Long Term - Crenshaw Line to Burbank?

[Philip]

This is so far off, it could be a candidate for the Dream board, but since it relates to an already-planned line, I thought I'd put it here.

When the Crenshaw Line meets Hollywood at Hollywood/Highland station someday to connect to the Red Line, I still see one further terminus possibility - Burbank.

The line would travel through the Cahuenga Pass to the northeast and eventually end up on Olive Avenue. The stops would be as follows:

--Hollywood Way/Olive - access to Warner Bros., 134 Freeway, and dozens of nearby restaurants/shops.

--Buena Vista/Olive - access to Disney Studios, St. Joseph's Hospital, Lincoln Park, and Burbank Library.

--Downtown Burbank Metrolink - Connection to Burbank Metrolink station/lines and the (future?) Orange Line.

--Olive/Glenoaks - Glenoaks terminus. Access to Burbank Central Library, residential housing, Downtown Burbank shops and restaurants, and San Fernando Rd.

This would also help alleviate one of the biggest choke points for traffic in the city - Barham Blvd. near the entrance of the 101 freeway.

I could see this extension doing for Crenshaw what the valley extension did for the Red Line - a huge surge in ridership because it stands a chance to really get people to re-think taking their cars to work.

What do you guys think?

[masonite]

Before we dream up all these new lines here is a tidbit from Metro:

The Measure R extension would first complete funding for the original Measure R transit projects. After those are done, funds would go to unfunded phases of Measure R projects and then to projects without funding in the agency’s long-range plan.

New Measure R funds would not be available until after 2050, according to Metro staff. However, other funding sources could be available earlier.

Not sure if this means items like Crenshaw to Hollywood and Subway to SM are unfunded phases of Measure R projects or not. If so, Measure R+ plus would just fund lines like those as well as the 405 line maybe to Expo and up to Sylmar as well as the Santa Ana Row maybe to Downtown. Everything else will have to wait until after 2050, so I think it is pretty silly to have a list of projects that won't be completed until well after the midpoint of the next century.

[bzcat]

I like this idea. But until the Red line reach capacity, it's going to be difficult to justify another rail tunnel between Hollywood and SFV.

[jdrcrasher]

Actually, this could be a good idea.

[Philip]

Jun 21, 2012 10:07:39 GMT -8 bzcat said:

I like this idea. But until the Red line reach capacity, it's going to be difficult to justify another rail tunnel between Hollywood and SFV.

Exactly, but by the time this extension would be possible (which I would guess to be about 25 years from now), the Red Line will likely be at capacity.

Today, the Red Line runs pretty full during rush hour. In the evening, though not at capacity, I have noticed a steady increase in the number of riders.

You add a Crenshaw Line to Hollywood/Highland, an extension of the Orange Line from Burbank/Glendale to North Hollywood, the Santa Ana Branch to Union Station, an Expo Line that goes from Santa Monica to 7th/Metro, the Regional Connector, the Purple Line extension, and various improvements in bus connectivity...and I'll bet it'll be difficult to catch a Red Line train with standing room at all.

[Elson]

Jun 21, 2012 18:30:41 GMT -8 Philip said:

Jun 21, 2012 10:07:39 GMT -8 bzcat said:

I like this idea. But until the Red line reach capacity, it's going to be difficult to justify another rail tunnel between Hollywood and SFV.

Exactly, but by the time this extension would be possible (which I would guess to be about 25 years from now), the Red Line will likely be at capacity.

Today, the Red Line runs pretty full during rush hour. In the evening, though not at capacity, I have noticed a steady increase in the number of riders.

You add a Crenshaw Line to Hollywood/Highland, an extension of the Orange Line from Burbank/Glendale to North Hollywood, the Santa Ana Branch to Union Station, an Expo Line that goes from Santa Monica to 7th/Metro, the Regional Connector, the Purple Line extension, and various improvements in bus connectivity...and I'll bet it'll be difficult to catch a Red Line train with standing room at all.

Yes but you're talking about the 10-12 minute headways we currently have.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Capacity" means it is no longer able to accommodate any more passengers no matter how often the trains run, at maximum length. If we have full trains with 1-minute headways, we'll talk.