Gerald
Francis, GM Rail Operations,
LACMATA, related some of his experience: 3.5 yrs with MTA, 10
years with Union Pacific, Light rail experience in St. Louis and Texas.
MetroRail is a rail and bus network, the nation's second largest.
They built carpool lanes...447 miles of them.
They operate 2,000 CNG buses...the nation's biggest fleet.
There are 73 miles of Metro Rail and 63 stations. There are 400
miles of metro bikeways.
In the next 25 years, there will be 2 - 3 million more people.
There will be developments along rail corridors which can be seen now
along the red and gold lines already.
He plans to put "Rapid" back into the Transit System. Gold line
will extension will complete Union Station to Pomona. Extensions
as well on the orange and Expositon Lines.
The new rail car 2550s were received in June and they now have 2
cars. The will eventually be on all 3 lines except the
subway. These cars can be exchanged from one line to another and
signal changes can be made quickly (overnight) for use the next day on
another line. $2.9 million cost per car including new video
surveillance camers, black boxes, and onboard diagnostics.
Getting people off the roads going to their jobs and schools and into
busses and trains will help our congestion. 80% of Los Angeles
residents go to jobs and schools.
Changes in the interest of Safety include: Engineering,
Enforcement, and Education. New cyclops lights, "Tee" signal for
trains on streets, independent of car stop lights. Second Train
Coming signs. Pedestrian gates at crossings. There has been
accident reduction from the 1990 46.4 to the 2005 30.6. The Blue
Line is the biggest line in the system, second only to Boston. 75
to 76,000 people a day are connecting between Los Angeles and Long
Beach. There is a 2009 extension of the Gold Line.
