The Blue Line is undergoong a comprehensive $350-million modernization that began Jan. 26 to improve reliability, enhance safety and improve the customer experience.
The Blue Line south closure, from Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station to Downtown Long Beach Station, will take place from Jan. 26 to late May. During this time, trains will be replaced by Metro bus shuttles. The Blue Line will continue running between 7th St/Metro Center and 103rd St/Watts Towers Station. Green Line service at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station will not be affected.
Metro will offer three types of Blue Line Bus Shuttle Service during the closures. Not all the bus stops are at the rail stations — please see map with bus stop locations listed under each station. It will speed your trips to go directly to the bus stop. Timetables for each service are also linked below, be sure to check them so you can time your trip appropriately
• Blue Line Local Bus Shuttle Service (862) will be free, with buses serving all closed Blue Line stations. The shuttles will run the same hours as the Blue Line, seven days a week. Timetable here
• Blue Line Select Bus Shuttle Service (861) will have a $1.75 fare and serve busier stations during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Customers with a valid TAP card can transfer for free to the Blue Line or other lines within two hours of starting a trip. Select Bus Shuttles will run Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Timetable here
• Blue Line Express Shuttle Service (860) will have a $1.75 fare with limited stops between Downtown Long Beach and Downtown Los Angeles during morning and afternoon rush hours. Customers with a valid TAP card can transfer for free to other lines within two hours of starting a trip. The Express Bus Service will run Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Timetable here. Please note that the end-to-end trip will take about 75 minutes.
*Metro has listened to your feedback: (updated January 31)
- They are converting all the buses for the 860 Express line to larger articulated buses with 50% more capacity.
- They are adding an earlier 860 Express bus at the Downtown Long Beach Station at 5:15AM in addition to the already scheduled one at 5:30AM.
- They are starting two 860 Express buses at Willow Station at 5:18AM and 6:06AM in addition to those heading northbound from Downtown Long Beach Station.
- If you have more feedback make sure to #bluelinefeedback
There will be signage at closed rail stations showing the way to the bus stops and Metro staff on hand to provide assistance.
A few other key dates to keep in mind as we start work:
• Late May through September 2019: Rail service will be suspended from the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks to 7th St/Metro Center and replaced by bus shuttles. The Blue Line will continue running between Compton Station and Downtown Long Beach Station. Red and Purple Line service will operate normally at 7th St/Metro Center.
• During the northern closure, Expo Line rail service will be suspended for 45 days at 7th St/Metro Center and Pico Station with train service in that segment replaced by bus shuttles. Expo Line trains will continue to run between LATTC/Ortho Institute Station and Downtown Santa Monica. We will have exact date and time as we get closer to the northern closure.
• Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station will be closed for all eight months — until September. That will allow the station to be 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.
Work on the Blue Line will include improvements to the signaling system, tracks and the overhead wires that deliver electricity to trains. Four new crossover tracks will be built to reduce service interruptions. There will also be numerous station improvements, including new digital map displays, signage, paint and a refresh of the current landscaping. The Blue Line opened in 1990 and is Metro’s oldest rail line — modernization work has been ongoing since 2014 with a series of safety and operational improvements.
How can Moovit help you?
- For the latest information check @LAMetro & @MetroAlerts for up-to-the-minute alerts and information (remember twitter feeds also appear within the app in the main menu under agency alerts)
- Always check service alerts found connected to the lines and in the agency alerts tab in the more menu, to make sure you have the latest information
- Make sure to check for changes to schedules before getting on-board
You ride, we guide.