Metro Rail Blue Line
Los Angeles, CA
Heading back toward Union Station on the heavy rail Red Line, I decided to sample the city's light rail offerings.
The Blue Line was the initial rebirth of rail transit in the city, opening in 1990 at a cost of $877 million. The line shares corridors with freight lines, but does not share freight tracks and actually flies over them at various points along the route. The line serves 22 stations on 22 miles of track from Metro Center / 7th Street to downtown Long Beach. On the day I took it, the trip required 55 minutes each way.

Nippon Sharyo rollin stock - 1989

Metro Center station

Parked container cars

Parked container cars

Crossing lights

Compton

Compton

Concrete ties

Crystal casino

Los Angeles River

Long Beach Transit Mall

Long Beach Transit Mall

Long Beach Transit Mall

Truck with track brakes

Catenary

Tracks turning down Pacific Avenue

Long Beach Transit Mall

Towers in Long Beach

Tracks turning back north on Long Beach Boulevard

Blue Line yard near the Los Angeles River

Fresh driver waiting at the yard

Flying over freight rail track

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Metro Rail Blue Line

Turning down Washington Boulevard

Metro Rail Blue Line

Construction reveals ballast and ties that will be covered with asphalt

Ballast and ties

Staples Center

Crossover at Metro Center / 7th terminus

Coupler

Silver Line ad

Amazing that this shitty software runs the world