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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 8, 2012 7:30:42 GMT -8
Expo Line pre-opening ride, after 11 a.m., 4/4/2012. Be sure to watch in full-screen HD, 720 or 1080 if you can. Thanks Darrell! Enjoyed my first Expo ride.  |
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Post by Justin Walker on Apr 8, 2012 9:07:47 GMT -8
Expo Line pre-opening ride, after 11 a.m., 4/4/2012. Be sure to watch in full-screen HD, 720 or 1080 if you can. Thanks for posting those videos, Darrell! Great stuff! I especially liked the bicyclist in the above video at 5:03!  |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 8, 2012 9:37:04 GMT -8
Expo Line pre-opening ride, after 11 a.m., 4/4/2012. Be sure to watch in full-screen HD, 720 or 1080 if you can. Thanks for posting those videos, Darrell! Great stuff! I especially liked the bicyclist in the above video at 5:03! So, you hang out at the junction with your bicycle all the time? LOL |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 8, 2012 9:43:15 GMT -8
Great video, Darrell! I wish you hadn't edited out the stops though so that we could have it as a real-time reference. It sounds like the train was two minutes slower than the timetable (26 minutes). It's interesting to see all the speed limits. Note that once the Culver City Station opens, they will increase the speed limit at La Cienega from 10 MPH to 55 MPH. Of course, then there will be a 10 MPH speed limit in Culver City. Eventually that will also become 55 MPH once the three-platform terminus station in Santa Monica opens. The temporary limit is because they do wrong-tracking at these stations to turn trains around. Farmdale speed limit can also increase to 15 MPH once the ATP is installed there. I saw the inductive loops for the ATP in the junction in the video. I should watch the whole thing again more carefully. |
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Post by simonla on Apr 8, 2012 10:25:22 GMT -8
Hymon reported that the Gold Line (to Pasadena) shaved seven minutes from its time since opening in 2003. What do you all think is realistic as far as time shaved from Expo in five to 10 years?
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 8, 2012 10:50:05 GMT -8
It sounds like the train was two minutes slower than the timetable (26 minutes). Ah, that may be because of the temporary 10 MPH speed limit at La Cienega (due to wrong-tracking). Once the Culver City Station opens, 10 MPH zone will be moved there and the trains should be able to make the timetable to La Cienega. |
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Apr 8, 2012 10:51:14 GMT -8
Great video, Darrell! I wish you hadn't edited out the stops though so that we could have it as a real-time reference. It sounds like the train was two minutes slower than the timetable (26 minutes). It's interesting to see all the speed limits. Note that once the Culver City Station opens, they will increase the speed limit at La Cienega from 10 MPH to 55 MPH. Of course, then there will be a 10 MPH speed limit in Culver City. Eventually that will also become 55 MPH once the three-platform terminus station in Santa Monica opens. The temporary limit is because they do wrong-tracking at these stations to turn trains around. Farmdale speed limit can also increase to 15 MPH once the ATP is installed there. I saw the inductive loops for the ATP in the junction in the video. I should watch the whole thing again more carefully. (try watching in 720p or 1080p). Right before the train comes up to the "ridiculously photogenic bicyclist with the USC bag", you see quite a few temporary looking inductive loops that I alluded to last week. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 8, 2012 10:53:33 GMT -8
Hymon reported that the Gold Line (to Pasadena) shaved seven minutes from its time since opening in 2003. What do you all think is realistic as far as time shaved from Expo in five to 10 years? 29 minutes to Culver City is pretty slow and I think they will shave at least a minute once the Farmdale Station opens. In order to shave more time, they need to better sync the signals or perhaps even give the trains signal priority. I think trains have signal priority at Exposition/Rodeo for example. They may be able to reduce the Culver City time to around 25 minutes. |
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Apr 8, 2012 11:33:06 GMT -8
Expo Line pre-opening ride, after 11 a.m., 4/4/2012. Be sure to watch in full-screen HD, 720 or 1080 if you can. I omitted some street and station stops; total time end-to-end was 28 minutes. Not bad for an iPhone 4S: I shot through the operator's cab open door; the streaks are in the windshield film. It took this long to get it edited and uploaded in HD, finally using Windows Live Movie Maker after problems with Premiere Elements. Sound was predominantly conversation, so I left it silent. Thanks for the video Darrell! I was curious if you used a tripod to keep the shot steady. The iPhone 4S 1080p HD quality is pretty good, but like most flip cams, they tend to use a high shutter speed in daylight resulting in partial exposure of the LED station signs (the signs look like they're rolling like a Vegas slot machine) and "blinking" bus LED tail lights; the reasoning behind this is that those LEDs are driven by pulse width modulation. Maybe we can do a 3D version; I have the Sony HDR-TD10 3D cam that I can lend out if there's a need to record this in 3D HD. |
