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