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Post by rajacobs on Feb 15, 2012 12:16:07 GMT -8
Does seem odd not to mention the Expo Line. Of course, the historic antipathy towards it is on record. ...Perhaps some letters to the USC President are in order.
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 15, 2012 12:23:12 GMT -8
Maybe he's reluctant to announce the line since it's been delayed so many times--and an official opening date is yet to be set. He did even mention projects that will be built in several years from now.
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Post by James Fujita on Feb 15, 2012 14:52:24 GMT -8
Was the stuff he mentioned funded by USC?
The Expo Line, wonderful though it may be, doesn't dent USC's budget.
The president's address was undoubtedly aimed at USC students, parents and alumni, all of whom deserve to know where tuition money and alumni donations are going.
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 15, 2012 16:32:39 GMT -8
Was the stuff he mentioned funded by USC? The Expo Line, wonderful though it may be, doesn't dent USC's budget. The president's address was undoubtedly aimed at USC students, parents and alumni, all of whom deserve to know where tuition money and alumni donations are going. Sure, most projects are being built by USC funds and donations, but it was a general talk about USC, directed explicitly to the staff, and he should have mentioned Expo Line, which is an huge investment near the campus that will benefit it.
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Post by transitfan on Feb 16, 2012 6:19:56 GMT -8
Was the stuff he mentioned funded by USC? The Expo Line, wonderful though it may be, doesn't dent USC's budget. The president's address was undoubtedly aimed at USC students, parents and alumni, all of whom deserve to know where tuition money and alumni donations are going. Sure, most projects are being built by USC funds and donations, but it was a general talk about USC, directed explicitly to the staff, and he should have mentioned Expo Line, which is an huge investment near the campus that will benefit it. Maybe Dr. Nikias is afraid that too many students and staff will switch to the Expo Line, thereby reducing parking revenue for USC. ;D (FWIW, parking at USC is handled by the Transportation Services department, which is a division of Auxiliary Services. I worked for a different unit in Auxiliary Services when I worked at USC, and back then, Transportation was constantly in the red. One year, my department had to transfer money to Transportation so they could balance their budget (a requirement). That was 15 years ago, things may be different now).
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 16, 2012 11:05:49 GMT -8
Sure, most projects are being built by USC funds and donations, but it was a general talk about USC, directed explicitly to the staff, and he should have mentioned Expo Line, which is an huge investment near the campus that will benefit it. Maybe Dr. Nikias is afraid that too many students and staff will switch to the Expo Line, thereby reducing parking revenue for USC. ;D (FWIW, parking at USC is handled by the Transportation Services department, which is a division of Auxiliary Services. I worked for a different unit in Auxiliary Services when I worked at USC, and back then, Transportation was constantly in the red. One year, my department had to transfer money to Transportation so they could balance their budget (a requirement). That was 15 years ago, things may be different now). I sense that you're partially joking. While it's true that USC has some significant revenue from parking, I really don't think that that's the reason. They have a lot of problem satisfying the demand for parking. They also want to get rid of surface lots so that they can build there. If they were given the option if every single USC person could take the public transportation, they would accept it without hesitation. While there is revenue from parking, benefits for USC of more people taking public transportation far outweighs it. I think the reason is partly the animosity toward the Expo Line from the President Steven Sample days. Remember that Steven Sample killed light-rail in Buffalo, NY, while he was the president there, and, because of that, they hired him to USC to kill the Expo Line. In his retirement interview, he stated that his biggest regret with his career was the Expo Line. Despite all the politics and the high-level administration trying to sell USC as every student driving a BMW, the fact remains that perhaps about half of the USC students don't even have a car.
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Post by simonla on Feb 16, 2012 11:08:17 GMT -8
Is it realistic to think that an opening date may be announced at next week's board meeting (2/23)?