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 8, 2012 13:37:26 GMT -8
Hymon reported that the Gold Line (to Pasadena) shaved seven minutes from its time since opening in 2003. What do you all think is realistic as far as time shaved from Expo in five to 10 years? The gold line being faster has really helped ridership as well, along with the increased frequency. I posted years ago that several people that live in Pasadena and Highland Park had told me that they had been looking forward to the gold line, but when they actually road it, that it was so slow that they went back to their cars. Now that's turning around. I rode the gold line for the first time in many months a few weeks ago and it was noticeably faster between Heritage Square and Mission over even last year. Even between Highland Park and Mission where in actual time, it probably isn't much different, but it just feels so much faster because it goes 5-10 mph faster in certain bits. People have said it before here, but the perception of speed is as, or even more, important than reality. So with that said, I'd have to ride Expo to see whether it feels slow or normal. If there are some slow bits, they should try and speed those up ASAP and let the overall time fall where it may. The main thing is for the ride to not "feel" slow. It's going to feel slow around Flower, but the rest looks fast. |
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Post by darrell on Apr 8, 2012 15:11:01 GMT -8
Thanks for the video Darrell! I was curious if you used a tripod to keep the shot steady. The iPhone 4S 1080p HD quality is pretty good, but like most flip cams, they tend to use a high shutter speed in daylight resulting in partial exposure of the LED station signs (the signs look like they're rolling like a Vegas slot machine) and "blinking" bus LED tail lights; the reasoning behind this is that those LEDs are driven by pulse width modulation. Maybe we can do a 3D version; I have the Sony HDR-TD10 3D cam that I can lend out if there's a need to record this in 3D HD. Thanks, Tony. It was remarkably simple: I just braced my right arm against the right side of the open doorway and held the camera in my hand. But my hand got tired, a reason to stop when the train did. As long as you don't need a zoom lens, I've found the iPhone video as good as that on my Canon T2i. Perhaps because of the tiny sensor, the iPhone's focus / depth of field is very good. And you don't look like a serious photographer. |
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Post by roadtrainer on Apr 8, 2012 22:32:01 GMT -8
Thanks for the great video, I heard that Dwight was going to Video a cab ride too. I am curious to know did the train continue to Washington /National and did you film that too?  and keep up the good work!  |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 9, 2012 12:14:33 GMT -8
As the construction crews dig into the ballast to replace cables, there is now more damage to the tracks in Culver City than the gopher caused in Caddyshack. LOL  As a result, there won't be train testing in Culver City for quite a while. Don't expect the Culver City Station to open before July 2012. |
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Post by darrell on Apr 9, 2012 16:40:26 GMT -8
Thanks for the great video, I heard that Dwight was going to Video a cab ride too. I am curious to know did the train continue to Washington /National and did you film that too? and keep up the good work! You're welcome! No, after waiting at La Cienega for awhile we reboarded the same train and returned east to downtown. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 9, 2012 17:23:29 GMT -8
Thanks for the great video, I heard that Dwight was going to Video a cab ride too. I am curious to know did the train continue to Washington /National and did you film that too? and keep up the good work! You're welcome! No, after waiting at La Cienega for awhile we reboarded the same train and returned east to downtown. Yes, the trains will dwell for about 12 minutes -- one headway -- at the end station (La Cienega or Culver City) before going back (also for revenue operations). This ensures that the other train arrives at the station while the train departs, minimizing the chances of two trains heading toward each other on the same track, as they have to do wrong-tracking between the last two stations. Trains cannot currently be run beyond La Cienega because of the repairs discussed above. |
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Post by Alexis Kasperavičius on Apr 9, 2012 20:55:00 GMT -8
Slightly faster... Thanks Darrell - you're already being re-mixed!  |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 10, 2012 17:56:37 GMT -8
