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Post by jamesinclair on Nov 18, 2011 17:35:42 GMT -8
Well the Complaints about the EXPO-LINE Bike Path did not fall on Deaf Ears The City of LA repaving the North Side of EXPO Blvd from Western to La Cienega Boulevard www.flickr.com/photos/expoline-part-2Fantastic. The condition of the pavement was a major embarrassment. Would have made Baghdad blush.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 19, 2011 0:39:10 GMT -8
It's not that Metro isn't trying hard to have the line opened as soon as possible. Testing is very complicated and one year of testing is hardly long but typical. So far, it's been only seven months. If they hurry and open it without fully testing and fixing the problems, it will be a slow line that will break down a lot and probably having accidents often.
You should look into this in a much bigger timeframe. There hasn't been a line to the Westside since 1953. The transit advocates have been working on the Expo Line since 1980s, if not earlier. Just imagine how much hard work they put into this and realize that the Expo Line would never become a reality if it wasn't because of a few grassroots advocates who worked very hard to make it real. The line will open to Culver City in less than six months, and in the grand scheme of building rail transit in Los Angeles, you can consider it as being opened in six days from now.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Nov 19, 2011 8:17:21 GMT -8
Yeah, big picture a few extra weeks or months of testing are no big deal and as you describe are much more preferable than opening a problem line. But it would be nice to see something finish somewhere remotely close to schedule at some point as it's obvious that Metro had no intention of testing lasting 7 months, much less one year. Metro and it's contractors are responsible for the both the delays during testing and construction and the message that should be communicated is that what's happened is unacceptable, not that stuff happens. We should be riding this line now, not 6 months from now. But there were lessons learned and it sounds like they are being addressed for Phase 2.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 20, 2011 16:05:45 GMT -8
More than an inch of rain today. It should be a good waterproofing test.
Hopefully the newly paved Exposition won't be washed out though.
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Post by transitfan on Nov 21, 2011 7:00:20 GMT -8
What I wonder is, currently, the northbound track on the Blue Line is track 1, while the southbound is track 2. This is important when trains have to give their location to Central Control "Train 4, track 1, Vernon Station" for example. I wonder what the designation for the Expo line tracks (south of Washington/Flower) will be. Tracks 3 and 4? Tracks 1A and 2A? I assume Expo and Blue Line trains will be on the same radio channel, so there would need to be some way to differentiate Blue Line and Expo Line tracks away from the combined area.
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Nov 22, 2011 12:40:55 GMT -8
21 minutes from 23rd street station to La Cienega. Sounds like the speed is improving..and this was NOT with signal synchronization, which The Source says it will receive (hey, its not Long Beach, thank god..haha). Farmdale sucks........we should have done the obvious by closing the street and building a pig pen...I mean an elevated crosswalk/bridge. Oh well, we're stuck with our own Mariom Way situation. Read the review here: thesource.metro.net/2011/11/22/our-first-ride-on-the-expo-line/
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Post by James Fujita on Nov 22, 2011 15:18:02 GMT -8
I think the Source took a lovely video of the Figueroa underpass
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Post by rubbertoe on Nov 23, 2011 6:11:17 GMT -8
That was great footage. The 1080p version watched on my TV was like being in the drivers seat. When can we expect to see the same footage covering the entire line? Whomever arranged that, thanks very much!
RT
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Post by hooligan on Nov 23, 2011 12:46:33 GMT -8
Not a fan of the aqua blue on all the metal structures at the stations its going to look dated in a couple of years.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 23, 2011 13:00:36 GMT -8
Lovely videos! Beautiful!
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 23, 2011 13:08:45 GMT -8
I think a January opening has now been ruled out. They are not going to do prerevenue operation during Christmas. But it's good to see that the line improves all the time. Right now it's only six minutes more than the optimal time of 21 minutes from 7th/Metro to Culver City (see the Wikipedia timetable). With signal synchronization, it should make it from 7th/Flower to Culver City in 24 minutes or less. This is within three minutes of the optimal time and not much slower than the Purple Line subway service. If they could only speed up the Culver City work a little (it's been sooooooooooo slow in the last six months, after Expo denied the 2/3 of the early-finish reward from BBI), they could open the entire line at once to Culver City in April, rather than a February or March opening to La Cienega first. It looks like more they test and wait, the better the Expo Line is going to be when it opens. It's much better to have a safe and fast line than a slow and unsafe line. Therefore, they shouldn't hurry. See my Pacific Electric emblem. It says "Comfort - Speed - Safety."
