An effort to meet the growing demand for the Los Angeles Metro, which is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels of ridership, will result in more frequent train arrivals.
Starting on December 10, Metro will reduce the time between trains by several minutes on the A, C, E, and K lines by increasing train frequencies.
Trains on the A and E lines will depart every eight minutes during weekday peak hours, which is two minutes more frequent than in the past. Trains will depart every 10 minutes on weekends between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., as opposed to every 12 minutes.
Later trains—an additional forthcoming modification on the A and E lines—has been a frequent request from passengers.
Every night until the close of the evening, two additional trains will be added to the A and E lines, extending service by forty minutes, according to Metro. Ridgers departing from Long Beach, Azusa, and Santa Monica will appreciate the later trains, according to Metro officials; late departures will occur after 11:30 p.m.
Furthermore, while the A and E Lines will experience enhanced frequency, the C Line will also implement a reduction in train wait periods. The frequency of trains on the C Line has been reduced from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes on weekdays at midday and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Weekday midday wait times on the K Line will decrease from 12 to 10 minutes. However, due to current construction of the LAX/Metro station and testing to connect the C and K lines, service will only run every 20 minutes on weekends.
According to Metro, rider feedback—particularly in light of the three newly opened rail stations that allow better access in downtown Los Angeles and the rebounding ridership numbers—led to the decision to offer additional train frequencies and later service.
When the Metro Regional Connector opened in June, it improved downtown service and eliminated the need for many riders to transfer.
Metro reached a significant milestone in October when it surpassed 950,000 average weekday riders, marking the biggest month since the pandemic started. It’s the second consecutive month that the milestone has been exceeded, according to Metro officials.
Metro recorded over 33 million bus and rail users in October 2019. That figure increased to almost 24 million in October of this year, a significant down from pre-pandemic levels but a steady upward trend.
“We have 79% of riders on weekdays as of October 2019.” We’re at 92% of October 2019 ridership on weekends, Metro officials declared on X, formerly Twitter. “We believe that the improvements are the outcome of programs to make riding more affordable, more people out and about, increased focus on public safety, and the restoration of more bus and train service.”
Almost four times as many people use Metro’s buses as trains, which continues to make up the majority of the system’s ridership.
The 37 weekday, 29 Saturday, and 24 Sunday bus timetables will also be updated by Metro, according to the company, as part of their efforts to “improve reliability, and route and stop changes to various bus lines to improve service for riders.”
