VICA: Build the subway to Burbank airport

Seems everyone is talking mass transit these days, and the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. is no exception. VICA is the primary business advocacy organization for the San Fernando Valley and it has started campaigning to extend the Red Line subway from North Hollywood to the Burbank airport.

This is a very intriguing idea and another fine example of the issue of connectivity. Metrolink's Ventura County line also stops at the airport. That would allow Metrolink commuters to switch to the subway and then ride to NoHo, Universal City or Hollywood. At present, Metrolink riders have to switch to a bus to do that -- or ride all the way downtown and rebound on the subway from there.

The timing of VICA's push is intriguing, as it coincides with an effort to ask voters in November to raise the sales tax by a half-cent in Los Angeles County to fund more road and mass transit projects. As I've been posting, a lot of interests around the county want to get hold of some potential sales tax revenue and dedicate it to their favored projects.

So I asked VICA President Brendan Huffman if his group's support for the November sales tax was conditional upon a subway extension to the north. Current proposals do not include this project. Rather, they favor pushing the subway farther west out of downtown.

He said it was not that clear-cut.

"The San Fernando Valley is 18% of the population [in L.A. County] so we should be receiving 18% of the funds," Huffman said. "That doesn't mean it has to go directly to the Valley, but it has to complement the Valley and help with connectivity. I can make a strong case for VICA's support for the subway-to-the-sea, but there needs to be some other projects out there as well that helps out."

He also pointed out that VICA has already endorsed the bill, AB 2321, to get the sales tax on the ballot. Once there, VICA's endorsement would hinge on the Valley getting its "fair share" -- not necessarily the same thing as the subway extension.

He did make a strong case for the subway going north, saying the area would see a lot of bang for its buck. Huffman said it's a distance of only three miles and would likely greatly increase ridership by linking to both the airport and Metrolink and popular destinations like Universal and Hollywood. "We don't care if it's above ground or below ground," Huffman said. "Above ground is a lot more efficient and could be built quicker ... we're open to anything."

Metro includes the project as one of many it will study in its long-range plan. But at the moment it's not a big priority -- just like fixing other existing lines tends to fall below building new lines on the list. I often wonder about that from a tactical perspective.

What if the Green Line went all the way to the Norwalk Metrolink station instead of falling a mile short? Or if the Blue and Gold Lines went all the way into downtown instead of stopping on the edges of it?

And what if the subway was extended to downtown Burbank, so it would connect with both the Metrolink Ventura County and Antelope Valley lines?

-- Steve Hymon

Map: Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Comments

[Dan W.]

What if the Green Line went all the way to the Norwalk Metrolink station instead of falling a mile short? Or if the Blue and Gold Lines went all the way into downtown instead of stopping on the edges of it?

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The Downtown Regional Connector would connect the Blue and Gold Lines and offer all kinds of new possibilities for routes.

That and the Purple Line extension down Wilshire to Century City and Santa Monica are our two most necessary projects.

The Green Line needs to be extended to LAX, to South Bay Galleria and to Norwalk.

Norwalk is an interesting case, like Cheviot Hills and Hancock Park. At some point, we have to ask ourselves whether we can allow few neighborhood NIMBYs to thwart the common good for millions of people.

[Jay]

I just wish they would at least extend the subway times to 2:30AM... Can you imagine how many drunk drivers you could potentially be taking off the road if they had a subway they could ride into and out of Hollywood?

[Kymberleigh Richards]

To those who wonder why the Green Line doesn't go to LAX, please read my post on LAist on the subject ...

[Non Motorist for life]

It makes no sense for people to be so short sighted when it comes to transit. The "I'm not going to ever use it." mentality has got to go. As someone who gets an education by using metro, my future has been greatly impacted. To have some of the best transportation in the world, there needs to be connectors much like this idea to Burbank.

Some may not take the train to Burbank now, especially when everyone is socialized into driving. Snap out of it and think ahead, LAX will be over crowded one day. Why go to an international airport for a domestic flight? Think about it.

[M]

I'd ride this train to Burbank to do my errands. As it stands, Burbank is one of the few places I drive to every week because I can't easily get there on the train.