I got to ride the Expo Line on my Birthday with our groups Friends 4 Expo and Light-Rail for Cheviot! It was a great party!  The line is very nice. It's a very quite and smooth ride and the surroundings and landscaping look great. What's perhaps the most striking part of the ride is when you emerge from the trench (tunnel) at the Expo Park / USC Station. You all of a sudden find yourself between the beautiful USC campus and Exposition Park. You would never come anywhere close to that experience if they built a subway under Exposition Blvd all the way to the west of Vermont Avenue. When you come to the at-grade USC Station, it really strikes you that: This is beautiful, this is great transit, and it's actually part of life! I recorded a cab video on the way back (eastbound). Transit enthusiasts will really love it. The train operator is extremely cautious about safety -- looks at all directions all the time and slows down or stops if there is any sign of a hazard. What ended up happening was that the 25-minute ride took 34 minutes because we had to wait for a northbound Blue Line train at the junction and then we had to wait for two simultaneous trains at both platforms of the 7th/Metro, resulting in a 9-minute delay to the timetable schedule. So, there is a lot of train congestion with the Expo and Blue Line trains! This will likely be so until the Downtown Connector opens. Again, I am sure the train-operation enthusiasts will love this video. Enjoy! |
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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 10, 2012 23:20:42 GMT -8
34 minutes? Good lord that's horrible.
Also, anybody else dread the Flower street segment of the Expo Line? It appears this section is going to have such a slow perception of the entire Expo Line.
Question: how fast does the Expo Line roll along in the trench? I remember the shock of the Gold Line eastside extension when we found out we couldn't go more than 10 mph on the 101 flyover...it sucked. Now, it's 15 mph. From the looks of the video, it does appear quite slow.
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 11, 2012 1:18:16 GMT -8
Great video Gokhan! Was the train that you rode the next SB Long Beach train or did they pull it into the track 2 tail track?
I think that we can see from the congestion that some adjustment to the timetable will be necessary, especially at rush hour. There are stertches where trains now come and go almost randomly compared to the published times.
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Post by matthewb on Apr 11, 2012 3:50:36 GMT -8
Great video Gokhan! Was the train that you rode the next SB Long Beach train or did they pull it into the track 2 tail track? I think that we can see from the congestion that some adjustment to the timetable will be necessary, especially at rush hour. There are stertches where trains now come and go almost randomly compared to the published times. I have a couple take home observations from watching the video. The first is that the speed limits seem to be pretty inconsistent with the actual conditions on the track. There are sections where the train is quite slow but there are no crossings or likely trespassing on the tracks. The second is that signal priority is absolutely necessary. At one point the train waits for a minute or so for two cars to make left turns. Assuming a generous expected occupancy of 1.5 passengers per car, that's making a whole train full of people yield to approximately 3 people. It's much better that the line actually open as soon as possible, but what would it take to get Farmdale back to a more reasonable speed, say in a year or so? Would it need another EIR or court hearing? Actually, I want to end on a positive note and say that the line is beautiful and will be an excellent service for Los Angeles. Imagine MBA students from USC taking the train to Pasadena to meet with researchers at CalTech to plan a tech startup, for example. Or people living in downtown condos commuting to work in Culver City. This is going to make LA so much more livable and productive. |
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Post by carter on Apr 11, 2012 9:54:05 GMT -8
34 minutes? Good lord that's horrible. Also, anybody else dread the Flower street segment of the Expo Line? It appears this section is going to have such a slow perception of the entire Expo Line. The two times I've been on the Expo Line, the 7th/Metro to La Cienega trip was much more in the 25 minute range. From the looks of Gokhan's video, it seems like he hit an real worst-case scenario of delays. The trench/tunnel segment has a speed limit of 25 mph, IIRC. |
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Post by bzcat on Apr 11, 2012 10:12:34 GMT -8
I'm very jealous... I want to ride the test train too |
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Apr 11, 2012 11:47:48 GMT -8
I'm excited for the Expo Line opening. The new map is transformative! I hope to be on the first Expo train out of 7th St on April 28th at 5:06am.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 11, 2012 12:40:56 GMT -8