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 16, 2012 11:13:05 GMT -8
BREAKING (DOWN) NEWS: Another rain and the Expo Line breaks down again...Today I was surprised that there was no prerevenue operation taking place. I found the answer when I came to Western Avenue, apparently a problematic area, as they had rain-induced problems in the vicinity in the past. The mild rain of yesterday morning had apparently shorted out or corroded the line again, and they were trying to repair it today. Some people were asking why they didn't provide rain protection at the stations. Now, we know the answer. The line won't be in operation when it rains. Meanwhile, City of Los Angeles is installing very nice designer street signs along Exposition Boulevard. Photos of the signs and repair of the rain damage are here. I guess this line is still not ready for the prime time.
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Post by bobdavis on Feb 16, 2012 13:57:12 GMT -8
My mental jukebox/car stereo is playing "It Never Rains in California" and "When It Rains It Really Pours" Or to paraphrase Chuck Berry's "Maybelline", "The rainwater washin' all under the track/Meant those trains weren't comin' back" "Expo Line, why can't you run right? They'll be fixin' those wires all through the day and night."
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Post by Philip on Feb 16, 2012 14:36:09 GMT -8
*facepalm*
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Post by James Fujita on Feb 16, 2012 14:52:55 GMT -8
[ I think the reason is partly the animosity toward the Expo Line from the President Steven Sample days. Remember that Steven Sample killed light-rail in Buffalo, NY, while he was the president there, and, because of that, they hired him to USC to kill the Expo Line. In his retirement interview, he stated that his biggest regret with his career was the Expo Line. If USC hired Dr. Sample because of the Expo Line, then they had tunnel vision. They were also forward thinking and reactionary at the same time, because Sample was hired in 1991, when the MTA had just purchased the rail line Sample's wikipedia page doesn't even mention Expo Rail, although maybe that is something which can be fixed. The northernmost station of Buffalo's light rail subway is University Station (since 1986), so his success there seems to be limited.
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Post by carter on Feb 16, 2012 15:25:51 GMT -8
Meanwhile, City of Los Angeles is installing very nice designer street signs along Exposition Boulevard. Gokhan, I believe those street signs are the new standard design for the City of L.A. and will be installed whenever the old signs are replaced. Here's a little more info. militantangeleno.blogspot.com/2011/03/signs-of-times.html
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 16, 2012 15:32:22 GMT -8
Sample's wikipedia page doesn't even mention Expo Rail, although maybe that is something which can be fixed. The northernmost station of Buffalo's light rail subway is University Station (since 1986), so his success there seems to be limited. Actually, he was 100% successful there and that's exactly how he killed the line -- by demanding a subway station at the university. As a result, they ran out of money and couldn't build the rest of the line. He asked for the same thing at USC.
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Post by James Fujita on Feb 16, 2012 19:12:42 GMT -8
I don't really know Buffalo that well, but I have my doubts about giving one person that much mind control power The University station isn't the only underground station (thanks, Wikipedia), so there must have been others wanting a subway. There are legitimate reasons for going underground other than NIMBYism. Buffalo could have found other funding sources if they had wanted. I note various expansion plans on the Wikipedia page, but also downtown business opposition. Also, pardon my semantics, but a project can't really be "killed" if you can still get from downtown to the university. Truncated or shortened maybe, but not killed. In Los Angeles, USC succeeded in getting a trench built, but the project will still reach Santa Monica (if anybody were to kill Expo Rail, there's Cheviot Hills or Farmsdale). So, did Sample win or lose?
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Post by rajacobs on Feb 17, 2012 7:36:46 GMT -8
Yesterday, Source reported that "Metro CEO Art Leahy told Board members that he will have meetings in the next 10 days or so to try to determine an opening date for the Expo Line, which could be as soon as early spring. The opening will depend on several factors, most notably the state Public Utilities Commission approval of the line and local fire and safety officials signing off on the line." thesource.metro.net/2012/02/16/updates-on-locking-the-gates-and-expo-line-opening/ Hmm, "early Spring"; in 2012 Spring begins on March 20. ...And Spring ends on June 19. Sooo, early Spring would be less than the half way point, May 5th. I think April 15th is gaining some legs!
