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Post by jeisenbe on Mar 31, 2011 22:04:32 GMT -8
Half inch polycarbonate sound walls instead of concrete, as far as I'm concerned, would perfectly address the issue of cutting the neighborhood west of Overland in half The other option, "no sound wall," would also solve the problem, requires no maintenance, looks better, and is even cheaper. My office is just a block from the Blue Line. The only time we hear trains (even outside) is when they honk the horn or the bells ring. The trains are very quiet, much quieter than cars on the street. |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 1, 2011 7:12:28 GMT -8
The other option, "no sound wall," would also solve the problem, requires no maintenance, looks better, and is even cheaper. My office is just a block from the Blue Line. The only time we hear trains (even outside) is when they honk the horn or the bells ring. The trains are very quiet, much quieter than cars on the street. In fairness, office walls are usually thicker and more soundproof than walls on single-family homes. While I do consider our LRVs to be quiet, I can hear the *woosh* of the trains from my house, over a mile away, starting around 5 AM. Having said that, I hear the roar of the 405 Freeway much louder. Similarly, the people near the tracks in Rancho Park already hear the roar of the 10 Freeway. The Expo Line will not increase the amount of white noise by much. But I still think a soundwall is needed for those closest to the train. |
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Post by masonite on Apr 1, 2011 9:55:35 GMT -8
Looks like some train testing is to begin next week (I would assume actual trains instead of a dolly like last week). This is a pretty big milestone. I can actually start to believe we might be riding Expo this year. Can't wait for Phase II groundbreaking to begin as well. www.buildexpo.org/pdf_uploads/cons_5mc796t2p5.pdf |
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Post by Justin Walker on Apr 1, 2011 10:30:26 GMT -8
Looks like some train testing is to begin next week (I would assume actual trains instead of a dolly like last week). This is a pretty big milestone. I can actually start to believe we might be riding Expo this year. Can't wait for Phase II groundbreaking to begin as well. www.buildexpo.org/pdf_uploads/cons_5mc796t2p5.pdfGreat news! Can't wait to see it. I would have preferred they had issued this notice on a different day, though...  |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 1, 2011 11:23:52 GMT -8
Yes, these will be actual trains but I don't expect powered tests until around mid April, as electric and electronic work is still taking place. So, we will see some tractor-towed trains next week, to make sure the clearances are right and the rails are OK.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 1, 2011 11:46:30 GMT -8
Happy April Fool's Day, everyone. I can assure you that the following pics taken today are all authentic. We want transparent sound walls for Phase 2. Concrete sound walls will otherwise ruin the looks of the green space between Overland and Sepulveda. The transparent sound walls installed at the La Brea bridge look much better than the concrete sound walls:      Current situation at the Farmdale Station. They will soon finish the tiling and the platforms will then be complete. All that's left afterwards are the canopies and amenities. Here is the new, realigned driveway:  Pedestrian plaza:  Westbound nearside split platform:  Eastbound nearside split platform:  Crenshaw Station train-control signals are shining red:  At-grade-crossing gate arms are now being installed. This is at 11th Avenue:  And this is at 7th Avenue:  Here is how the Vermont Station is currently looking:  Bike and pedestrian multiuse path is being built next to the at-grade tracks in Culver City:  |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 1, 2011 12:50:06 GMT -8
Yes, these will be actual trains but I don't expect powered tests until around mid April, as electric and electronic work is still taking place. So, we will see some tractor-towed trains next week, to make sure the clearances are right and the rails are OK. Mid-April is only a couple weeks away, that's not too much longer to wait for powered trains on the Expo Corridor! We want transparent sound walls for Phase 2. Concrete sound walls will otherwise ruin the looks of the green space between Overland and Sepulveda. The transparent sound walls installed at the La Brea bridge look much better than the concrete sound walls: Thanks for the pictures Gokhan, it's a beautiful day for new pictures! I agree those plexiglass panels look great, they really let the light and the sky show through. These would be ideal for Westwood station and anywhere else that sound walls are needed. |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 1, 2011 16:24:20 GMT -8
From Expo's Facebook page: Expo Light Rail Line
