Purple Line

Metro Purple Line
Passengers at 7th Street/Metro Center.
Overview
Type	Heavy rail
System	Metro Rail
Status	Operational
Termini	Union Station Wilshire/Western
Stations	8
Daily ridership	154,450 (July 2010) [1] (combined with Metro Red Line)
Line number	805
Website	Purple Line
Operation
Opened	January 30, 1993
Operator(s)	Metro (LACMTA)
Character	Subway (fully underground)
Depot(s)	Division 20 (Downtown Los Angeles)
Rolling stock	Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie A650
Technical
Line length	6.4 mi (10.3 km)
Track length	2 or 4 cars
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	Standard: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Route map Legend Legend Union Station          , Metrolink, Amtrak, FlyAway Civic Center       Pershing Square       N/B Only 7th Street/Metro Center             Westlake/MacArthur Park    Wilshire/Vermont    Metro Red Line Wilshire/Normandie Wilshire/Western Wilshire/La Breaopens 2020 Wilshire/Fairfaxopens 2020 Wilshire/La Cienegaopens 2020 Wilshire/Beverlyopens 2026 (2022 under the 30/10 Initiative plan) Century Cityopens 2026 (2022 or 2024 under the 30/10 Initiative plan) Westwood/UCLAopens 2036 (2024 under the 30/10 Initiative plan) Westwood/VAopens 2036 (2024 under the 30/10 Initiative plan) Wilshire/Bundyfuture Wilshire/26th Streetfuture Wilshire/16th Streetfuture Wilshire/4th Streetfuture This route map:  view talk edit

The Purple Line is a subway line operating between Downtown Los Angeles and Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown, Los Angeles, California in Los Angeles; one of five lines on the Metro Rail System.

Inside train fleet number #530 on the Metro Purple Line.

The Purple Line is one of the city's two subway lines (along with the Red Line). Although they separate in different directions west of downtown Los Angeles, the two subway lines (Purple and Red) were until recently considered two branches of one line, and are still marked this way in most stations, on schedules, and on older rail maps. As of July 2011 the combined Red and Purple lines averaged 171,000 boardings per weekday.^[1] The line is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Service description

Route

The Purple Line begins at Union Station and travels southwest through Downtown Los Angeles, passing the Civic Center, Pershing Square (near the Historic Core) and the Financial District. At 7th St/Metro Center, travelers can connect to the Metro Blue Line. From here, the train follows 7th Street west through Pico-Union and Westlake, arriving at Wilshire/Vermont in the city's Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown district. Up to this point, track is shared with the Metro Red Line: at Wilshire/Vermont, the two lines diverge. The Purple Line continues west for one additional mile, and terminates at Wilshire/Western.

Hours of operation

Trains run between approximately 4:45 am and 11:30 pm daily.^[2] First and last train times are as follows:

To/From Wilshire/Western

Eastbound

• First Train to Union Station: 4:41 am
• Last Train to Union Station: 11:42 pm

Westbound

• First Train to Wilshire/Western: 4:56 am
• Last Train to Wilshire/Western: 11:27 pm

During the evenings Purple line trains sometimes run as shuttles. Passengers must transfer to a Red line train at Wilshire/Vermont. This will change once the Purple line is extended to Westwood.

Rolling stock

The Purple Line uses Ansaldobreda A650 75-foot (23 m) electric multiple unit cars built by Ansaldobreda in Italy. Trains usually run in four-car consists during peak hours and two-car consists outside of peak hours. The acceleration for cars #530 and up is similar to that of cars used by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority because they both use General Electric traction motors.^[3][4] The cars are maintained in a yard on Santa Fe Drive near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.

Ridership

The Purple Line is utilized mostly as a downtown shuttle on its shared segment with the Red Line. The stub between Vermont and Western has a very low ridership. According to Metro Service Coordinator Conan Cheung, the stub is operating 11% full during peak hours, and even lower at other times.^[5]

History

Originally, the "Purple Line" was one of two branches of the Red Line: this branch was completed in 1996. Only one mile of this branch was ever built: a short stub connecting Wilshire/Vermont and Wilshire/Western. In 2006, the service ending at Wilshire/Western was renamed the "Purple Line" to help distinguish it from the North Hollywood branch.

