LOS ANGELES | Transportation News & Discussion

[Busy Bee]

The Kinki Sharyo P3010.

All the sophisticated styling of a 1984 Ford Tempo.

If there is a transit agency anywhere in the world that got stuck with an uglier light rail vehicle I'd love to see it. VTA maybe.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

The project can be worthwhile and at the same time be wildly too expensive. This should be built but the cost breakdown needs to be made public (with every public project really) and we need a deep analysis as to why our metro and rail costs continue to be astronomical compared to the rest of the world. This should not be a 2 billion dollar cost, completely outrageous for a 3 station, above ground rail line.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

The Kinki Sharyo P3010.

All the sophisticated styling of a 1984 Ford Tempo.

If there is a transit agency anywhere in the world that got stuck with an uglier light rail vehicle I'd love to see it. VTA maybe.

I like it fine. Maybe what makes it work for me is the Manchester Metrolink paint scheme that LA Metro improved upon.

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by craigs

Inglewood people mover gets $1-billion commitment from federal officials


Three pre-qualified teams are now preparing bids for the project, and the authority expects to choose one this summer.

Is it worth it?

James Moore, founding director of the USC Transportation Engineering Program, said it probably isn’t. He pointed to the half billion dollars it cost to connect the Oakland Airport to BART, which, he said, ended up having no measurable effect on either airport traffic or BART ridership.

“The bus was doing just fine,” he said. “If the goal is to connect riders from the event generator to the rail line, this is an expensive way to do it.”

Valley/Westside to the Stadiums makes more sense than tying in with LAX people mover or just a stub line connection to the K line.

One way I see this making more sense is if the contractor they choose uses the same technology as the soon to be coming Sepulveda line. The "heavy rail" tech being considered in Alt 4&5 of Sepulveda can run on the same people mover technology as the Detroit People Mover, but can also scale with bigger rolling stock to be a heavy rail alternative.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Easy

I like it fine. Maybe what makes it work for me is the Manchester Metrolink paint scheme that LA Metro improved upon.

I like it just fine too. Maybe because I'm so used to them? They make the previous trains look really dated.

[Busy Bee]

The AnsaldoBreda cars are just empirically better looking in nearly every way IMO. But hey most people aren't experts in industrial design but strangely can tell the difference between good and bad automobile designs for the most part. Oh well I don't need to convince anybody.

[homebucket]

In terms of pure aesthetics I also prefer the AnsaldoBredas. It’s just a more simple and clean design and livery. The horizontal lines on the quarter panels of the front cabs give me art deco vibes in keeping with LA’s architecture. The highlighter yellow on the Kinki Sharyos is a bit harsh on the eyes.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

The "Downtown" Inglewood light rail station is pathetic. It is situated opposite a Payless Shoes strip mall where there no real potential for a solid TOD. The only people mover passengers at this station will be transfers from the new but sad Crenshaw Line. The green line is equally sad but the combined ridership of the two lines at LAX is D-level instead of an F.

It does look like there will be some mixed used TOD at the Market/Florence station.

The presentation to the Service Council also indicates that the people mover could be coupled with a new development on a station-adjacent site in Downtown Inglewood, consisting of 600,000 square feet of housing, commercial uses, and parking.

https://la.urbanize.city/post/detail...d-people-mover

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by Easy

They’ll only be partially replaced with these. Metro has been so unhappy with CRCC that they decided not to exercise the options and will only receive the 64 car base order. Like nearly everything else with metro, ordering new cars has been a disaster.

What are they unhappy with?

Also, Southern California has got to have some of the dumbest (or hustled) leadership. Someone is pulling strings to keep Metrolink from electrifying. While NorCal is opening a newly electrified Caltrain using CAHSR money, Southern California has opted to deliberate hydrogen powered trains...

https://cal.streetsblog.org/2023/07/...-electric-rail

In contrast, the Metrolink San Bernardino line, which has no realistic plan for zero-emission service, has a maximum speed of 80 mph and an average speed of 34 mph, with no improvements planned. Overhead wires are a must for speeds over 100 mph, like California high-speed rail or the planned Brightline high-speed rail to Las Vegas, both of which will need to share tracks with Metrolink in order to reach LA Union Station. Metrolink’s resistance to building out overhead wire infrastructure will hold these transformative projects back. While Caltrain is planning for a rapid transit future with overhead catenary, Metrolink/SBCTA’s commitment to hydrogen is an active obstacle to better rail transit in Southern California.