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Post by transitfan on Feb 17, 2012 8:39:47 GMT -8
BREAKING (DOWN) NEWS: Another rain and the Expo Line breaks down again...Today I was surprised that there was no prerevenue operation taking place. I found the answer when I came to Western Avenue, apparently a problematic area, as they had rain-induced problems in the vicinity in the past. The mild rain of yesterday morning had apparently shorted out or corroded the line again, and they were trying to repair it today. Some people were asking why they didn't provide rain protection at the stations. Now, we know the answer. The line won't be in operation when it rains. Meanwhile, City of Los Angeles is installing very nice designer street signs along Exposition Boulevard. Photos of the signs and repair of the rain damage are here. I guess this line is still not ready for the prime time. Maybe MTA should save some of those Neoplan buses they are currently retiring for an Expo Line bustitution whenever it rains. ;D
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 17, 2012 9:25:35 GMT -8
In Los Angeles, USC succeeded in getting a trench built, but the project will still reach Santa Monica (if anybody were to kill Expo Rail, there's Cheviot Hills or Farmsdale). So, did Sample win or lose? No, this is rather false in several ways. USC did not want a trench. They opposed the trench. They asked for a full, fully covered subway between Figueroa and Vermont. Sample's main point was not to have trench walls or railroad tracks between Exposition Park and USC, hence permanently separating the two. The reason why the trench was built wasn't USC at all. Expo wanted to go at-grade at Figueroa but LADOT didn't let them go at-grade there. As a result, they had to grade-separate it. Therefore, Sample lost big time. In Buffalo, the originally planned light-rail line was much longer, but since Sample managed to have a subway station built there, they ran out of money and that's where the line ended. It's a moot point now, but if he succeeded with the same at USC, then Fix Expo and NFSR would demand a subway for the rest of the line, and the line probably wouldn't reach beyond Crenshaw for decades.
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 17, 2012 11:09:48 GMT -8
No prerevenue operation today either. I don't know what's going on. They are now building a parking lot and a small building where Expo Inn used to be at Farmdale. A lot of grading and compacting is taking place around the Culver City Station and at the future surface parking lot there. There are derails clamped on the rails just past the Ballona Creek bridge. If some operator drove the train past the Ballona Creek bridge, he would go off the tracks, literally.
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Feb 17, 2012 12:19:17 GMT -8
No prerevenue operation today either. I don't know what's going on. Message from our lurking friend: THe Test Trains Start after 11Am and run till Midnight Let Gokhan Know this. Dwight! Come back! We miss you!
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 17, 2012 12:42:44 GMT -8
Message from our lurking friend: THe Test Trains Start after 11Am and run till Midnight Let Gokhan Know this. Dwight! Come back! We miss you! Sounds good. It looks like they are doing repairs in the mornings.
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Post by James Fujita on Feb 17, 2012 16:10:48 GMT -8
In Buffalo, the originally planned light-rail line was much longer, but since Sample managed to have a subway station built there, they ran out of money and that's where the line ended. It's a moot point now, but if he succeeded with the same at USC, then Fix Expo and NFSR would demand a subway for the rest of the line, and the line probably wouldn't reach beyond Crenshaw for decades. I'm no fan of Steven Sample, but I'm trying to figure out where you get your claim that Sample single-handedly was responsible for the Buffalo subway. As far as I can tell, Sample was just one part of a coalition of factors, including Amhearst NIMBYs, Canisus College, more NIMBYs, and possibly downtown business interests. Also, this was Buffalo in the Rust Belt 1980s, and the town was in danger of imploding on itself. Moving beyond that, I don't think Fix Expo or the other Expo NIMBYs needed Sample's permission or encouragement to demand all sorts of "improvements" to the Expo Line, either of the underground or overpass variety. They did that all on their own. And "but if USC had gotten.." is just speculative fiction. Anti-rail positions are always built on shifting beach sand. Underground is not a bad thing, it's just expensive. Steven Sample has Parkinson's, so let's leave the man alone. He lost and the line will reach Santa Monica. USC seems to have come around, and if they don't mention the Expo Line in every address, message, pep rally and at commencement, who cares? They will probably take credit for the line at the grand opening
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 18, 2012 11:20:20 GMT -8
I saw a couple of prerevenue trains last night. For some reason, the trains painfully slow down to 10 MPH as soon as they come to Buckingham Road (quite a bit east of Farmdale). Also, the section between Hauser Boulevard and La Cienega is painfully slow (~ 10 MPH). Both are very strange.
