New Yorker Rides the Los Angeles Metro to Hollywood from Downtown LA
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 20. 07. 2021
- I ride the Los Angeles Metro Rail for the first time as a Native New Yorker from Downtown to Hollywood. I thought the platforms were very clean. However, the trains were dirty, announcements were unclear, and the floor was a trip hazard. The train was quick and there was cell phone service in the tunnels.
Recorded July 20, 2021
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NY: Dirty stations... nice trains
LA: Nice stations... dirty trains.
@@powerfulstrong5673 The NYC subway will soon get the R211T trains which will have open gangway.
@@danley3497 Nice. We recently got open gangway on some lines in Toronto.
Accurate lol
Actually, I don't think he's going to stop at Pershing Square station. Pershing Square is probably the filthiest station in Metro's Network, as much as I like the rest of the stop. I have literally seen rats there in broad daylight
@@powerfulstrong5673 because itâs what most people want, a big house, big lawns and more space.
American urban planning is very different from the rest of the world and makes everything very spread out and sparse compared to other cities around the world.
American cities are stuck as is and thereâs really no re designing them or going back unless your going to bulldoze the entire city to the ground and rebuild from scratch but this time much more compact and smaller and force everyone to live that way.
LA used to have an insane expansive network of trolley lines like many US cities. It was also a dense city
Very true!
@@ActionKid Those trolleys that Los Angeles once had many years ago were, the Pacific Electric Red cars and the Los Angeles Railway Yellow cars.
These trains that are in this video are the Breda A650's heavy rail. They will soon retire and be replaced by the new CRRC HR4000 trains being built by China.
most of the trolley car companies back then going under so it's damn when you do damned if you don't
@@SuperheroJunior Hope the MTA keeps them clean! đ
@@sitdowndogbreath Around the country that was a rather common situation. But way too many subscribe to the "GM Tire Conspiracy"
Just visited from the UK. Took the Metro several times and I was shocked đ homeless everywhere, people smoking blunts in the station, crackheads screaming, people digging around in the trash, massive delays, litter all over the place...but at least it was cheap at $1.75 per trip đ
@Itâs Alfie! yeah they're a rip off too
That happens because many people in LA are use to cars, I have live in LA since 2010 and I just knew there was a subway lol đ
Riding it the last few days. Never felt unsafe but itâs certainly an experience đ
@@baseballfan99 good to know i'm a little worried to use it as a 18 year old female
@@ninaschlaepfer I was just in LA is past weekend and used the subway. Definitely would not recommend. Buses are fine but you really should avoid the subway if you can. Even during the daytime using it I felt very unsafe (Iâm a young woman as well for context). One of the times I walked into the train car and every single bench was taken by homeless people sleeping. Lots of people struggling with addiction hangout down there too. This one guy kept yelling and asking me if I had any crystal meth. I got off the train early because me wouldnât leave me alone. I always use public transit while visiting different cities, but this is the first time I had many locals warn me against using it. I even met some people at a bar and they payed to Uber me back to my hotel because they were so concerned about me riding the subway.
"The police are here. No need to worry about crime" LOL don't bet on it.
I actually live near a station and frequently call the Metro cops if it's something happening even NEAR the station. They usually get there before the city cops do!
@@powerfulstrong5673 It's slowly being introduced in new rolling stock. American subway cars have closed gangways so individual cars can be uncoupled for maintenance without having to leave the entire train in the workshop. Also, cars can be added and removed from trains throughout the day depending on capacity demands so additional cars aren't needlessly used when ridership is low. Open gangway trains are convenient for riders but are more difficult to maintain.
@@powerfulstrong5673 True. Any kind of subway extension or overhaul proposal takes forever to get approved, especially in New York. Politicians use these proposals as campaign promises and then waste time bickering back and forth about costs and land rights while century old subway tunnels continue to rot and leak. The main obstacle to the modernization of our rapid transit systems are parasitic bureaucrats.
Yeah that maybe used to be the case, in 2021 that's definitely not the case. I'm in SF and BART PD are nowhere to be seen and even when they are around are afraid to intervene for fear of offending a criminal.
Exactly!
Newspapers left on trains arenât really litter. Growing up in New York, people left newspapers on seats of trains all the time as a courtesy if anybody else wanted to read them. I donât consider newspapers to be litter.
It also seems quite late at the end of the day there always is a bit of litter as the cleaners tend to clean when the train isnât active
Thing is.. this ainât New York. And people barely read newspapers now. it was litter.
