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By rail in Los Angeles


By rail in Los Angeles

Los Angeles County Metro Rail Map
Los Angeles County Metro Rail Map
Los Angeles County's subway and light rail system has grown considerably over the past 20 years and is increasingly useful in getting around. Many neighborhoods and sightseeing destinations can be reached using the Metro, including Downtown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Los Feliz, Thai Town, Hollywood, Universal City, North Hollywood, Chinatown, Pasadena and Long Beach. Public transportation is preferable to the gridlock that often occurs on Los Angeles-area streets and highways. A single-trip fare valid on one line in one direction costs $1.50 and can be purchased from ticket vending machines located in the stations. Alternatively, a day pass (valid until 3 a.m. the next day) costs $6; a weekly pass (running Sunday to Saturday) costs $20, and a monthly pass costs $75. Passes allow unlimited access on Metro bus and rail lines. Day passes can be purchased through ticket vending machines in stations (on buses, day passes can be purchased only using a reusable TAP card), while weekly and monthly passes on TAP cards can be obtained from (main center at Union Station) or online. Metrorail and metrobus services can be used with the passes (a few express bus routes require payment of additional fare), and are available online and in stations. Metro fare payment works on a 'proof-of-payment' system. There are turnstiles in the subway stations and some light rail stations. Passengers using a TAP card must tap the turnstile to have a valid fare. Passengers using paper one-day passes can walk through the turnstiles as they are currently unlocked; in the future, the turnstiles may be locked according to plans. However, tickets or passes must be purchased before entering boarding zones; Metro police randomly check for valid tickets on the trains or platforms. The penalty for not being able to show a valid ticket is $250 and up to 48 hours of community service. Trips that involve multiple lines or transfers require separate tickets for each line or a valid day, weekly or monthly pass. Passes can be more cost effective than several single-ride tickets. Metro Rail/Transitway Lines:
  • Red Line, a subway that runs from Downtown (Union Station) to the Hollywood area, then to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. This route shares track with the Purple Line for about half of its length; when boarding a subway train, check its destination signs to make sure you are on the right train. Station display signs should also provide information about the destination of the train you are boarding. Trains run on average every 12 minutes daytime, becoming less frequent in the evening.
  • Purple Line, a subway that runs from Downtown (Union Station) to Koreatown. This route shares track with the Red Line for most of its length; when boarding a subway train, check its destination signs to make sure you are on the right train. Note that the Purple Line trains outside of rush hour are only two cars in length and will not fill the length of the station. There are tunnel signs to help guide you to where the train will stop.
  • Blue Line, a light rail line that runs from Downtown (7th St/Metro Center Station) through South Los Angeles to Long Beach.
  • Gold Line, a light rail line that runs from East L.A. through Chinatown and Northeast Los Angeles to Pasadena.
  • Green Line, a light rail line that runs from the South Bay (near LAX) east to the city of Norwalk along Interstate 105.
  • Orange Line, a transitway across the San Fernando Valley from North Hollywood to Warner Center (Woodland Hills), using sleek articulated "bus-trains" on rubber tires.
  • Silver Line, a transitway from El Monte to Artesia using "bus-trains" on rubber tires. Day passes are valid on this route without upcharge. For other passengers an upgrade must be purchased for this route.
  • Note that Metro , which do vary between lines. Though there is currently no direct rail connection between Downtown Los Angeles and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a free shuttle from the Metro Green Line Aviation/LAX Station to terminals is available. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) operates the direct shuttle every 30 min between Union Station and airport terminals. Distinct from Metro is the commuter rail system, centered at Union Station. This commuter rail system reaches as far as Ventura, Lancaster, San Bernardino, and Oceanside (northern San Diego County) but runs limited night and weekend service. Metrolink does not accept Metro passes and requires the purchase of separate tickets. Like Metro, Metrolink uses the honor system where no barriers are required to enter the system, and random inspections to ensure that every passenger is in possession of a valid ticket are conducted often. Metrolink tickets are honored as a day pass on metrorail and metrobus.

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    Los Angeles Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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