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La Línea J (anteriormente Silver Line , a veces listada como Línea 910/950) es una ruta de tránsito rápido de autobús de 38 millas (61 km) que corre entre El Monte , el centro de Los Ángeles y Gardena , y algunos viajes continúan hasta San Pedro . Es una de las dos líneas del sistema Metro Busway y es operada por la Autoridad de Transporte Metropolitano del Condado de Los Ángeles (Metro).

La línea J ofrece un servicio frecuente de todas las paradas a lo largo de la vía de autobuses de El Monte y la vía de tránsito del puerto , dos instalaciones de tránsito separadas por grados integradas en el sistema de autopistas del sur de California . La línea fue creada el 13 de diciembre de 2009, como parte de la conversión de las instalaciones de carriles para vehículos de alta ocupación en los carriles de peaje de alta ocupación (calificado como Metro ExpressLanes ) que permiten a los conductores en solitario que pagar un peaje a los carriles de uso. Los peajes cobrados se han utilizado para operar la Línea J y para rehabilitar las estaciones envejecidas a lo largo de la línea.

A medida que los autobuses de la línea J viajan a lo largo de la vía de autobuses El Monte y la vía de tránsito del puerto, sirven a las estaciones integradas en el centro o al costado de la vía. Hay una brecha de 5,8 km (3,6 mi) entre el extremo occidental de El Monte Busway y el extremo norte de Harbor Transitway en el centro de Los Ángeles, donde los autobuses de la línea J circulan por calles de superficie, haciendo un número limitado de paradas. A lo largo de la ruta, los autobuses sirven a varios de los principales centros de transporte de la región, incluida la estación El Monte , la estación Union , la estación 7th Street / Metro Center , la estación Harbor Freeway y el Harbor Gateway Transit Center .

En 2020, se cambió el nombre de la línea de Silver Line a J Line, conservando sus números de ruta y el color plateado en su ícono cuadrado como parte del cambio de nombre de todas las líneas de Metro.

Descripción del servicio [ editar ]

Se operan dos servicios bajo el nombre de J Line:

  • La ruta 910 opera con un servicio diario las 24 horas que sirve solo la parte de la ruta entre la estación El Monte, el centro de Los Ángeles y el Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
  • La ruta 950 opera con servicio diario que cubre toda la ruta entre la estación El Monte, el centro de Los Ángeles y San Pedro.

Enrutamiento [ editar ]

La sección este de la ruta de la línea J corre en la vía de autobuses El Monte entre la estación El Monte en El Monte y la estación Union en el centro de Los Ángeles. La sección sur de la ruta corre por el Harbor Transitway entre la estación 37th Street / USC en el centro de Los Ángeles y el Harbor Gateway Transit Center cerca de la ciudad de Carson . Los autobuses viajan entre las secciones este y sur a lo largo de 3,6 millas (5,8 km) de calles de superficie en el centro de Los Ángeles, donde los autobuses de la línea J hacen un número limitado de paradas cerca de los principales centros de empleo, destinos turísticos y Metro Rail.estaciones. Los autobuses utilizan aproximadamente 2,5 millas (4,0 km) de carriles exclusivos para autobuses en cada dirección para acelerar los viajes por el centro de Los Ángeles.

Los viajes de la ruta 950 de la línea J continúan al sur del Harbor Gateway Transit Center a lo largo de la autopista Harbor Freeway hasta San Pedro viajando en carriles de autopistas de uso general y haciendo dos paradas en el camino en estaciones ubicadas al costado de la autopista cerca de las rampas de entrada y salida. En San Pedro, los autobuses de la ruta 950 de la línea J viajan una vez más a lo largo de las calles de superficie, prestan servicio a Harbor Beacon Park & ​​Ride y hacen paradas frecuentes a lo largo de Pacific Avenue.

Avances [ editar ]

Tarifas [ editar ]

La línea J cobra una tarifa premium que es más alta que la mayoría de las otras rutas de Metro. [2] [3] Los pases diarios de Metro se aceptan como tarifa completa, pero todos los demás titulares de pases deben pagar un pase de 1 zona mejorado o pagar un "cargo premium" adicional en el momento del embarque.

