Metro Purple Line (LACMTA) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Purple Line is a subway line

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

operating between Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...

and Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...

/Koreatown, Los Angeles, California

Koreatown, Los Angeles, California

Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...

in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

; one of five lines on the Metro Rail System

Los Angeles County Metro Rail

Metro Rail is the rapid transit rail system consisting of five separate lines serving 70 stations in the Los Angeles County, California area. The new Expo line is due to enter service in early 2012. It connects with the Metro liner bus rapid transit system and also with the Metrolink commuter...

.

The Purple Line is one of the city's two subway

Rapid transit

lines (along with the Red Line). Although they separate in different directions west of downtown Los Angeles, the two subway lines (Purple and Red) were until recently considered two branches of one line, and are still marked this way in most stations, on schedules, and on older rail maps. As of July 2011 the combined Red and Purple lines averaged 171,000 boardings per weekday. The line is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...

Route

The Purple Line begins at Union Station and travels southwest through Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...

, passing the Civic Center, Pershing Square (near the Historic Core) and the Financial District. At , travelers can connect to the Metro Blue Line. From here, the train follows 7th Street west through Pico-Union and Westlake, arriving at in the city's Mid-Wilshire

Mid-Wilshire

/Koreatown district. Up to this point, track is shared with the Metro Red Line: at Wilshire/Vermont, the two lines diverge. The Purple Line continues west for one additional mile, and terminates at .

Hours of operation

Trains run between approximately 4:45 am and 11:30 pm daily. First and last train times are as follows:

To/From Wilshire/Western

Eastbound

First Train to Union Station: 4:41 am
Last Train to Union Station: 11:42 pm

Westbound

First Train to Wilshire/Western: 4:56 am
Last Train to Wilshire/Western: 11:27 pm

During the evenings Purple line trains sometimes run as shuttles. Passengers must transfer to a Red line train at Wilshire/Vermont. This will change once the Purple line is extended to Westwood.

Rolling stock

The Purple Line uses Ansaldobreda A650

Ansaldobreda A650

The Ansaldobreda A650 is a type of multiple unit subway car built by Ansaldobreda in Italy and used on the Los Angeles Metro Red and Metro Purple Lines....

75 feet (22.9 m) electric multiple unit

Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...

cars built by Ansaldobreda in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. Trains usually run in four-car consists during peak hours and two-car consists outside of peak hours. The acceleration for cars #530 and up is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority because they both use General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

traction motor

Traction motor

Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....

s. The cars are maintained in a yard on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River

Los Angeles River

The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...

in downtown Los Angeles.

Ridership

The Purple Line is utilized mostly as a downtown shuttle on its shared segment with the Red Line. The stub between Vermont and Western has a very low ridership. According to Metro Service Coordinator Conan Cheung, the stub is operating 11% full during peak hours, and even lower at other times.

History

Originally, the "Purple Line" was one of two branches of the Red Line: this branch was completed in 1996. Only one mile of this branch was ever built: a short stub connecting and . In 2006, the service ending at Wilshire/Western was renamed the "Purple Line" to help distinguish it from the North Hollywood branch.

Future extension

Metro is now aiming to complete the subway to the Westside. The new project is called the Westside Subway Extension

Westside Subway Extension (Los Angeles Metro)

The Westside Subway Extension is a proposed mass-transit rail project to create a new heavy rail subway corridor in Los Angeles County, extending the Metro Purple Line from its current terminus at to the Westside...

and is currently seeking federal funding. Metro staff is now working to complete preliminary engineering and a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), which is the final study required before construction can begin.

Operations

The Purple Line is operated out of the Division 20 Yard (Santa Fe Yard) located at 320 South Santa Fe Avenue Los Angeles. This yard stores the fleet used on the Red and Purple Line. It is also where heavy maintenance is done on the fleet. Subways get to this yard by continuing on after Union Station. Trains make a right turn before coming to surface level at Ducommun Street, and then travel south to 1st Street where they enter the yard.

Station listing

The following table lists the stations of the Purple Line, from east to west:

Station	Connections	Date Opened
Union Station Union Station (Los Angeles) Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...	Red Line Gold Line Silver Line El Monte Busway El Monte Busway The El Monte Busway is a 11 mile shared-use bus corridor and high occupancy vehicle lane running west along the Interstate 10 from the Interstate 605 and El Monte Bus Station via transitway stations at California State University Metro Station, USC Medical Center Metro Station into Downtown Los... Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 704, 728, 733, 740, 745, 770 Foothill Transit Foothill Transit Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:... : Silver Streak Silver Streak (bus) The Silver Streak is a bus rapid transit system operated by Foothill Transit between Los Angeles and Montclair. Service began on March 18, 2007 and also resulted in a restructuring of service. The idea of the Silver Streak came when Line 480, Foothill's most popular line, became a very busy bus... Amtrak Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union... Metrolink Metrolink (Southern California) Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....	January 30, 1993
Civic Center Civic Center (LACMTA Station) Civic Center Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located on Hill Street between 1st and Temple Streets in the Civic Center area of Downtown Los Angeles. This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line. It is also served by the...	Red Line Silver Line Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 728, 730, 733, 740, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit Foothill Transit Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:... : Silver Streak	January 30, 1993
Pershing Square Pershing Square (LACMTA Station) Pershing Square Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located on Hill Street between 4th and 5th Streets, near Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles. This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line and various local bus services. ...	Red Line Silver Line Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 720, 728, 730, 740, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit Foothill Transit Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:... : Silver Streak Angels Flight Angels Flight Angels Flight is a landmark funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, Sinai and Olivet ....	January 30, 1993
7th St/Metro Center 7th St/Metro Center (LACMTA Station) 7th Street/Metro Center Station is a subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system located in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Seventh Street and Flower Street...	Red Line Blue Line Silver Line Harbor Transitway Harbor Transitway The Harbor Transitway is an 11-mile shared-use bus corridor and high-occupancy vehicle roadway that runs in the median of Interstate 110 in Southern California... Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 720, 760, 770 Metro Express Metro Express Metro Express is a form of express bus service in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Buses are usually express for a portion of the route, then run either local or limited stop in other areas... : 450X Foothill Transit Foothill Transit Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:... : Silver Streak	January 30, 1993
Westlake/MacArthur Park Westlake/MacArthur Park (LACMTA station) Westlake/MacArthur Park Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located at Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street, across from the park of the same name in Los Angeles' Westlake District...	Red Line Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 720	January 30, 1993
Wilshire/Vermont Wilshire/Vermont (LACMTA Station) Wilshire/Vermont is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles Metro system. It is located at Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown District. This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line.-Location:...	Red Line Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 720, 754	July 13, 1996
Wilshire/Normandie Wilshire/Normandie (LACMTA station) Wilshire/Normandie Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located at Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown District. This station is served by the Purple Line...	Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 720	July 13, 1996
Wilshire/Western Wilshire/Western (LACMTA Station) Wilshire/Western Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown District...	Metro Rapid Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit service in Los Angeles County, California that operates in mixed traffic environments and has fewer stops than the Metro Local service. The system is mainly operated by LACMTA. Two routes are operated by Santa Monica Transit and one by Culver City Transit... : 710, 720, 757	July 13, 1996

Comparisons

It is the ninth busiest rapid transit system in the United States. Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's subway system transports 8,846 passengers per route mile, making it the sixth busiest, ahead of San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit

Bay Area Rapid Transit

Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...

and the Chicago 'L'

Chicago 'L'

The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...

External links

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