Long Beach Grand Reopening of the Metro A-line

The Metro A line, formerly known as the Blue line reopened on Saturday. The station was closed for nine months to improve safety and better riding experience. Metro’s oldest light-rail line, provides direct service between Downtown Long Beach, Compton station, and Downtown Los Angeles.

The $350 million projects will increase reliability, safety, and enhance the customer experience by providing new lighting, digital screens, refurbished stations, system wiring, cameras, and new fencing. 

The project added crossover switches, new overhead power systems, new tracks, and a new train control system. Stations have been upgraded with new paint, landscaping, signs and interactive digital screens with real-time arrival info, service alerts and other information that is helpful to riders. 150 new security cameras were added and LED lighting system that provides brighter conditions for better illumination.

The train will be running every six minutes during weekdays and peak hours, and every 12 minutes mid-day on weekdays and weekends. Outside of those hours trains are running on a 20-minute basis schedule. From Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Long Beach it will make 22 stops within approximately 40-50 minutes. 

Three community celebrations were hosted in Downtown Los Angeles, 103rd/Watts Station and Long Beach at Promenade Square. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, and Los Angeles Supervisor and Councilmember Janice Hahn had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the A Line’s 1st Street Station. 

Janice Hahn “For the past 20 years the blue line has been the workhorse of the Metro’s transit system, it has connected communities and helped Long Beach to flourish. That’s why it means so much to me, the blue line is back up and running today.” 

Mayor Garcia said, “New riders are coming into the A-line all the way from downtown Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles and most importantly this is a faster ride so those that are traveling will be getting quicker to their destinations than ever before.” He thanked the Long Beach community for being patient in this ongoing project that began late January and encouraged people to ride the new line.

In honor of the grand reopening, Metro offered free rides on the A-line service Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The express shuttles will continue to be available from Long Beach to Downtown  Los Angeles.

By: Jocelyn Torralba

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