Al igual que las otras líneas de Metro Rail y Metro Busway, la línea J opera con un sistema de comprobante de pago . [4] Los pasajeros pueden abordar en la puerta delantera o trasera de los autobuses de la línea J y validar su tarjeta de tarifa electrónica Transit Access Pass (TAP) en los lectores ubicados a bordo del autobús, cerca de la puerta. Los inspectores de tarifas de Metro inspeccionan los autobuses al azar para asegurarse de que los pasajeros tengan un producto de tarifa válido en su tarjeta TAP. El pago anticipado de las tarifas y el abordaje en todas las puertas reduce el tiempo que los autobuses necesitan para permanecer detenidos en las estaciones. [5]

Las máquinas expendedoras TAP están disponibles en la mayoría de las estaciones (excepto Carson y Pacific Coast Highway, que se espera que se retiren de la línea en 2021) y están ubicadas cerca de la mayoría de las paradas en el centro de Los Ángeles. Pero, debido a que las máquinas expendedoras no están disponibles en todas las estaciones y paradas en las calles, los pasajeros que necesiten comprar una tarjeta o agregar fondos pueden hacerlo en la caja de tarifas a bordo del autobús. Ninguna de las otras líneas de Metro Rail o Metro Busway ofrece ventas a bordo.

Metro y Foothill Transit ofrecen un programa de tarifas recíprocas en el que los titulares de pases pueden viajar en los autobuses J Line o Silver Streak entre el centro de Los Ángeles y la estación El Monte. [6]

A partir del 15 de diciembre de 2014, las tarifas de la línea J son:

Estaciones y paradas [ editar ]

History[edit]

This elevated section of the Harbor Transitway carries the Metro J Line and the Metro ExpressLanes over the frequently congested Harbor Freeway.

The idea for the route now known as the J Line came in 1993, as Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) staff studied how to operate buses on the Harbor Transitway, which was under construction and would open three years later in the summer of 1996. Metro staff recommended the creation of a dual hub-and-spoke ("dual hub") system with a trunk route that served both the Harbor Transitway and the operationally similar El Monte Busway which had opened two decades earlier in January 1973.[10] Staff said the dual hub proposal, would be the most efficient and cost less to run, but the Metro Board of Directors decided to continue running bus routes on both the El Monte Busway and Harbor Freeway as they had before.[11]

After the Harbor Transitway opened, ridership was radically lower than expected: Caltrans had projected that 65,200 passengers would travel along the Harbor Transitway each day, but after 10 years, the facility had only attracted 3,000 passengers per weekday.[12] That amount is low compared to the El Monte Busway, which had 32,000 boardings a day in November 2000.[12]

After the very successful launch of the Orange Line busway (now the G Line) in the San Fernando Valley, Metro decided to rebrand the county's other busways in an attempt to increase awareness.[13] In March 2006, Metro decided that the Harbor Transitway would be colored bronze and the El Monte Busway would be colored silver on Metro's maps and the two would be marketed as a "Combined Transitway Service." No changes were made in the operations of the bus routes operated on either facility. The changes were criticized as being difficult to understand for irregular and new riders.[14]

Metro returned to its plan for a dual-hub route in 2009, proposing a new bus rapid transit service called the Silver Line (now J Line) utilizing both the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway. The new higher frequency service would be funded by converting both corridors into high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, to be branded as the Metro ExpressLanes. The bus route began operations on December 13, 2009, the HOT lanes on the Harbor Transitway went into service on November 10, 2012[15] and the El Monte Busway's HOT lanes opened on February 22, 2013.[16]

