LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has become the latest transit agency to announce service cuts related to staffing shortages, with trims to rail and bus service set to begin Feb. 20. Metro’s board approved the cuts Jan. 27, with a goal of resuming full service no later than June.
“The recent COVID-19 spike, combined with restoration of service hours in September 2021 to pre-pandemic levels, has stretched our operators to their limits,” Metro says in a post on its blog, The Source. “As a result, Metro has experienced an increase in the number of canceled bus and rail trips in recent weeks. These canceled trips leave our riders with longer waits for the next bus or train. These changes will result in fewer canceled trips and more reliable service.”
Subway service, on the B/D (Red/Purple) lines, will be reduced to every 15 minutes during peak and off-peak periods, meaning a train every 7-8 minutes where the two lines overlap. Evening service will remain at 20-minute intervals.
Peak light rail service will be reduced from every 8 minutes to every 10 minutes; off-peak will remain at 12 minute intervals with evening trains every 20 minutes.
A significant number of bus lines will also see reductions.
