasp, but it appears to have been so in recent years...

[lsm]

We have woefully underestimated what we must invest in transportation infrastructure if we consider the Purple and the Gold Lines as rivals for funding rather than as complementary and necessary pieces of a functional regional system. Labeling them rivals is akin to saying the eastbound lanes on the proposed Antelope Valley - Victorville freeway are rivals with the westbound lanes in terms of funding. The system will not work well with only one but not the other.

Mayor Villaraigosa deserves credit for rising above petty local rivalries and endorsing two projects which are both necessary to our regional economy and quality of life. Would that several myopic politicos in the San Gabriel Valley abandon their destructive calls for secession as well as their attempts to derail the Purple Line and demonstrate similar leadership by promoting both projects. Would also that Mayor Villaraigosa and our other elected officials now further lead by convincing us to dig deeper for local funding and by more effectively lobbying for additional state and federal funding for these vital projects. Polling to discover we are currently unwilling to pay more taxes is not enough. He must show us why we cannot afford not to fund these investments.

[Jim]

....and it would take how long to take the Gold line from Ontario to Union Station? Lets see now...Flying Ontario to San Francisco would be less than an hour from gate to gate, and Gold Line from Union Station to Ontario would likely be 2 hours +. Hey, that's Rapid Transit, isn't it?

Puhlease....It'd be easier to pass a law making it illegal for anyone living east of El Monte to use any other airport other than Ontario. They couldn't fly into and out of LAX. Maybe then the passenger load would increase what the mayor wants. Any further, what about the new Riverside airport? That certainly is going to compete for airlines and passengers with Ontario.

It is truly amazing that our elected officials can spew this ridiculous kind of optimism without being challenged by anyone.

[Tom A.]

The reason there's not enough funding for the Gold Line Extension is because the MTA refuses to put it on the Long Range Transportation Plan. A real chicken and egg scenario, if you ask me.

That being said, hopefully this will a) Make all those "The 626 doesn't matter" types realize that we are, in fact, the gateway to the booming Inland Empire, and b) Make LAWA, the taxi unions and whatever other dark forces that conspired against building the Green Line spur into LAX (you can see the "wye" or track junction that was built just west of the Aviation Station on Google Maps) realize that rail service right to an airport's doorstep will not send them to the poorhouse. Hopefully Tony V. will keep this issue fresh in the minds of the other big cheeses downtown...

[Transit Planner]

The Red/Purple Line carries far more passengers than the Gold Line and serves more transit dependent communties. Why not extend it down the El Monte Busway and I-10 to Ontario Airport/Ontarion Mills ? Add stops in Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Baldwin Park, West Covina and Pomona. The El Monte Busway was designed to be converted to rail in the future. The time is now.

[Anthony Fernandez]

We do need to connect Ontario to Los Angeles, but that issue is not as pressing as Westside traffic. Let's get the Purple Line first and get the full amount of funding that we can get from the feds and the state.

[Dan W.]

These are both worthy projects and they both need to be funded. I think the Purple Line is a higher priority, but we need a massive investment in our public infrastructure.

We need to in no order of priority

1) Finish the Expo Line
2) Finish the Gold Line southern extension projects and the nortern San Gabriel Valley extension to Ontario Airport
3) Finish the Purple Line to the sea, with a connector between the Red Line in Hollywood and the Purple Line in Beverly Hills/CenturyCity.
4) Connect the Burbank and Long Beach Airports into the system
5) Extend the Green Line to LAX, up the westside to UCLA, over/through the Sepulveda Pass and up the Valley to Metrolink
6) Extend the Orange Line north on the western end and east to Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena.
7) Put bus-only lanes on Wilshire, Santa Monica, Vermont, Lincoln and Ventura Blvds.
8) and neither last, nor least, continue to improve and expand our rapid and local bus system.

This may cost several billion dollars, but in perspective, with the fortune we are flushing down the sewer in Iraq, there is money just not being spent in the right way. We could have built dozens of lines for a fraction of what we are throwing away in a war built on lies and launched against the wrong country.

Furthermore, the investment we make in public transit will come back to us a hundred fold in economic strenght.

Not building the transportation infrastructure we need and depending upon just cars and buses will also come back to us a hundred fold, but not in a positive direction.

All of these projects are a high priority. I for one would gladly pay extra in sales taxes to help fund it.

I will also absolutely support and vote for any initiative to prevent the governor/legislature from raiding transportation funds to balance the budget.