Future extension

Metro is now aiming to complete the subway to the Westside. The new project is called the Westside Subway Extension and is currently seeking federal funding. Metro released the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) on March 19, 2012, and the first phase of the project (to Wilshire / La Cienega) was approved by Metro's Board of Directors on April 26, 2012.^[6]

Operations

The Purple Line is operated out of the Division 20 Yard (Santa Fe Yard) located at 320 South Santa Fe Avenue Los Angeles. This yard stores the fleet used on the Red and Purple Line. It is also where heavy maintenance is done on the fleet. Subways get to this yard by continuing on after Union Station. Trains make a right turn before coming to surface level at Ducommun Street, and then travel south to 1st Street where they enter the yard.

Station listing

The following table lists the stations of the Purple Line, from east to west:

Station	Connections	Date Opened	Station Parking	City/ Neighborhood
Union Station	Metro Red Line    Metro Gold Line    Metro Silver Line    Metro Local: 40, 68, 70, 71, 78 79, 378 Metro Express:485, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 733, 740, 745, 770 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Amtrak Metrolink	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)	Downtown Los Angeles
Civic Center	Metro Red Line    Metro Silver Line    Metro Local: 2, 4,10, 14, 30, 37, 40, 45, 48, 68, 70, 71 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 90, 91, 92, 94, 96, 302, 378 Metro Express:439, 442, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 728, 730, 733, 740, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)
Pershing Square	Metro Red Line    Metro Silver Line    (Northbound Only) Metro Local:2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 18, 28, 30, 33, 37, 38, 40, 45, 48, 53, 55, 62, 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 83, 84, 90 91, 92, 94, 96, 302, 316, 378 Metro Express:460, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720, 728, 730, 740, 745, 770, 794 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Angels Flight	January 30, 1993	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)
7th St/Metro Center	Metro Red Line    Metro Blue Line    Metro Expo Line    Metro Silver Line    Metro Local:14, 16, 18, 20, 37, 51, 52, 60, 62, 66, 76, 78, 79, 81, 316, 352, 378 Metro Express: 439, 450X,460, 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720, 760 Foothill Transit: Silver Streak Big Blue Bus: Rapid 10	January 30, 1993	None
Westlake/MacArthur Park	Metro Red Line    Metro Local:18, 20, 51, 52, 200, 352, 603 Metro Express: 487, 489 Metro Rapid: 720	January 30, 1993	None	Westlake
Wilshire/Vermont	Metro Red Line    Metro Local:18, 20, 51, 52, 201, 204, 352 Metro Rapid: 720, 754	July 13, 1996	Nearby Paid Parking (Independent)	Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown
Wilshire/Normandie	Metro Local: 18, 20, 206 Metro Rapid: 720	July 13, 1996	None
Wilshire/Western	Metro Local:18, 20, 66, 207, 209 Metro Rapid: 710, 720, 757 Big Blue Bus: Rapid 7	July 13, 1996	None

See also

• Westside Subway Extension (Los Angeles Metro)
• Red Line (Los Angeles Metro)
• Los Angeles County Metro Rail
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Comparisons

It is the ninth busiest rapid transit system in the United States. Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's subway system transports 8,846 passengers per route mile, making it the sixth busiest, ahead of San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Chicago 'L'.

References

External links

• Purple Line homepage
• Purple Line schedule

v t e Purple Line Stations 7th St/Metro Center Civic Center Pershing Square Union Station Westlake/MacArthur Park Wilshire/Normandie Wilshire/Vermont Wilshire/Western Los Angeles County Metro Rail Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

v t e Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro services Metro Rail      Metro Red Line      Metro Purple Line      Metro Blue Line      Metro Green Line      Metro Gold Line      Metro Expo Line Metro Liner      Metro Orange Line      Metro Silver Line Metro Bus Metro Local (routes) Metro Rapid Metro Express Facilities and stations Union Station Metro Rail stations Metro Liner stations El Monte Busway Harbor Transitway MTA Building Capital projects      Expo Line (Phase 2)      Foothill Extension      Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor      Westside Subway Extension Regional Connector Transit Corridor Historic Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar Other information Bus fleet Rail fleet Transit Access Pass (TAP) Transportation in Los Angeles Metrolink

v t e Currently operating heavy rail rapid transit systems in the United States Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Blue, Orange, and Red Lines) MTA (New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway) Port Authority Trans-Hudson Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Market–Frankford and Broad Street lines) PATCO Speedline Baltimore Metro Subway Washington Metro Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Miami Metrorail San Juan Tren Urbano Cleveland Red Line Chicago 'L' Bay Area Rapid Transit Los Angeles Metro Rail (Red and Purple Lines)