Great video Gokhan! Was the train that you rode the next SB Long Beach train or did they pull it into the track 2 tail track? I think that we can see from the congestion that some adjustment to the timetable will be necessary, especially at rush hour. There are stertches where trains now come and go almost randomly compared to the published times. I am glad you enjoyed it Shawn! The westbound train we rode was a three-car Siemens and came to Platform 1 from the tail tracks. The eastbound train was a three-car Nippon Sharyo, waiting for us at La Cienega. When we came back, there was a Siemens at Platform 2 and a Nippon Sharyo at Platform 1. Siemens eventually left for Long Beach and we switched to the wrong track and got off at Platform 2. It didn't immediately board passengers. It perhaps went to the tail tracks or became the next Expo train. When the Expo Line starts running, a lot of the Blue Line passengers will accidentally end up on Expo trains, especially elderly. Some never look at signs. The operator was quite upset about the 9-minute delay. Many things went wrong. There was a worker on the tracks that we had to slow down for. There was a northbound Blue Line train in front of us that we had to wait for. Then both platforms were occupied at 7th/Merto and we had to wait for one of the trains to clear. I think this was almost a worst-case scenario but they need to be better in operating these lines. They can't have trains at both 7th/Metro platforms while a train is arriving for example. It looks like they are not there yet as far as how to plan their operations. I think they rushed the opening a little bit. They should have probably waited for a few more weeks. Yes, the speed limit in the trench is 25 MPH, which is excellent given the very sharp curve there. But the train hardly exceeds 40 - 45 MPH, even in 55 MPH zones. Currently they are very worried about safety. Perhaps after people get used to the line, they will increase the speeds and operate at the speed limits. These are shots at the La Cienega Station, showing our westbound Siemens and eastbound Nippon Sharyo three-car trains:         |
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 11, 2012 17:22:41 GMT -8
The two times I've been on the Expo Line, the 7th/Metro to La Cienega trip was much more in the 25 minute range. From the looks of Gokhan's video, it seems like he hit an real worst-case scenario of delays. Did you ride at rush hour or in the middle of the day? From what I've seen the potential delays along Flower are more significant at rush hour, which is when most people are riding. |
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Post by carter on Apr 11, 2012 22:48:53 GMT -8
Did you ride at rush hour or in the middle of the day? From what I've seen the potential delays along Flower are more significant at rush hour, which is when most people are riding. Hm. I think both times were around 10 am? Kinda forget. |
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Post by tonyw79sfv on Apr 12, 2012 8:53:53 GMT -8
Not sure if this is already known, over at the tail end of the WS/C meeting, they mentioned that on opening weekend, Expo and Blue Lines would operate an inverted weekday rush hour schedule, with Expo Line every 6 minutes and Blue Line every 12 minutes.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 12, 2012 15:18:43 GMT -8
They are still repairing the tracks on the ramp of the Ballona Creek bridge. They are digging the ballast. I don't know what the problem is. There is currently no train testing in Culver City because of the ongoing track repair. It looks like the problem is with the OCS feed cables under the ballast and they are pulling cables. The work still continues and as a result there is no train testing. It could take a while to repair the OCS feed there. This should delay the Culver City opening well into June 2012. I contacted Expo and I was told that this was not repair work. They are installing emergency lighting on the two bridge ramps in Culver City. It's a little strange that this wasn't done when they built them. It was probably added on recently. There is still no train testing in Culver City because of this emergency-lighting installation taking place. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 12, 2012 15:22:10 GMT -8
Did you ride at rush hour or in the middle of the day? From what I've seen the potential delays along Flower are more significant at rush hour, which is when most people are riding. Hm. I think both times were around 10 am? Kinda forget. There is no question that the Expo - Blue Lines operations need to be improved. Currently it seems to be random at best. When we rode the line toward Downtown LA, the train operator was really frustrated about the operations headquarters every time he called them. Expo - Blue operations headquarters need to be better organized and try to automatize things as much as possible as well. |
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Post by bluelineshawn on Apr 12, 2012 19:36:57 GMT -8
Not sure if this is already known, over at the tail end of the WS/C meeting, they mentioned that on opening weekend, Expo and Blue Lines would operate an inverted weekday rush hour schedule, with Expo Line every 6 minutes and Blue Line every 12 minutes. Makes sense and glad to hear it, but have they tested Expo at that frequency? |
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