LA Metro adds capacity on Expo Line to deal with overcrowding

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) last week implemented several short-term solutions to add train capacity on the Expo Line.

To address overcrowding, the agency has added two westbound trains and two eastbound trains to the line during the morning and evening times, and added a third train to the line’s fleet.

“We’ve heard from the public about Expo Line overcrowding, and we’re working aggressively to identify remedies to help alleviate this situation,” said LA Metro Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington in a press release.

Agency officials are evaluating how to return the Expo Line from eight-minute headways to its prior six-minute headways in anticipation for reopening the Blue Line later this month. Both Blue and Expo line schedules must be coordinated to reduce train congestion delays because the lines share an operating segment in downtown Los Angeles, officials said.

Earlier this year, the agency transitioned to eight-minute peak service headways on the Expo Line to ensure better availability of three-car trains and to improve service reliability attributed to train congestion within at-grade, street running segments.