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Post by azndevil97 on Feb 19, 2012 13:01:02 GMT -8
Last night, I was driving a friend back to LAX to catch a plane to NYC. I drove down Hauser to Jefferson, and was happy that i was able to catch a train leaving the La Cienega station around 10:20 or so. I noticed that it did seem a bit slow, but hopefully will speed up soon.
In any case, seeing that train at night was awesome! My friend was laughing at me because I was so excited. But then, she does live in Manhattan!
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Post by Transit Coalition on Feb 19, 2012 20:34:49 GMT -8
Last night, I was driving a friend back to LAX to catch a plane to NYC. I drove down Hauser to Jefferson, and was happy that i was able to catch a train leaving the La Cienega station around 10:20 or so. I noticed that it did seem a bit slow, but hopefully will speed up soon. In any case, seeing that train at night was awesome! My friend was laughing at me because I was so excited. But then, she does live in Manhattan! I hope you actually mean that you saw a test train. Considering that the stair wells and elevator are not in service, it would be an interesting issue if you were able to "catch a train".
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Post by azndevil97 on Feb 20, 2012 12:50:36 GMT -8
Last night, I was driving a friend back to LAX to catch a plane to NYC. I drove down Hauser to Jefferson, and was happy that i was able to catch a train leaving the La Cienega station around 10:20 or so. I noticed that it did seem a bit slow, but hopefully will speed up soon. In any case, seeing that train at night was awesome! My friend was laughing at me because I was so excited. But then, she does live in Manhattan! I hope you actually mean that you saw a test train. Considering that the stair wells and elevator are not in service, it would be an interesting issue if you were able to "catch a train". If this was an attempt at humor, you failed
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 20, 2012 16:55:33 GMT -8
Enjoy the prerevenue action from yesterday, which I recorded with Alan K. Weeks, including at the Exposition Blvd / Rodeo Blvd (Gramercy Place) split, which terrifies some people on this board!
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Post by Gokhan on Feb 20, 2012 20:00:50 GMT -8
Note how long the gates were down unnecessarily at Farmdale. You can hear the driver of the car trying to make a right turn swearing. Fix Expo ruined it for everyone.
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Post by jamesinclair on Feb 21, 2012 0:01:24 GMT -8
Note how long the gates were down unnecessarily at Farmdale. You can hear the driver of the car trying to make a right turn swearing. Fix Expo ruined it for everyone. isnt that what they wanted? "Expo will cause major delays" "No it wont" "We demand you implement all these policies (that will cause major delays" *policies implemented* "aha, we told you! major delays!"
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Feb 21, 2012 5:06:12 GMT -8
Note how long the gates were down unnecessarily at Farmdale. You can hear the driver of the car trying to make a right turn swearing. Fix Expo ruined it for everyone. Would it make sense to start a campaign to remove this restriction yet? Maybe a sign next to the intersection saying: "Why is the Train So Slow?"...with a link to a campaign. Maybe too early, but the neighborhood will start complaining soon enough. That crossing is a joke.
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Feb 21, 2012 9:09:14 GMT -8
A segment of Metro Motion promoting destinations on the Expo Line was shown on the infamous Transit TV on the bus I was riding (761 bus). As has been the cliche here, no specific date was announced on that clip. So if anyone is not aware already about Expo, now they do.
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