LA Blue Line modernization under way

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Blue Line will undergo a comprehensive $350 million modernization beginning Jan. 26, 2019. The line, which opened in 1990 and is Metro’s oldest rail transit line, has been undergoing safety and operational improvements since 2014.

The “New Blue Improvement Project” will include improvements to the signaling, tracks and catenary. Four new crossover tracks will be built to reduce service interruptions. There will also be numerous station improvements, including new interactive digital map displays for all stations, which will display train arrival and departure times, service alerts, and maps of the system and nearby area. Other visible amenities will include new signage and landscaping.

The upcoming improvement project will require two extended four-month closures. Work on the southern segment of the line begins Jan. 26. In addition, Blue Line service to Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station will be closed for eight months while the station is rebuilt with more capacity, a new customer service center and community plaza, easier connections to local buses and surrounding communities, and upgrades to safety and security systems. During the closure, Green Line service will operate normally at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station.

In addition, the Metro Board of Directors recently approved the naming of rail lines with letters and colors “to accommodate a growing system and make our rail and bus rapid transit network easier to understand and more customer-friendly,” the agency said. Upon completion of the entire New Blue Improvement Project, the new name for the Blue Line will be the “A” Line with the color blue.

Metro is launching an outreach campaign to customers, cities, communities, stakeholders and the public about the New Blue. The New Blue website at http://www.metro.net/newblue includes a fact sheet and map with bus shuttle services.