Since the start of the J Line, Metro has been working to refurbish the aging stations along both the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway. The 1970s-era El Monte Station was demolished and replaced by a new station in October 2012. All of the Harbor Transitway stations were refurbished with real-time arrival signs, new wayfinding signage, improved lighting, and soundproofing by late 2012. The El Monte Busway stations received a similar refurbishment in January 2015. Transit Access Pass (TAP) card ticket vending machines were added to stations in early 2017 to support all-door boarding on J Line buses.[17] Metro has also added a new station on the El Monte Busway at Union Station that opened on November 1, 2020.[18][19]

Efforts have also been made to speed up J Line buses as they cross Downtown Los Angeles on surface streets. LADOT added bus priority to traffic lights in 2012 and over several years about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) of bus-only lanes have been added in each direction, allowing buses to bypass traffic on nearly 70% of the 3.6 mi (5.8 km) surface street portion of the route.

In 2015, Metro integrated the last remaining Metro Express route on the Harbor Transitway, the 450X to San Pedro, into the Silver Line. Originally a new express Silver Line service was added that served San Pedro and skipped many Harbor Transitway stations; but by June 2017, San Pedro-bound buses were serving all stations, the increase in speed deemed not enough to justify increased crowding on other buses.[20]

Future developments[edit]

As part of Metro's NextGen Bus Plan, the agency has proposed discontinuing the J Line's route 950 that offers service to San Pedro.[21] Metro says the change would allow the J Line to transition to battery-electric buses and would improve the reliability of buses that operate between El Monte Station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center. Service to San Pedro would be shifted to a new line that would operate between San Pedro and the Harbor Freeway station via I-110, with a peak-hour extension to Downtown Los Angeles. The changes are expected to be implemented in 2021.[22] The city of San Pedro opposes the change with citizens requesting that they also receive electrified bus service.[23]

Ridership and reliability[edit]

Ridership has steadily grown on the J Line each year.

An estimated 6,612 passengers rode the line each weekday in January 2010 (the first full month of operation) and ridership has grown steadily each year since. Ridership set a new all-time high in February 2016 with an estimated 16,884 passengers riding the line each weekday.

The on time performance of the Metro J Line is currently around 82.4%, defined as being less than 5 minutes behind schedule.[24] That places it far behind the Metro Rail lines (99% on time) and Orange Line (94% on time), but better than an average Metro bus route (80.6% on time). On time performance benefits from the active traffic management system installed as part of the Metro ExpressLanes project.

Incidents[edit]

Bollards were installed at Harbor Freeway station and all similar stations after the crash.

On February 22, 2012, a drunk driver on the Harbor Freeway mistakenly entered the bus-only station area of the Harbor Freeway station. The driver, 51-year-old Stephen L. Lubin of Sun Valley, was traveling 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) in his 2009 Honda Fit (15 mph over the freeway's posted speed limit) as he entered the station and encountered a bus stopped at the platform. Lubin swerved to avoid hitting the bus and drove onto the station platform where he hit seven people, critically injuring six, before slamming into a pole on the platform.[25]

After the crash, Metro's CEO Art Leahy asked Metro's safety committee staff to review the layout of busway stations and safety signage on the roadways leading into the station areas.[26] As a result of that investigation, Metro added concrete-filled metal bollards to all stations on the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway to prevent vehicles from entering the platform and additional markings were added on roadways leading into stations.[27]

Fleet[edit]

Metro J Line 45-foot NABI CompoBus

The Metro J Line is primarily operated with a fleet of dedicated NABI Metro 45C "CompoBus" coaches. Each 45-foot long (14 m) bus is made of light composite materials and is powered by compressed natural gas. Coaches are painted or vinyl wrapped with a special grey livery that matches the design of newer Metro Rail vehicles and the coaches used on G Line.

As of September 2, 2020, 60-foot long (18 m) NABI 60-BRT, previously used on the G Line and also painted in the special Metro Busway grey livery, are operating on the J Line until the switch to battery-electric buses is complete

BYD K9M electric buses are expected to take over the J Line fleet sometime in the near future.[28][29]

Buses used on the J Line are operated out of Division 9 in El Monte and Division 18 in Carson.

