The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA or Metro). The system includes 101 metro stations with two rapid transit (known locally as a subway) and four light rail lines, covering 109 miles (175 km) of route service.[1] In 2019, the Metro Rail system served an average 295,889 passengers each weekday, totaling 93.2 million passengers in the calendar year.[2] Metro Rail is one of the largest rapid transit and light rail systems in the United States by ridership.[3] The system is complemented by two Metro Busway bus rapid transit lines.
History
Metro Rail began service on July 14, 1990, when the light rail Blue Line opened between Pico and Anaheim stations;[4] the line was extended to Downtown Long Beach and Pacific Avenue stations on September 1.[5] The Blue Line was extended one stop northward from Pico to 7th Street/Metro Center on February 15, 1991.[6] The next Metro Rail line, the rapid transit Red Line, opened on January 30, 1993, between Union Station and Westlake/MacArthur Park station.[7] The light rail Green Line, the system's third line, opened on August 12, 1995 from Norwalk to Redondo Beach stations.[8] Metro Rail's next expansion occurred on May 22, 1996, when the Red Line expanded westward from Westlake/MacArthur Park to Wilshire/Western stations.[9] The Red Line expanded again on June 12, 1999, with a branch from Wilshire/Vermont to Hollywood/Vine stations.[10] The final section of the Red Line opened on June 24, 2000, from Hollywood/Vine station to North Hollywood station, completing the Red Line as originally planned.[11] A fourth Metro Rail line, the light rail Gold Line, opened on July 27, 2003 between Union Station and Sierra Madre Villa station in Pasadena.[12] The rapid transit Purple Line became the fifth Metro Rail line on August 24, 2006, when LACMTA separated the Red Line into two separate services; the branch between Union Station and Wilshire/Western station became the Purple Line while the branch between Union Station and North Hollywood station remained the Red Line.[13] The Gold Line was later extended to Atlantic station in East Los Angeles on November 15, 2009.[14] The light rail Expo Line opened between 7th Street/Metro Center and La Cienega/Jefferson on April 28, 2012; two additional stations opened on June 20, 2012.[15] The Gold Line's second extension opened on March 5, 2016 and added six more stations from Sierra Madre Villa from to APU/Citrus College.[16] An extension to the Expo Line on May 20, 2016 added seven stations.[17] The opening of the K Line on October 7, 2022 added six stations.[18] The Regional Connector project featured two new underground stations as well as a rebuilt Little Tokyo/Arts District station.
System
The system has 101 stations serving its six lines. Twelve of these stations are transfer stations, which allow passengers to transfer between lines. Eleven of these stations are termini—stations at the end of lines. 53 of the stations are within the city of Los Angeles and the other 48 stations are located in surrounding communities in Los Angeles County.
Lines
There are six Metro Rail lines, each of which is associated with a letter.
| Name | Stations | Termini | Length[19][20][1] | Ridership (weekday)[2] | Type | Former line name(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A Line | 44 | APU/Citrus College (north) Downtown Long Beach (south) | 48.5 miles (78.1 km) | 32,764 | Light rail |  Blue Line Gold Line L Line |
 B Line | 14 | North Hollywood (north) Union Station (south) | 14.7 miles (23.7 km) | 75,974[A] | Rapid transit |  Red Line |
 C Line | 14 | Redondo Beach (west) Norwalk (east) | 19.3 miles (31.1 km) | 16,741 | Light rail |  Green Line |
 D Line | 8 | Wilshire/Western (west) Union Station (east) | 5.1 miles (8.2 km) | 75,974[A] | Rapid transit | Red Line Purple Line |
 E Line | 29 | Downtown Santa Monica (west) Atlantic (east) | 22 miles (35 km) | 28,438 | Light rail | Gold Line Expo Line L Line |
 K Line | 7 | Expo/Crenshaw (north) Westchester/Veterans (south) | 5.9 miles (9.5 km) | 2,085 | Light rail | — |
List of stations
For stations served by more than one line, lines are listed in the order of opening.
| * | Transfer stations |
| ** | Termini |
| † | Transfer stations and termini |
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Future stations
| Station | Image | Line(s) (Project name) | Location[21] | Opening | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation/Century* |  | C Line K Line | Los Angeles (Westchester) | 2024 | [34] |
| Century City/Constellation |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Los Angeles (Century City) | 2026 | [35] |
| Glendora |  | A Line (Foothill Extension) | Glendora | 2025 | [36] |
| La Verne |  | A Line (Foothill Extension) | La Verne | 2025 | [36] |
| LAX/Metro Transit Center† |  | C Line K Line | Los Angeles (Westchester) | 2024 | [34] |
| Pomona–North** |  | A Line (Foothill Extension) | Pomona | 2025 | [36] |
| San Dimas |  | A Line (Foothill Extension) | San Dimas | 2025 | [36] |
| Westwood/UCLA |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Los Angeles (Westwood) | 2027 | [37] |
| Westwood/VA Hospital** |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Los Angeles (Westwood) | 2027 | [37] |
| Wilshire/Fairfax |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Los Angeles (Beverly Grove / Carthay / Mid-Wilshire) | 2025 | [38] |
| Wilshire/La Brea |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Los Angeles (Hancock Park / Mid-Wilshire) | 2025 | [38] |
| Wilshire/La Cienega |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Beverly Hills | 2025 | [38] |
| Wilshire/Rodeo |  | D Line (Westside Extension) | Beverly Hills | 2026 | [35] |
Notes
References