Please be advised that the full intersection closure at Normandie Avenue scheduled for this weekend has been POSTPONED until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience. An updated notice will be issued once a new date has been confirmed. There is nothing about this on buildexpo.org. Can anyone confirm the reason for the cancellation, and/or the impact on the construction schedule? |
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Post by carter on Apr 1, 2011 16:30:54 GMT -8
Yes, these will be actual trains but I don't expect powered tests until around mid April, as electric and electronic work is still taking place. So, we will see some tractor-towed trains next week, to make sure the clearances are right and the rails are OK. Mid-April is only a couple weeks away, that's not too much longer to wait for powered trains on the Expo Corridor! We want transparent sound walls for Phase 2. Concrete sound walls will otherwise ruin the looks of the green space between Overland and Sepulveda. The transparent sound walls installed at the La Brea bridge look much better than the concrete sound walls: Thanks for the pictures Gokhan, it's a beautiful day for new pictures! I agree those plexiglass panels look great, they really let the light and the sky show through. These would be ideal for Westwood station and anywhere else that sound walls are needed. I like the idea of plexiglass sound walls in theory, but there are a couple questions I'd like to have answered before I'm totally convinced: What's the purchase/replacement costs for concrete vs. plexiglass? What's the typical lifespan of each? Would plexi get dirty easily and how would they look if/when they become dirty? Which is better for graffiti prevention/removal? |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 1, 2011 20:14:12 GMT -8
I wouldn't worry too much about street-intersection-reconstruction reschedulings. They are doing a lot of them and they get rescheduled quite often.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 1, 2011 20:23:16 GMT -8
I've found out that throughout next week they will test the platform and OCS clearances with an actual train towed by a truck and if it goes successfully, powered-on testing will start the week after.
So, if all goes well, the tracks and OCS will be in service to La Cienega Station on April 11, 2011! This is after about 22 years since the last Southern Pacific diesel freight train ran circa 1989! Oh, and it's after 58 years since the last electric passenger train to Santa Monica ran in 1953.
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Post by darrell on Apr 1, 2011 21:58:09 GMT -8
Here's the link to Expo's Notice of Train Testing (PDF). I wonder when they'll push a train from the Blue Line onto Expo south of Washington? At any rate, I'm going to check out Flower & Washington Monday morning. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 1, 2011 22:15:15 GMT -8
Sometime Monday morning for sure, possibly around 9 AM. It looks like you early birds will get the first pictures of the Expo test train.  I am guessing that they will drive the truck north of Washington and couple it to the southernmost Blue Line LRV and then decouple the LRV and have the truck pull it south along the Expo Line. |
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Post by Justin Walker on Apr 2, 2011 10:34:51 GMT -8
Yet another minor milestone has been reached; the first Expo Line station bike racks have been installed (unless I've missed some elsewhere). Taken at the Vermont station this morning:  On an unrelated note, here are some pictures I took on Tuesday of the pantograph clearance testing. The test crew stopped and took many pictures every time it looked like the pantograph extension pole looked like it had touched the OCS poles or station canopies:  Note the limited vertical clearance beneath the contact wire within the trench; as the test crew neared the trench, they assumed seated positions on the test vehicle:  Per Gokhan's information, hopefully they will be powering up the OCS system in two weeks... |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 2, 2011 11:18:01 GMT -8
Aqua is looking good on the stations. Is the Expo Line only rail line in Los Angeles where they consistently used the same color for the paint job on the stations as the color of the line (in this case aqua)?
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Post by joshuanickel on Apr 2, 2011 11:19:02 GMT -8
Yet another minor milestone has been reached; the first Expo Line station bike racks have been installed (unless I've missed some elsewhere). Taken at the Vermont station this morning: It seems like a unusual place to put the racks. Placed a certain way, the bikes will be covering those utility boxes. |
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Post by jamesinclair on Apr 2, 2011 13:37:16 GMT -8
Yeah I dont see how putting the racks in dirt (mud) is the best idea.
