LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has announced that full service on its oldest light rail line will resume Nov. 2, which will also mark the renaming of the former Blue Line as the A Line.
Metro will mark the return of the service with free rides Nov. 2-4 on the 22-mile route between Los Angeles and Long Beach from A Line.
Since January 2019, parts of the line — which opened in 1990 — have been closed for renovations including a new overhead power system, an upgraded control system, and four new switches. Initially, the southern half of the route was closed; when that work was completed, the northern half was closed on June 1. [See “LA Metro on schedule with Blue Line construction work,” Trains News Wire, March 26, 2019.]
Nov. 2 will also mark the reopening of the platform at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station, which has been undergoing a major renovation.
The transition from color-coded to lettered rail and bus rapid transit lines was approved by Metro’s board in 2018. The A Line will be the first to reflect the change, designed to make the system easier to navigate; other lines will make the transition when the Crenshaw/LAX Line opens, which is currently scheduled for next year. [See “LA Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX line nears completion,” Trains News Wire, July 24, 2019.]