This year could have been the grand opening of a new faster electrified hybrid Antelope valley line and Santa Ana line... like Caltrain

[LineDrive]

I swear there is no city at least in the transport department that does less with more than Los Angeles. Like so many other projects in the area there are a list of 3 or 4 options to make the project much better that will never be done

In regards to the IPM

1. Connect it to the C-Line (“Green”) to the South

2. Connect it to the LAX People Mover - Essentially you’d have two main routes (You could brand them “Fly Line” and “Event” lines). It connects the venues to TWO rail lines (just like option 1 would) and gives people so many options. Hell you could have tourists fly in and go directly from the terminal to the venue and back on a plane without ever touching a car

Also - In the off chance a miracle takes place shouldn’t they design this thing with the off chance the Sepulveda line eventually goes not just to LAX but to the Venues as well (would make alot of sense)

[homebucket]

AWARD Contract No. HR5000-2023 to the Hyundai Rotem Company for the manufacturing and delivery of 182 heavy rail vehicles (HRVs), in the amount of $663,688,303 for the base contract buy, exclusive of one (1) contract option for an additional 50 HRVs, totaling 232 HRVs, subject to resolution of the protest submitted to Metro; B. APPROVE a combined Life of Project (LOP) budget of $730,057,133, which includes the cost of the vehicle contract of $663,688,303 and Contract Modification Authority of $66,368,830; and C. NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE future contract modifications to the Contract up to $1,000,000.

https://metro.legistar.com/Legislati...77E&FullText=1

[craigs]

Originally Posted by homebucket

https://metro.legistar.com/Legislati...77E&FullText=1

That's interesting. Hyundai Rotem metro cars are deployed on a lot of metro systems in Asia, and they made rolling stock for the Vancouver SkyTrain (with different dimensions). Does anyone know the track record of Hyundai Rotem's metro cars?

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by craigs

That's interesting. Hyundai Rotem metro cars are deployed on a lot of metro systems in Asia, and they made rolling stock for the Vancouver SkyTrain (with different dimensions). Does anyone know the track record of Hyundai Rotem's metro cars?

I don't have any long term experience with Hyundai Rotem rolling stock so I can't speak to its reliability, but based on what I've seen riding them on brief visits in various Asian cities, they seem pretty smooth, clean, and modern. Never had any issues and they were enjoyable to ride.

Looks like Metrolink and MBTA commuter rail uses their rolling stock as well, but that's obviously for commuter rail passenger cars, so not exactly the same. But it might speak to the overall build quality you might expect.

[craigs]

I've got to say, the new CRCC metro cars are more aesthetically pleasing than any of the Hyundai Rotem metro cars that I've been able to see online. I do realize the reasons Metro changed bidders, though, and reliability is definitely more important than looks.

[sopas ej]

That's the thing... Maybe it's changed, but I never associated "Hyundai" with reliability.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

That's the thing... Maybe it's changed, but I never associated "Hyundai" with reliability.

Their upscale Genesis line are by all accounts fantastic cars.

[craigs]

Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 11 out of 30 carmakers for reliability.

Per Wikipedia, Hyundai Rotem has supplied light rail, high speed rail, commuter rail (DMU and EMU), and metro rail cars to many systems, mostly in Asia.

[gochujang]

Originally Posted by craigs

Is it worth it?

James Moore, founding director of the USC Transportation Engineering Program, said it probably isn’t. He pointed to the half billion dollars it cost to connect the Oakland Airport to BART, which, he said, ended up having no measurable effect on either airport traffic or BART ridership.

“The bus was doing just fine,” he said. “If the goal is to connect riders from the event generator to the rail line, this is an expensive way to do it.”

I use the OAK connector all the time. It's a million times better than that old crappy bus shuttle.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by gochujang

I use the OAK connector all the time. It's a million times better than that old crappy bus shuttle.

The Oakland airport connector received $70M in airport funding. I don't think the Inglewood connector is receiving any funding from LAWA.

https://www.portofoakland.com/press-...s-release-171/

[ReDSPork02]

https://twitter.com/numble/status/1746661054325707062

numble
@numble
January 2024 change order report indicates LA Metro is negotiating with D Line Section 3 contractor to accelerate substantial completion to January 2027.

Concerning they're falling behind.