@@leilaniLA still better than something someoneâs eaten or drank from, still not amazing but gosh cups/bottles/food scraps make my skin crawl, so gross!
You misunderstood the fare. Itâs $1.75, but it comes with unlimited transfers within a 2 hour window of your first tap.
You can basically cross all of LA on a single base fare.
I think New York is similar either two or three-hour transfer window
NYC is one transfer from subway to bus/bus to bus/bus to subway within a two hour window after your first swipe with your Metrocard.
@@unlimitability6101 so if you need to take two different buses you pay full fare, but if the third trip is on a subway you don't?
A.K. for a pleasant train experience try riding the Gold Line to Pasadena. It is not underground. The scenery on its way to Pasadena is really very nice. You will see the Arroyo Seco which is a canyon with lots of trees. You can then tour old Town Pasadena. Get off at Memorial Station and walk to Colorado Blvd. Old Town is nice and clean. The City Hall is nearby also. Castle Green is interesting. Go to Union Station go down the hall midway then go upstairs which will take you outside and take the train. Oh, I just now noticed it is not called the Gold Line anymore. Now it is the L Line. The headsign I think says Azusa.
Some older riders still call it by their original names
@@tntmaster1104 lol. Then I suppose I'm an official "older rider".
The name change was done recently.
I'll have to check it out!
@@ActionKid if you ever go to Long Beach use the Metro Blue line since it goes from 7th St/Metro Center Station to Downtown Long Beach Station
Yes. Try the Gold Line. I took it when I was going to graduate school and it can be much cleaner...of course you'll still get some sketchy people, but I felt more safer on that train then the Blue (Long Beach) and Red Line (Hollywood). I haven't tried the Purple Line.
As someone from the UK who visits and rides the LA metro regularly thank your lucky stars you're not riding the blue line from downtown to long beach. Always a hell of an experience and mostly not a good one
Do tell the story. I am going to LA in 2 weeks and might go check it out if the story is good
@@Peichen01 I think what he means is that the Blue Line goes through gang territory.
@@Peichen01 i used to ride the blue line everyday 5 years ago. It goes through watts, south central starting in downtown LA union station and ends in Long Beach. In 10 years I saw one incident where some kids snatched someoneâs phone. But I was only traveling during rush hour so there were a lot of working people. Most of the trains are pretty empty these days because of Covid.
dude like i live next to the blue line its not bad ive rode it ever since i was 4 years old (i live just off of Florence Ave) and it just wasend a "bad" experiance it just a normal metro line its important to most people that live next to it as they use it to get to work in east la, pasadena, redondo beach, DTLA, and hollywood/san fernando vally and the line has been made even better by the upgrade made to it in 2019-2020
Lmao i live near compton and its the only line ive ever taken đ always people who wanna steal shit and random dudes hustling trying to sell random crap and water bottles
I don't know. A New Yorker calling Los Angeles dirty is a bit of an oxymoron.
Things i saw on NY Subway, an OD person laying on the floor and a freakin huge rat!
Yeah, as a NYer I can't imagine how much dirtier it can get. NY is FILTHY!
Both places are pure trash, only the porr can't afford to ride the Cali subways, so you only get the woke trash riding in Cali! It's a privedge thing in Cali and my it's a poor thing
As someone who lives in Los Angeles and takes the red line very frequently (everyday, pre-pandemic), that line is actually very filthy. In this video there's not a lot of people, but it's way worse when during rush hours.
The irony
Iâm from London and when I visited LA I naturally used the subway as much as I could bring so used to the tube in London. But when I mention to people I came on the subway everyone was always really concerned for my safety. Itâs like thereâs a huge stigma against using it which is crazy because a lot of the times I had friends drive me it would take way longer stuck in traffic and probably cost more in gas than a ticket not to mention parking hassle.
âSpeedâ nostalgia looks like an upgrade car from the cars used in the film back then wider windows nice
i think back then was more nicer , clean Hollywood Metro station , back (1995)then in LA station they barely built it and was new , clean
@@powerfulstrong5673 Cause American cities are shit and run by people who know nothing about transport. Open gangways will also turn into homeless shelters boofing up the entire set
Theyâre actually the same. The Breda A650s will be replaced by the new CRRC cars soon.
This subway brings back memories of when I watched the movie speed lol.
That was a bus
That brought me back to when I actually used public transportation during the recession
@@GUITARTIME2024 the last part of the movie was in the subway.