But I agree that having every part of the line be aqua colored is a good idea.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 2, 2011 17:13:01 GMT -8
But I agree that having every part of the line be aqua colored is a good idea. I would beg to differ. I think the Metro rail system should be a uniform color on the trains and station entrances. Look at Wilshire/Western and Wilshire/Normandie stations. They have the red branded Metro signs, but yet are the Purple Line now, and no longer the Red Line. What's going to happen with the DT connector opens? Won't this be the eventual Gold Line? |
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Post by darrell on Apr 2, 2011 17:37:14 GMT -8
Actually the sky blue used for the Expo stations is not the same as the more greenish aqua that was proposed as the line's name and color.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 2, 2011 17:57:01 GMT -8
Actually the sky blue used for the Expo stations is not the same as the more greenish aqua that was proposed as the line's name and color. Well, aqua isn't really a well-defined color -- any shade of light blue or greenish light blue or even bluish light green could be considered aqua. The color and/or wave pattern for the stations, canopies, sound walls, and MSE walls were chosen after water -- hence aqua. But the exact shades of blues and grays in the stations were chosen after long periods of public input rather than a canonical definition of aqua. The official aqua color picked up by Metro (Pantone 2995) for the Expo Line maps is hardly aqua or light blue though; it's more like a medium blue:  |
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Post by darrell on Apr 2, 2011 19:19:33 GMT -8
Here's the August, 2006 Metro staff report (PDF) that proposed aqua for the Expo Line. It doesn't have a specific color swatch, but overall its examples are more greenish, like the Phase 1 FEIS artwork. I've used more just a light-medium blue, that looks good on a monitor and in print, and contrasts with the blue of the Long Beach line and the map's green background:  |
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Post by Transit Coalition on Apr 2, 2011 19:51:08 GMT -8
Expo Line to begin running test trains to Westside
After numerous delays and cost overruns, the first phase of the project is scheduled to begin carrying commuters between downtown and La Cienega Boulevard in November.
By Ari Bloomekatz, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times: Sunday, April 3, 2011
After numerous delays and cost increases, officials this week will begin running test trains on the long-awaited Expo Line and have announced that the first rail line into the traffic-clogged Westside since the days of the Red Car trolleys could start operations in November.
The first phase of the project, when completed, promises to zip commuters about 8.6 miles from downtown to Culver City in 30 minutes. Originally carrying a price tag of $640 million, the cost has now reached $930.6 million. The entire first phase of the line will go into downtown Culver City near the Kirk Douglas Theatre, but officials say they will only be able to open the line as far as La Cienega Boulevard, just east of Culver City, in the fall, with a target opening date of Nov. 15. They hope to finish the last 0.7 miles early in 2012.
The planned opening of the line has generated great excitement in transportation circles because the Expo Line will move L.A.'s rail network far into the western part of the county. But it remains unclear how popular the line — which will eventually extend all the way to Santa Monica — will actually be.
The agency tasked with building the line has not released any ridership projections for the next nine years. But officials estimate that there will be an average of 64,000 weekday boardings from downtown to Santa Monica by 2030, and that there will be an average of 27,000 weekday boardings from downtown to Culver City by 2020.
Some of Metro's rail lines have not produced the ridership numbers officials had hoped for, and it's unclear how many commuters will opt to get out of their cars. Many east-west commuters may still be waiting for a proposed subway line that runs down Wilshire Boulevard.
Still, Expo backers are eager to see how the line does.
"From a line that had every sort of challenge for close to 10 years, it's absolutely amazing that it's coming to fruition," said Bart Reed, executive director of the nonprofit Transit Coalition. "Going anywhere to West L.A. or Culver City is a long, slow, tedious trip, and having the choice to be on a train and have a predictable schedule changes the whole dynamics of going in either direction. It's a game-changer in terms of choice."
Construction crews last week poured concrete and used cranes to lift staircases at some of the line's stations. Traffic was rerouted and lanes were closed in some areas as bulldozers and dump trucks carried materials.
There was already graffiti on some of the walls along the line, a contrast to multicolored murals painted by students at the Foshay Learning Center that depicted trains juxtaposed with cars. Along a stretch near Exposition Park and USC, crews planted ginkgo trees.
Officials see the Expo Line as a spoke in a wheel of rail lines that need to be built to provide Angelenos with better transit access and options for commuting.
Rick Thorpe, who is heading the authority in charge of building the Expo Line, believes that rail projects are essential to the city's future.
"The freeway can't take any more. You're now seeing spillover onto city streets. Pretty soon those city streets are going to get so clogged.... and you can't add any more freeways; freeways have become cost prohibitive," Thorpe said. "Rail is about the only alternative that we've got left."
When the Expo Line was conceived, it was considered a low-cost option for getting rail service into the Westside. It is several miles south of key Westside locations such as Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood, and runs partially along existing freight tracks. But costs rose because of design enhancements, safety concerns and increases in construction prices. Some officials attributed problems to an initial bewilderment about funding sources and a process that broke up construction, design, and other contracts into too many pieces.