See also[edit]

  • List of Los Angeles Metro Busway stations

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Metro Ridership". Metro.net. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Guide to the Metro Silver Line". The Source.
  3. ^ "Line 910 fare structure" (PDF). October 15, 2009.
  4. ^ "Metro Silver Line | All-Door Boarding Pilot". www.metro.net. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  5. ^ "All-Door Boarding". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  6. ^ "Silver Streak to the J Line (Metro Silver)". Foothill Transit. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  7. ^ https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/
  8. ^ "Metro J Line (Silver)". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Dual Hub High Occupancy Vehicle Transitway Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Scheduling and Operations Planning Staff. August 1993.
  11. ^ Radcliffe, Jim (June 27, 1996). "Harbor Transitway opens, reducing congestion - Impact felt during evening commute". Daily Breeze. p. A3 – via NewsBank.
  12. ^ a b Shuit, Douglas P. (November 20, 2000). "Harbor Transitway Has Everything but Riders". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Emsden, Maya (March 16, 2006). "Approve color designations for Metro lines and fixed guideways" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
  14. ^ Freemark, Yonah (December 10, 2009). "Los Angeles Integrates Service on Two Busways, with Plans to Implement Congestion Pricing". The Transport Politic. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Kudler, Adrian Glick (November 6, 2012). "Everything You Need to Know About New 110 and 10 Toll Lanes". Curbed LA. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  16. ^ Pamer, Melissa (February 22, 2013). "Metro ExpressLanes to Open on San Bernardino (10) Freeway". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Universal Fare System Contract Modification". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 1, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  18. ^ McCarty Carino, Meghan (January 2, 2017). "Metro starts work on pedestrian bridge at LA's Union Station". KPCC. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  19. ^ "Metro announces bus plaza, pedestrian bridge to open Sunday at Union Station". Daily News. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  20. ^ http://thesource.metro.net/2017/06/19/service-changes-go-into-effect-june-25-orange-line-and-silver-line-to-operate-around-the-clock/
  21. ^ "NextGen Bus Line Proposals" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2020. p. 185. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  22. ^ "NextGen Bus Plan - Update for Metro South Bay Service Council" (PDF). July 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  23. ^ Littlejohn, Donna (November 20, 2020). "LA Metro hits brakes on plan to stop new electric bus line short of San Pedro". Daily Breeze. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  24. ^ Mendelson, Aaron (February 19, 2015). "How late are Los Angeles buses and trains? Depends which line you're riding". KPCC – Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  25. ^ William-Ross, Lindsay (February 24, 2012). "Driver Who Plowed Into Crowded Bus Platform Failed His Sobriety Test". LAist. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Probe ordered into crash that injured 7 at 110 Freeway bus stop". Los Angeles Times. February 23, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  27. ^ "Harbor Freeway Metro Silver Line Station platform improvements" (PDF). April 20, 2012..
  28. ^ "Electric Bus Program Update" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 19, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  29. ^ "Metro Continues to Delay Timeline for Bus Electrification Program". StreetsBlog LA. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.

Further reading[edit]

  • https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/10_October/20111020OPItem52.pdf
  • https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/4_April/20110420AHCPItem1.pdf[permanent dead link]
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20110819175805/http://laccod.org/cms1_153455.pdf
  • http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/hov/dual_hub_hov_transitway.pdf
  • https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/7_July/20110708OtherSectorSBAItem6.pdf[permanent dead link]

External links[edit]

  • Metro Silver Line timetable – as of June 2013
  • Silver Line Map – Overall map of the line
  • Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line destinations guide (English)
  • Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line destinations guide (Spanish)
  • A recent report of the Metro Silver Line
  • Metro's official release about the New Metro Silver Line Released on December 9, 2009.
  • Metro's proposed security for the Metro Silver Line stations
  • CBS news article about the Metro Silver Line Accident at Harbor Freeway Station
  • NBC news article about the Metro Silver Line Accident at Harbor Freeway Station
  • Metro Silver Line and Foothill Silver Streak Coordination