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Post by masonite on Nov 23, 2011 14:08:17 GMT -8
I think a January opening has now been ruled out. They are not going to do prerevenue operation during Christmas. But it's good to see that the line improves all the time. Right now it's only six minutes more than the optimal time of 21 minutes from 7th/Metro to Culver City (see the Wikipedia timetable). With signal synchronization, it should make it from 7th/Flower to Culver City in 24 minutes or less. This is within three minutes of the optimal time and not much slower than the Purple Line subway service. If they could only speed up the Culver City work a little (it's been sooooooooooo slow in the last six months, after Expo denied the 2/3 of the early-finish reward from BBI), they could open the entire line at once to Culver City in April, rather than a February or March opening to La Cienega first. It looks like more they test and wait, the better the Expo Line is going to be when it opens. It's much better to have a safe and fast line than a slow and unsafe line. Therefore, they shouldn't hurry. See my Pacific Electric emblem. It says "Comfort - Speed - Safety." Hopefully, we can get a line that is no more than 45 minutes from end to end (Santa Monica). That would be a big success, so good news on the timing. I also agree that January looks almost impossible for an opening. There still seems to be major issues with the ventilation system in the tunnel as well as with the Blue Line tie in. Hopefully, we find something out on the meeting next Thursday, but I am not hopeful.
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Post by jamesinclair on Nov 23, 2011 14:15:55 GMT -8
Why does the subway have a 25mph speed limit?
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 23, 2011 15:01:43 GMT -8
Yes, the curve is very sharp in the USC trench. If you enter a curve too fast, you derail. The maximum speed is given by the curvature.
Palms Overhead (I-10 box structure) also has a similar speed limit. The curvature is less there but there is little clearance.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 23, 2011 15:05:00 GMT -8
(see the Wikipedia timetable) Hopefully, we can get a line that is no more than 45 minutes from end to end (Santa Monica). That would be a big success, so good news on the timing. Optimal timing to Santa Monica as posted on Wikipedia is 36 minutes. It looks like 40 minutes is easily attainable.
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Post by Justin Walker on Nov 23, 2011 15:56:49 GMT -8
Why does the subway have a 25mph speed limit? The 25 mph speed limit through the curve in the trench comes as no surprise. With a radius of only 340 feet, it's a rather tight curve.
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Post by darrell on Nov 23, 2011 16:22:07 GMT -8
I think a January opening has now been ruled out. They are not going to do prerevenue operation during Christmas. But it's good to see that the line improves all the time. Right now it's only six minutes more than the optimal time of 21 minutes from 7th/Metro to Culver City (see the Wikipedia timetable). With signal synchronization, it should make it from 7th/Flower to Culver City in 24 minutes or less. This is within three minutes of the optimal time and not much slower than the Purple Line subway service. If they could only speed up the Culver City work a little (it's been sooooooooooo slow in the last six months, after Expo denied the 2/3 of the early-finish reward from BBI), they could open the entire line at once to Culver City in April, rather than a February or March opening to La Cienega first. It looks like more they test and wait, the better the Expo Line is going to be when it opens. It's much better to have a safe and fast line than a slow and unsafe line. Therefore, they shouldn't hurry. See my Pacific Electric emblem. It says "Comfort - Speed - Safety." Hopefully, we can get a line that is no more than 45 minutes from end to end (Santa Monica). That would be a big success, so good news on the timing. I also agree that January looks almost impossible for an opening. There still seems to be major issues with the ventilation system in the tunnel as well as with the Blue Line tie in. Hopefully, we find something out on the meeting next Thursday, but I am not hopeful. A repost of my 11/11/11 estimated timetable: Flower & 7th Flower & Pico -- 2 minutes Flower & 23rd -- 3-4 Flower & Jefferson -- 2-3 Expo & Vermont -- 3-4 Expo & Western -- 3-4 Expo & Crenshaw -- 3-4 Expo & La Brea -- 3 Jefferson & La Cienega -- 2 Venice & Robertson -- 2 Phase 1 subtotal -- 23-28National & Palms -- 2 Expo & Westwood -- 3 Expo & Sepulveda -- 1 Expo & Bundy -- 2 Olympic & 26th -- 2 Colorado & 17th -- 2-3 Colorado & 4th -- 3-4 Phase 2 subtotal -- 15-17Total -- 38-45The videos were consistent with the faster of my estimates: * 1:53 from Jefferson to Trousdale compared to my 3-4 minutes from Jefferson to Vermont; * 2:18 from Western to Crenshaw compared to my 3-4 minutes.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Nov 23, 2011 17:22:24 GMT -8
Yes, the curve is very sharp in the USC trench. If you enter a curve too fast, you derail. The maximum speed is given by the curvature. Palms Overhead (I-10 box structure) also has a similar speed limit. The curvature is less there but there is little clearance. Tilting trains sure sounds attractive right about now.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 24, 2011 0:42:45 GMT -8
Ahead of the UCLA - USC game, the train parked by Trousdale Parkway has a sign that reads: "Take Metro to Coliseum in 2012." Justin, perhaps a picture of this sign when you walk across the tracks on Saturday?
