Zócalo's Connecting California
What Will Metro's New Trains Deliver?
Zócalo Public Square columnist is on board with the MTA's expanded rail service – the Gold Line extension into the San Gabriel Valley and the Expo Line between downtown LA and Santa Monica. Thanks to a voter-approved tax extension, he says LA is building a light rail network that could be the envy of the state, if Metro makes the riding experience fun.
By Joe Mathews • • 4m ListenMetro's Gold Line extension into the San Gabriel Valley will start running this weekend, soon to be followed by the Expo Line, connecting downtown LA to Santa Monica. The new lines come at a time of declining rail ridership, and it's far from clear if the trains will convince Angelenos to leave their cars behind in favor of public transit. But Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says those are secondary concerns. The real measure of success, he says, will be whether the trains take people to places they want to go, and the quality of the experience of getting there.