Delays occurred because the construction authority had to relocate its maintenance facility; there was a struggle to gain safety approval where the line crosses Farmdale Avenue near Dorsey High School; and safety improvements were needed at the intersection of the Expo and Blue lines, among other issues.
Officials hope phase two from Culver City to Santa Monica will not be so problematic.
The Expo Line could also gain more passengers once the Crenshaw Line, which will run from the Expo Line to the Green Line through South L.A. and Inglewood, is built.
ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com
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Post by masonite on Apr 2, 2011 21:13:50 GMT -8
It will be interesting to begin the guessing game as far as ridership on Expo. I hope I am wrong, but I think to start, the ridership may disappoint some.
It will really depend on how well bus connections are ready from day 1. While the line should nicely serve commuters going Downtown from Culver City and up from South LA on the Western, Vermont, and Crenshaw connecting bus lines, the main ridership is from those coming from the East.
USC is a major destination and that will be a go from day 1, although most people there make their transit decisions by semester so it might have to wait until Jan. for some of that ridership.
However, I don't see a lot of job destinations within a short walking distance of Expo like on the proposed Purple Line Extension, and the line really needs Phase II to pick even some of those people. I thought the Gold Line would have better ridership on both the Pasadena phase and the Eastside phase, but I didn't realize the problems the Gold Line had until I rode it (still think it should have better ridership than it does).
I think once the line hits Santa Monica, getting 60k should be no problem. Santa Monica is a major job destination as well as a tourist destination as well. Also, some stations like Bundy and Sepulveda do have some office space right next to the stations.
P.S. I wish the Times would mention projects that come in under budget as much as they harp on the over-budget cost of Phase 1. I doubt we'll hear anything about Phase II coming in under budget.
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 3, 2011 8:40:57 GMT -8
Yet another minor milestone has been reached; the first Expo Line station bike racks have been installed (unless I've missed some elsewhere). Taken at the Vermont station this morning: It seems like a unusual place to put the racks. Placed a certain way, the bikes will be covering those utility boxes. Those are ticket vending machines, not utility boxes. |
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 3, 2011 10:25:05 GMT -8
I will be one of those disappointed if the ridership is low, but I don't see it happening. It won't be the purple line, but it's better connected than the blue line. It probably won't really ramp up until phase 2, but phase 1 will likely be as busy (boardings per mile) as any of our existing light rail lines except the blue.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 3, 2011 12:32:03 GMT -8
I'm looking forward to game nights like when the Lakers are playing at Staples Center. Right now, people on the westside need to plan an hour and a half (i.e. leave at 6 pm) to get indoors to Staples for a Laker game. Imagine when people in Culver City or West LA realize they can hop on the train at Venice/Robertson and La Cienega and get to Staples in 20 minutes. That's your "game changer".
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 3, 2011 13:14:44 GMT -8
Those are ticket vending machines, not utility boxes. LOL he was referring to the maintenance boxes in the ground. In response to the other post, this isn't the finish product. There will be some combination of pavement and lawn instead of soil. |
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Post by Transit Coalition on Apr 3, 2011 13:30:37 GMT -8
I will be one of those disappointed if the ridership is low, but I don't see it happening. It won't be the purple line, but it's better connected than the blue line. It probably won't really ramp up until phase 2, but phase 1 will likely be as busy (boardings per mile) as any of our existing light rail lines except the blue. I will predict an initial 12,000 riders per day until February 2012, when USC students / staff bump the ridership up again. |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 3, 2011 14:00:15 GMT -8
By this time next year, I think daily ridership will have increased to 30,000. It will reach that number fairly quickly I think, due to steadily increasing acceptance/awareness of the line by (1) USC students/faculty/staff, (2) commuters to Downtown L.A., and (3) basketball fans.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 3, 2011 15:46:53 GMT -8
I predict somewhere between Bart's guess and Metrocenter's. So far our light rail boardings per mile for each line are:
Blue - 3,600
Green - 2,000
Gold - 1,800
I'm guessing that after 1 year phase 1 will be somewhere around 1,800 per mile which is actually very significant. I think that phase 1 will be at 2,500 per mile by the time that phase 2 opens and at 4,000 1 year after phase 2 opens. So...
Expo Phase 1 (end 2012) - 14,000
Expo Phase 1 (2015) - 19,000
Expo Phase 1 (2016) - 30,000
Expo Phase 1 (2020) - as much as 45,000
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