âI donât have a keyâ
Yesssssss
Also People who were born somewhere in 1900s-1960s would remember that LA had a very Extensive Iner-Urban Rail System like the The Pacific Electric Railway (The Red Car) and the Los Angeles Railway (The Yellow Car also known as the Trollys)
It was the World's most extensive at one time. I want to say there was more than a 1000 miles of track.
@@edwallace2828 yeah it was larger than the NYC Subway
what happened to it?
@@pamveeee capitalism
@@pamveeee most of the trolley car companies went bankrupt and they got stolen off and burned
A New Yorker calling our subways âdirtyâ đđđđ Iâve been to NY buddy, and rode the trains.
to be fair NY subways are a lot cleaner than these both in aesthetic and cleanliness đ€·ââïž
NY subways have been scrubbed day and night during COVID. They have been kept cleaner than anytime in my memory
@@ForbinColossus
That's ONLY because of the pandemic when the system was shut down between 1 AM - 5 AM and adjusted in February 2021 from 2 AM-4 AM for a thorough cleaning of the subway cars otherwise, prior to the pandemic the NYC subway was an effen filthy pigsty because the slobs that live in that toilet bowl of a city keep that city filthy as those a-holes there haven't any pride, consideration or common manners.
Itâs no my even a real subway. Itâs just two trains under the ground.
@@pamveeee I ride subway daily, mostly F, E and 7 train. It's packed most of the time. Here in NYC, the riders are mostly normal, regular folks, tourists and many good-looking cool people.
Actually, it can be an uplifting experience riding the subway in NYC.
LA's Metro looks like it got stuck in the 90's
Yes these cars date from when the line opened in 1993. We are getting new ones in 1-2 years.
@@themoviedealers I hope so, It wasnt so bad pre-pandemic. They aren't as well kept
So why if the train was made in the 90s. as long as it get well maintenance this train still worth. Fyi many trains in Japan that were made in the 60s are still in operation and have good condition
its that one scp
@@adiba9734 well Metro is not in âgood condition â itâs run down, dirty, smells like piss, and homeless ride all over it.
Love your videos of NY. Happy to see you here in LA. As a native Angeleno Welcome!
@@powerfulstrong5673 The upcoming new cars will have them.
@@powerfulstrong5673 because there needs to be a way to escape the mariachi bands
@@powerfulstrong5673 most of them that play music arenât crackheads but you found a guy or two hogging the seats and sleeping with a hammer just in case. New York police hasnât been the best
@@powerfulstrong5673 wth is your point with deleting your replies?
@@powerfulstrong5673 what are you talking about? LA metro doesnât have gangway trains but San Franciscoâs BART trains have been having gangway trains since they went into operation in 1972.
It is insane that hardly anyone takes advantage of the LA subway. It's practically empty.
1. covid restrictions were reinstated, so what do you expect?
2. he probably went before or after rush hour where people are already where they need or want to be.
3. hardly anyone knows we have a subway or light rail system. I live in L.A. and I didn't know we had a light rail until 2009, I was born in 2002 but I was a train kid since at least 2007 or 2004/2005 with Thomas the Tank Engine.
It's probably because of the pandemic and time of day. Before the pandemic I rode the trains and buses a lot. They tend to be packed during rush hours.
Not at peak hours
What a experience!! Action Kid on the LA subway system Wow!!đ€€
This brings back memories! The last time I rode on the Metro was October 2019. đą You should check out the Vine Station next time. The ceiling is decorated with classic movie film reels, and there are a couple of old movie cameras on display. Really neat!! đ„ đ
Same here. I also moved away from downtown. I miss being able to take the metro everywhere
I loved this soooo much.
Between this and the treadmill video(in Fort Wayne), I would say you are in league with the best performance artists I have ever seen: your innocence and enthusiasm, not to mention your competence make everything you do wondrous!!
Thank you ActionKid for reminding us life is a beautiful adventure.đč
I rode on the LA subway pre pandemic in 2019 taking that exact same route on my trips (Hollywood- Downtown and vice versa). It wasn't really dirty to be fair but definitely had a lot of sketchy characters during the early evening rush hour. There was a guy literally drooling asking people for money. Needless to say, I probably won't be riding the subway at night whenever I touch down in LA ever again. And yikes at midnight, now that's a different story.
I could imagine all the sketchy people during other times. It's not for everyone and I commend you for riding the subway for so long!
