CAMF Transit & Urbanism

@SR_eth Well, the nice thing about rail is that it has a dedicated ROW, and comes in many different forms, trams, light rail, heavy rail, commuter, HSR, etc. So it fits many different environments and uses. Buses are good, but you still have to deal with street traffic, which is bad.

@CAMovingForward We have roads. Just use autonomous EV busses. There is no point in building more rail.

One reason we were able to build such an expansive highway system in the US was the use of eminent domain to essentially bulldoze neighborhoods in the way. I'm not saying we should do that for public transit, but we do need to have at least some more power to push projects.

@KennethRWebster This looks straight out of the Lorax movie. Why can they not just transplant grown trees already? Why must they waste money putting in these useless metal objects that provide less shade than trees, don't look good like trees, and aren't environmentally helpful like trees?

Average houston summer day: 100 degrees and humid enough to swim through the air Does this actually work?

Glad to see that the new Cascades Airo sets are finally arriving for service. This will hopefully prove to be a good investment and provide much nicer service to the line!

I really like the sound of this dudes voice compared to other systems, I just wish there was a way to make him sound a little less robotic.

@the_transit_guy Yes, upfront costs like construction are lower, but over time, operation and maintenance costs will make it more expensive than rail. BRT is a good first step, but the end goal, especially if a BRT line already has its own right-of-way, is to upgrade to light rail.

If given their own right of way, signal priority and stations, buses can act like a light rail system but for much cheaper.

@louisfoster4321 @the_transit_guy I guess thats true, but consider watching all that visual maginificence while sitting on the train, looking out the window. But subways are probably the best option for LA, considering subway stations have better climate controls for those harsh LA summers.

@CAMovingForward @the_transit_guy More subways less elevated rail. Want less ruining visual magnificence of California

The new LA Metro D Line will get you crosstown 17 minutes faster than driving during the AM rush, and that’s why it will be wildly successful. Transit that’s faster or as fast as driving is what will get car trips off LA streets!

@hearinladotcom @metrolosangeles Metro should be free eventually but not any time soon. > "Moving funds from fare collection to keeping the trains safer and cleaner." This is what fare gates and fare enforcement does, this is why we have fares, to make sure anti-social people aren't on trains, as BART proved.

There's nothing that makes pessimists more grumpy than the concept of a Free @MetroLosAngeles "there's no benefit," they argue to moving 3% of the budgets of the LAPD and LASD to fares and transit security, thus removing fares. - Increased ridership - Less pollution - Less traffic - More advertising revenue in and around the stations and vehicles - Moving funds from fare collection to keeping the trains safer and cleaner yeah, no benefit

Look at that, it's almost as if LA is the perfect place for public transit with how bad traffic gets. We need more heavy rail like subways and elevated rail. It is vital that we have options in LA. This is direct proof that public transit can be better than driving!

@metrolosangeles Please bring this to every metro station possible, As we saw with BART, fare enforcement is super important for decreasing the levels of anti-social behavior, and makes metros safer and nicer for all riders.

🟣 Heads up, D Line riders: Wilshire/La Cienega Station is now part of TAP-to-Exit ❗ Riders must TAP when entering & exiting 🎟️ You won’t be charged twice-tapping confirms payment 😀 Why? Better safety, less loitering & fewer incidents 🚇 Your fares support public transit

@hearinladotcom @metrolosangeles Free metro should be an end goal, but not right now. LA, and the US as a whole is not ready for free metros, because of our current issue with anti-social and anti-civil behavior onboard public transit. As we saw with the recent BART news fare enforcement is very important.

@metrolosangeles Make Metro Free

@WallStreetApes It's ridiculous, and we really want it to be cheaper so we can keep building more of it. But this isn't just an LA issue, it's a USA issue, every city in the US has issues building subways for cheap. LA wise, its because of the constant lawsuits from NIMBYs. Plus the methane.

Los Angeles residents chant “Ride the D” at the opening of the LA Metro D Line extension The furry community came out to chant “Ride the D” Huge lines of people all chanted at the gates, and even after they all went down and got on the transit, they again chant “Ride the D” This is a lot of hype for just a public transportation extension is LA… it’s a good thing though because the residents are getting crushed by gas prices and traffic times It now connects Downtown LA to Beverly Hills in about 20 minute with more expansions planned It’s a good thing until you hear the price… The D Line 9-mile Westside extension, including the new stations, has a total estimated cost of around $9.5–10 billion Insanity

@HalenMattison If you ran a north south train from Santa Monica down to Torrance, along the coast hitting all the beach cities, I genuinely think it would be one of the most popular lines in LA. If it was fully elevated, you could have the same speed and timing as a subway, and amazing views.

Took an hour to go from El Segundo to Santa Monica yesterday and now I’m thinking about how LA had elite public transportation 100 years ago This is what they took from us

@ApoStructura They really have got to make those fences the same height as the gates. BART has already seen great improvement, and will definitely be improving more in the future. With what gas prices are right now, more people will use it, which could help argue for better frequency.

BART improved a lot since I took it last time 2 years ago. You can really feel the improvement in cleanliness and safety from the extra cleanups and agressive fare enforcement/fare gates. Just needs more development around stations and better frequency and it’ll be great.

@DemzDeliver NIMBY mayors have already ignored things like SB79, and pushed so hard to try and get their cities exempt. What he needs to do is force them to allow it, and not allow them to opt out.

🚨 Gov. Newsom signs bill allowing for larger housing projects to be build near transit stations.

@chi_urbanist This is the perfect place for a subway too, it sits almost perfectly in between the K and A lines, connects with the E line and C line, goes right into Wilshire/Vermont station, and would connect all 3 subways, then trunk with the B line. ITS PERFECT FOR A SUBWAY, or light rail.

They should’ve just went straight to building a subway line

@blairDow @umichvoter 100%, frequency is freedom with trains, it's a real shame that they are actually cutting back service right now, even though with current gas prices, they have seen an increase in ridership.

@CAMovingForward @umichvoter Yah but there are like 5 trains a day, should be way more often

Why doesn't LA metro connect to the airport 🥸

@blairDow @umichvoter It might not be the Metro itself, but Burbank Airport is connected to Metrolink.

@umichvoter I AM SAYING. OR BURBANK AIRPORT. Or the rose bowl or Sofi stadium.

@dcadamb Loved the episode, good insight into automation in the US, and the hiccups unions can cause when looking at future technology. I know it's a podcast, but maybe for each topic, you can change the image related to the system/train you're talking about, for reference or something.

Episode 2 of The Third Rail Podcast is now available! We unpack everything there is to know about WMATA’s Red Line automation initiative and discuss the uncertain fiscal future of Brightline in Florida. 🚇 Click here to listen: youtu.be/VEj5kj9hPLQ