LA-area light rail now reaches from distant suburbs to sea

[KamaAina]

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/LA-area-light-rail-now-reaches-from-distant-7806438.php

A light rail line is about to extend across metropolitan Los Angeles to the Pacific for the first time since the 1950s.

Starting Friday with the opening of the 6.6-mile final leg of the Expo Line, riders can now ride Metro rail from the far-inland suburb of Azusa some 40 miles to the sands of Santa Monica.

The milestone fulfills a decades-long dream of public officials and transit fans, and its symbolic value is undeniable. Its true test, however, will be whether it can shake up the commuting status quo in sprawling and automotive LA....

"It's a driver's city," Marcus said as he sat riding a Metro Gold Line train into downtown's Union Station on Tuesday. "I feel like it will always be that until they get the public transit system to where it's more extensive, which is going to take some years."

[question everything]

1. A nice route, for a change

Not like the Green line (or is it the Blue?) that stops just a mile short of LAX.

Was a nice story about this on CBS This morning.

[KamaAina]

3. San Jose's light rail works the same way

you get on a free "Airport Flyer" bus to get into the airport itself.

edit: BART just built a connecting line into Oakland airport. That's the model LAX should be looking at, except that theirs should be more accessible and shouldn't break down all the time.

[tularetom]

2. Back in the day they had a very extensive rail commuter/interurban rail system

Gee, I wonder what happened to it?

http://la.curbed.com/2016/4/26/11505826/los-angeles-red-car-conspiracy

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. The station in Santa Monica is at least a couple of miles from the sea.

You would need to transfer to the big blue bus or use Uber to actually get to the beach.

[Brother Buzz]

5. Blocks, not miles

The station is a half mile from the beach .

[Beaverhausen]

6. I hope to try this soon

I hate that getting to the beach (from Burbank) is such a hassle.