I want to look at"problems" and find out the core reason and fix them ....and not just once but every day.....just because I clean up today I will still have to clean tomorrow .....we see "people in need "but the biggest problem I feel is people have is"eye sores".....i want one day for us all to not just say look at that, but face the issues as a community ....instead of becoming farther away from people we can figure out and help and think for people and be ready for what is already going to happen.....a field of wild flowers and weed can be made into a garden .....we can do it.....hey dont you want every thing around you beautiful.....bless everyone with your beauty but it's hard......and please dont get disscuraged because we're dealing with mental health........please when you see this name support me I feel strong I can handle issues I have a non profit in the state of California.....lets find an easy way we all can stay clean and healthy
@@josephbiggica939 There are no easy solutions to the homeless situation.
exactly like vancouver BC after 10 p.m....
@@ogs_Boga1900 Vancouver is not like LA lol
That train is like a psychiatric facility on rails.
đ đ đ Seriously lol
That is because when "some" people enter that train they go into another dimension (perhaps the Twilight Zone?) and start to manifest into uncontrollable lunatics. Seriously though, mental illness is way to common now, đ„ sadly.
corny
@@marycad1160 because people take drugs and people drink a lot
Go up and see the conductor at your stop to Take your daily prescription pills.
Iâve never ridden the metro rail before it was nice to see thank you
Thanks for the ride. It was interesting.
Thanks for the ride. As a native New Yorker I love seeing the subways in other cities. Stay safe AK!
The red/B line maxes out around around 70mph, so speed is really good
Thank you for your video, here a newyorker also, I am visiting Los Angeles in 2 months, I was very afraid to ride the subway over there after many people say that its dangerous with homeless going crazy in the train but after seeing you ride looks, it looks GOOD! no great but a good service and a safe ride, I don't see people in drugs in the subway going crazy, at least that's what I tought, thank you man! I'll be there soon.
"This is their version of the subway" cracked me up đ (hello from another native NYer!)
Same lol đ
Well it works very well for most locals. So make fun all you want lol
@@californiamade5608 - sorry, I wasn't making fun of your subway at all, I just found it funny how he said that! :)
Hello from a native of Los Angeles.... Go back to where you came from please.
@@Wilma.Flintstone yeah sure you were
I left Los Angeles in 2017. Your video brought back years of memories. Thank You!!!!
"The best public transportation system in America"! You'd think they'd take more pride in the appearance of their trains and listenability of their announcements! The best are the pre-recorded announcements on Boston's 'T': clear, in a broadcast news accent, and enunciated. Not garbled in a local accent over a squawk box!!!
im not even sure what the best transportation system would be in the US. nyc certainly has the most extensive network but its filthy, slow and in disrepair.
@The Transit Traveler clearly youâre missing out on BART in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was there first, 20 years, before Metro in LA and was the first true âsubway public transportation systemâ on the west coast. And I think serves the Bay Area better than Metro does the LA area.
The only real transport system in the US is in NYC.
You can debate on looks, cleanliness and speed, all are important, but the main goal of such a system is to enable you to get from on point to the other. NYC not only has an extensive system but lines intersect other allowing you to get anywhere faster (even if the trains themselves are slower).
Due to the nature of cities in the US all your systems are in the star formation (with rare exceptions) so if you live close to a station and needs to get to the center, where all lines converge, it's OK but any other ride is impossible. NYC is more like normal transport systems around the world as lines frequently cross each other allowing you to change to other lines without going all the way to the "center" thus getting to any destination.
@The Transit Traveler did you just say Miami? Lmfao. Miami is not a subway thatâs a metro light rail. It would compare more to San Franciscoâs MUNI metro light rail. Stops too far apart? San Francisco literally has 4 downtown stations all less than 1 mile apart. I still appreciate it more than Miami because itâs a bigger system that covers more area. Miami doesnât compare, itâs laughable because itâs a really small system and itâs NOT a subway. Sorry. Not sure how you came up with Miami. BARTâs ridership is also the 5th largest/busiest in the nation behind NYC subway, Washington DC Metro, Chicago Subway, & MBTA Boston subway. Then comes BART. So BART is not comparable to other cities that are not listed. Also, Miami is not a SUBWAY because it does not go underground and its the only metro train in Florida. Only 62,000 riders go on it monthly versus BARTâs 421,000. So yeah lol. BART is also was very advanced for its time and still is. They are also expanding it. I personally think itâs the best on the west because itâs sort of like an east coast subway. It goes far into the suburbs for workers trying to get into the city rather than drive with traffic. So to say it feels âlike a railroadâ is a joke. Clearly you never rode in BART
1st nyc
2nd cta
Very close third dc metro
cool. when i was a kid growing up in LA, no subway. first time i've seen it. reminds me a little of Metro here in DC. great you can board in the Valley and go downtown. thnx
The trains got the same sound as washington DCs old class 1000 metro cars built by rohr.