[David Raether]

A good Rule of Thumb When Evaluating Transit Proposals:

Fifteen years from now, will we all agree this was a bad idea or a good idea?

Here's how it works. Let's say it's 1993 and we're debating whether a light rail line should be built from Pasadena to downtown. There would be a lot of good
arguments against it.

And then there would be the reality of 2008: high gas prices and standing-room-only on the Gold Line during peak hours.

So which arguments look stronger -- the 1993 arguments that suburbanites won't get out of their cars or the 2008 reality?

Does anyone anywhere regret that the Gold Line was built? Is it not a major asset in Southern California now?

Then use that same tool to evaluate every other transit proposal:

Would people in 2023 be happy that the Subway to the Sea exists?

Would people in 2023 be happy that the Red Line was extended all the way along the current path of the Orange Line?

Would people in 2023 by happy that we took the Eastside Extension of the Gold Line out to Whittier?

Would people in 2023 be happy that we extended the Gold Line all the way to the Ontario Airport?

Etc., etc., etc.

And another thing: Are any of the projects going to get cheaper while we sit here and debate silly objections to a comprehensive mass transit system?

[RZ]

If the red line extended to Burbank, a lot more people could use it to get to their jobs in downtown, or go out to Hollywood in the evenings.

[dave]

what if rail or subway connected the valley to the westside?!? talk about ridership goals being exceeded..

[perks]

I doubt I would ever need to make use of that subway connection but for the very rare flight out of Burbank. With that said, I think it's a very worthwhile proposal and one that should be taken seriously.

It's embarassing to see what a completely disconnected patchwork of half-finished projects our mass-transit system is. Connecting our transit systems without the need to make multiple bus transfers is the only way we can truly make those systems work most effectively.

[Damon]

Personally this sounds like a good idea to me, provided that funds are available- seems like it could approach $1 billion unless it's above ground. Metrolink might not like the fact half their riders get off at the airport now rather than union station, but it would probably increase ridership on both the ventura line and the red line.

I keep hearing that our airports are nearing capacity, and I'm guessing Bob Hope airport can has more room for expansion than LAX (plus, a 30 minute ride from downtown with no transfers will rival any future LAX connections they can come up wtih).

[Dan W.]

I like the idea of connecting the Red Line to Burbank Airport Metrolink and then to the AV Metrolink line.

If we had a Santa Monica Blvd. alignment, it could run north from Hollywood up to North Hollywood. This would enable people to head both southwest and southeast from North Hollywood, the Burbank Airport, and the AV Metrolink line.

This is all speculative way in the future.

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On the other hand, ridership to Burbank will be less than ridership to LAX.

Would a more cost efficient choice be running an Air Train between Burbank Metrolink and North Hollywood, similar to the Air Train that connects Jamaica Station to JFK or New Jersey Railraod to Newark?

It's good to see VICA advocating for more transit.

[Dana Gabbard]

"What if the Green Line went all the way to the Norwalk Metrolink station instead of falling a mile short? Or if the Blue and Gold Lines went all the way into downtown instead of stopping on the edges of it?"

Steve, talk to the officials in Norwalk. They'll tell you they insist any extension be in a tunnel. Which makes the project far too expensive to make sense.

Metro is studying the regional connector through downtown linking the Blue and Gold lines. While expensive initial projections show it having excellent ridership. And the Burbank Airport Red Line extension does fairly well in initial studies. I just think extending the Purple Line to Westwood and Green Line to South Bay Galleria should be prioritized.

[Jim]

We cant seem to get trains to the airport. It would be great if the Green line did.

I've been thinking about something with all these talks of expanding mass transit, maybe there should be a line moving north south from the proposed subway or the expo line from Santa Monica down Lincoln hitting Venice, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista/LMU and then LAX. Further, maybe on the otherside we continue the line up into the valley. Wishful thinking, I know.

[eclexia]

Looking at maps, it doesn't look effective to run the Red Line into Burbank Airport. It would have been a sensible idea when drawing the line originally. Trains really don't like to turn 170 degree corners, which is what it would take to get out of the Lankershim alignment onto the Victory Blvd alignment.

That kind of money could buy really nice rapid shuttle van service from the airport to the Red/Orange lines.