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Post by jamesinclair on Nov 25, 2011 21:55:37 GMT -8
Will trains be testing tomorrow during the game?
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Nov 26, 2011 10:58:31 GMT -8
Well have been finally able to figure out the Radio Channel for the Expo Line I was the Second Red Line Above Ground Frequency and is Now Assigned to the Expo Line I have made a Table of the Frequency's if you have a Scanner Radio Very nice. Do you have the transmit side & do you know if they use PL tones?
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Post by jamesinclair on Nov 28, 2011 14:02:54 GMT -8
Will trains be testing tomorrow during the game? No testing was done during the game. Huge missed opportunity. Why does metro want to go in blind next year for the games? A train was parked west of the expo park station, but it just had "look left look right" safety ads, I did not see any opening soon banners.
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andop2
Junior Member
Posts: 70
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Post by andop2 on Nov 28, 2011 14:37:39 GMT -8
The Length of the Phase-2 Segments and The Condition of the ROW With all the Prep Work on the ROW already 2012 Should Start with A Bang A correction: 28th Street should be 26th Street (Stewart Street becomes 28th Street as it crosses Pico).
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 28, 2011 14:38:50 GMT -8
IT is Official as of today No More Testing Expo has turned the system over to Metro for Pre-Revenue Operations. Once Metro determines that the system is safe to operate, the line will open to the public IT IS ABOUT BLOODY TIME The testing has been being done by Metro and the contractor in collaboration. Even if Expo has turned the project completely over to Metro, this doesn't mean that there will be no more testing. Turning over the project to Metro normally means beginning of the Stage 2 testing (end of Stage 1 -- contractor's testing -- and beginning of Stage 2 -- Metro testing). In the case of the Expo Line, they started Stage 2 testing before the turnover. So, nothing will be different when the turnover takes place. Besides, the junction and the trench ventilation hasn't been completed yet. There is certainly going to be contractor activity as well as testing there. On top of that, the signal synchronization hasn't been done yet. Therefore, I don't expect anything to be different -- yet -- for at least several weeks from now. Expect a lot of more testing before the line can go into prerevenue operation (Stage 3 testing). Check last week's news in The Source. We're still far from prerevenue operation. Quoting The Source: "Bottom line: Metro officials are adamant about not rushing to open the line until it is completed."
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Nov 28, 2011 14:52:15 GMT -8
CAN'T We have Some Good News ?? THE LINE IS TURNED OVER SHOULD BE GOOD NEWS Who Care's if Metro Clame not to be Rushing Agreed with Gokhan. Until the Source says pre-revenue operations are beginning, I'm going to take all other news with a grain of salt.
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 28, 2011 15:16:17 GMT -8
CAN'T We have Some Good News ?? THE LINE IS TURNED OVER SHOULD BE GOOD NEWS Who Care's if Metro Clame not to be Rushing Yes, it's good news that Expo has officially handed the key to Metro! But you went much further and extrapolated what you heard to two completely different things: (1) there will be no more Stage 2 testing (Stage 2 testing = system-integration testing by Metro) and (2) the prerevenue operation (Stage 3 testing) will now begin. I was saying that neither is hardly likely to be the case yet.
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Post by darrell on Nov 28, 2011 16:20:58 GMT -8
CAN'T We have Some Good News ?? THE LINE IS TURNED OVER SHOULD BE GOOD NEWS Who Care's if Metro Clame not to be Rushing Yes, it's good news that Expo has officially handed the key to Metro! But you went much further and extrapolated what you heard to two completely different things: (1) there will be no more Stage 2 testing (Stage 2 testing = system-integration testing by Metro) and (2) the prerevenue operation (Stage 3 testing) will now begin. I was saying that neither is hardly likely to be the case yet. Are trains running today?
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Post by John Ryan on Nov 28, 2011 18:14:35 GMT -8
Expolinefan is referencing the Expo Line Facebook page, which [maybe] erroneously declared:
"Expo has turned the system over to Metro for Pre-Revenue Operations. Once Metro determines that the system is safe to operate, the line will open to the public. We anticipate an opening to the Jefferson/La Cienega station early next year, but Metro will determine the actual opening date since they will be operating the line."
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Post by Gokhan on Nov 28, 2011 19:55:37 GMT -8
Hmm, we will probably find out soon what this means. They have been turning the line over to Metro for prerevenue operation every month since June or so.
I am kind of suspicious about the reliability of this information. The prerevenue news would come from Metro, not Expo. Turning the line over to Metro doesn't necessarily mean that prerevenue operation will start -- all it means is that the substantial completion of the construction has been reached. It sounds like the Expo Facebook page jumped the gun this time.
I didn't see testing today but then it's only Monday after Thanksgiving holiday and not everyone is back probably.
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Post by roadtrainer on Nov 28, 2011 22:07:54 GMT -8
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