I bet they use the same traction motors.
@@tionstav5799 intresteing. i remember those. they mostly have these new cars now on DC metro..sleek silver, somewhat quiet with HARD seats that hurt my ass unlike the cars you cite which had soft seats. thanks for the info please subscribe if you like live music
Man, I rode on that train on my last trip to LA. Sketchiest sh!t ever.
Is that why you became a sketch artist?
Sorry you had to deal with it
i had rode NYC subway system in the 90s
Looks like itâs improved then lol from your âsketchy ride
When we met my wife's relatives who have lived in LA for 30+ years they told us that they had no idea that there was a subway transportation in LA let alone ride it. That explains it.
Yea, there's a reason why many cities around the world started using plastic or metal seating (the compromise in comfort is preferable to the alternative, and you can hose them off routinely, rather than have them accumulate over time). In LA, I remember sitting down in seats only to find the seat had a stink that had thus attached to my clothes for the day (stinky butt/genital sweat soaked into the fabric). Suffice it to say, I stood for my commutes after that.
I don't know if NY has this but in LA you can transfer from train to train for free or from bus to train which is very useful and makes it affordable. Also to go to Griffith Observatory, there is a Dash bus shuttle that takes you up there which I think is much better than paying for parking and dealing with the stress
Thank you for sharing. Have not felt uncomfortable in New York City subway since I first rode it in the 1970's. I ride DC's subway all the time. The Green line is the only one that I feel uncomfortable on. You have to take that line to get to Nats Park.
I rode Atlanta's a couple of time from the airport to downtown. It was fairly late at night. Lots of airport personnel leaving work and lots of sketchy folks. Getting out of the station downtown was almost frightening.
Hey fun fact you might have not noticed since you cant really stick around each station but if you step out each station has a unique theme and vibe to them with painting, architecture, and even things embedded in the walls. None of the stations are the same in LA
Interesting ride. Guess thereâs better and worse train systems all over. Thanks for showing us. You sounded tired at the end, AK. Maybe it was just climbing the stairs out the station. Hope you stopped for a bite to eat and a cold drink there in sunny Hollywood.
thankfully metro has ordered new train sets for the subways. And hopefully as the pandemic ends they will hire more people to clean the cars
Thankfully the B and D lines are getting new trains soon as part of the D line extension
I live in Los Angeles and hardly taken the metro rail đ Iâve only taken the train in San Francisco and Portland, thanx for a great video AK!
Yeah...I used to love the B&D lines but they have been so bad recently. They're redone some cars so they don't have the older 90's lighting (cuz most of the system screams 90's grunge to me at this point), but Metro Operations have completely forsaken any semblance of cleaning the cars in between runs. And that isn't a covid thing, this has been going on for at least a few years.
The subway lines have become progressively dirtier and they even smell. Not sure what has transpired. They weren't this way a couple years ago. Metro manages to keep the light rail lines like the Blue Line reasonably clean throughout the day.
Open gangway trains are coming in the new trains, probably one more year.
I rode the red line 5 years ago and the train was pretty clean back then, I had to go downtown for jury duty. I rode it again today once again for jury duty and it was dirty and had graffiti. There were also homeless, a lady that seemed mentally unstable and a man selling tube socks.
Me- Even with a little trash on the subway it's good to see LA shown in a positive light.
Enter space cadet in tutu
I thought that was a nice touch to give it come character. I think the says as much. LOL!
Thanks for uploading this video Action Kid ! You should come to Chicago and do a live stream video blog of my city.
I'm glad you enjoyed your ride on the L.A. Metro B(Red) line. The speed on the Red line is 55mph between stations. Northbound from Hollywood/Highland station the speed increases to 70 mph as the line passes under the Hollywood Hills to the Universal City and N. Hollywood stations.
Shame he didnât react to that, itâs the best part of the trip. Shaves a lot of time compared to driving.
@@DayleDiamond I can't wait until Los Angeles gets new subway cars. These subway cars that are currently being used on the red and purple lines, are the Breda A650's. They will be replaced by the new CRRC HR4000 subway cars being built by China.
@@DayleDiamond He got off at Hollywood and Highland right before that section.
@@Geotpf exactly! That tunnel is the most impressive part.
@@SuperheroJunior Chinese rolling stock is cheap but unreliable, you will never see it in European cities. LA might regret this decision soon.
Damn Iâve been riding that subway for like 10 years and Iâve never seen it that dirty lol
I think it's due to temp cutbacks during Covid and lower ridership.
Thank you for sharing my Childhood Home welcome to the City of Los Angeles stay safe always want to Go To New York hands down Love & Peaceâ€ïž.
As far as the seats: we have the same ones on Chicago's CTA trains, where they used to be plush vinyl. Can't do those anymore -- little vandals used to slash the seats, and as time went on, people started -- relieving themselves, #1 and 2. It's a different world, and was even before covid.
I canât say Iâm impressed with their metro. Iâd expect more from the city of this size
As someone who lives here, I wholeheartedly agree.
@@cbaltmackie2021 Los Angeles will soon receive new subway cars named the HR4000 CRRC trains next year.
It only started construction in the 80s and then was stopped because of politics for about 20 years. However, construction restarted about 10 years ago and several more lines will open in the next few years. The next one to open will be underground in DTLA and add 3 more stations. It's referred to as the Regional Connector.
The city area of DT is quiet small.
If you realize that they only started the whole network about 30 years ago, itâs actually really impressive. But the LA metro isnât done. Theyâre still building more and more lines all over LA.
I'm an urban rail geek as well, am going back to NYC in the fall and will visit London. I liked LA's system for the most part, including the unironic 70's interiors. I'd love your take on my hometown of San Francisco--for better or worse.
@@powerfulstrong5673
OMG how many times are u going to repeat this !!!
@@powerfulstrong5673 why you need to spam this everywhere
@@powerfulstrong5673 ???????
@@powerfulstrong5673 ok
the doors stay open for such an insanely long time. I'm used to Philly and NY subways doors being open for like 10 seconds max đ
They only stay open longer at Union Station and some of the bigger, more highly used stations like Hollywood and Highland.
Thanks for the ride
The LA Metro is an extremely limited line, created as an afterthought to all the traffic on the freeways and the need for more transportation. New York City created their subway system at the start of the 20th century, before NYC got completely built up, so they were able to create underground lines all throughout the city. Los Angeles, on the other hand, was fairly unpopulated at that time, and when the automobile was invented, Angelenos simply opted for cars instead of developing a subway. Now that freeways are jammed, and we need more efficient transportation, thereâs a real need for a subway, but now, engineers have to contend with an over developed city as well. They canât just tunnel under existing buildings without difficulties. On top of that, there is the threat of earthquakes, which could be very dangerous for a subway system. The city has proposed more metro lines in the future, but not much has been done.
I agree with everything you said. Spot on. Except for your last sentence. There is actually a lot of metro construction going on for the last 5 years or so. Majority of these construction sites are happening underground though, so they are out of site until completion in the next couple years or so. So in reality a lot has been going on for the several years now. Walk around to several spots in Downtown (Little Tokyo, Hope&2nd, 2nd& Broadway), several miles of new stations on Wilshire blvd, a whole new subway line running from Aviation blvd up through LAX with several miles of new stations running all the way up to the Expo line. All these projects have been in construction for years now and some are very near to completion in the near future. Thereâs other subway projects but I cant remember them.
@@cazanator5741 Oh OK. I havenât seen these underground projects, but I did hear that some construction was going on. It just seems to be taking years. Iâm a native New Yorker, by the way, displaced here in Los Angeles, but not too happy about it. đ I love Union Station, Chinatown, Olvera Street, and some other areas like Santa Monica and Glendale, but generally, Iâm ready to move back to NYC.
@@ealswytheangelicrealms i understand. New York City is an amazing place, and one of my favorite cities in the world. I have family there. I feel like there are many people in LA now that were displaced from New York. I'm ignorant as to why though. Is it because of cost of living? Im not sure. But anyways i wanted to add some information, although i like what you said cuz you stated facts that many people ignore. You also said that when the automobile was invented, Angelenos opted for cars instead of subways. But i noticed you didnt mention LA's Red Cars that actually existed throughout the early 20th century and into the 1960s. When cars were invented, LA was already populated with public rail all over the place. Did you know that LA once had the largest public rail transportation system in the world? It was bigger than New York City's system even. Many people dont know this. Unfortunately major car companies like General Motors with the help from government (who at the time favored the idea of construction of future freeways, as the preferred transportation choice of the future), slowly killed off pretty much 100% of LAs famous Red Cars (aka The Pacific Electric Railway Company) back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. So LA was left with nothing. Rail tracks were now replaced with these new inventions called freeways, built over their old footprints. Inevitably LA became a car city only, and eventually in the early 80's LA had to start all over again from scratch with its public rail. And now we are where we are, but we are getting there. Also, its been years since I've seen it, but if i remember correctly i believe the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" incorporates this bit of LA History fact in with it's story. Also if you know where to look you will actually find signs of the old rail system (defunct rails, bridges, stilts, columns, tunnels, of LA's old Pacific Electric Railway).
You donât need a tap card. You can add it to Apple Pay or Google pay.
Also donât forget the light rails.
I took the Expo Line from Santa Monica to DTLA and took me an hour. The Expo line should've had express tracks to make the trip much faster.
That was a nice smooth ride! . But, yeah, you'd think they'd have a cleaning team at the terminals to at least go thru the trains and remove the trash...
I've ridden the subway my whole life and have never experienced issues.
are you a woman tho đ€Łđ
Iâve experienced the crackheads đ€Ł
Same with me. It sure beats driving and parking. I've had a few interesting experiences on the buses but not on the subway.
The L.A. subway needs an automated announcement system just like we have here in Toronto, with a very clear voice that can be understood (a female one works wonders.)
I first moved to L.A. from NYC back in 2016 and the train was pretty decent. I unfortunately, still have to take these trains twice daily for work and it is a God awful nightmare now. We all call it a mobile skid row. The transients have completely taken over. Every trip Iâm a nervous wreck because there is someone on the train either smoking meth, threatening passengers, urinating, throwing food around etc. Being born and raised in NYC and having taken the subway all my life, I was never afraid to take the train until I came to L.A. Iâm a tough cookie, and it takes a lot to get to me, but taking L.A. Metro has brought me to tears on several occasions in recent months.
Well done. LA is the only major US heavy rail system I never made video for, despite having visited several times.
Iâm actually live in LA, and the Red and Purple Line (B/D Lines) Subway is trashy. There was this one time I rode it and there was a spill of an energy drink (or idk what it was) on the train floor.
You have some good train related content on your site.
@@jamesparson thanks! Also, u have some good model trains.
That's false. The Red line is not trashy. Accidents happen. And some people leave empty bottles behind. But overall it's usually very clean.
@@donjindra I haven't been a red line rider in a while, but way back when, this was not typical. Then again, times are tough for a lot of people. And some people use that as an excuse to act out.
@@donjindra ik
I worked in downtown LA a few years ago and rode the subway during rush hour every day. It looks like I missed out on on the crazy people.
I wouldn't ride the A (Blue) Line on a regular basis though.
A long time ago I took the blue line to Long Beach to go golfing. So I'm this tall, white guy carrying golf clubs going through Watts and South Central and I got the weirdest looks from people.
@@EdDunkle I like train systems a lot. But I soooooo would not have done that.
@@jamesparson I rode that shit when I was kid mind you in the 2000s perhaps it's worse now than before
Very nice! Thanks!
Did you get off at Hollywood and Highland, or North Hollywood? I was just there in Hollywood today at the MAC store. We were riding on Sunset and I got excited when I saw the dark building you were walking by and squeeled with glee and pointed it out to my daughter. Im glad you're here enjoying better weather.
Those motors sound a whole lot like those that used to be on the DC metro.
Yup. Theyâre Breda. Similar to the 2000/3000 series cars on the DC metro. Although ours didnât sound like that until Alstom replaced the motors.
16:31 Considering this line was started running in the 90âs (cue music) the signaling system is probably not a problem
You paid $2.90 for 5.1 miles from new york to Brooklyn, In LA, we only paid $1.75 from long beach to Cirtus college station, which is 39.5 miiles, we have the longest light rail in the whole world :)
Loved the video. I live in Silverlake, just north of downtown LA. This vid couldve been great at a 15 min length......but mad interesting
You need to go at 5pm. This is when the circus starts
Idk if anyone has commented about this or if you found out already, but the Red and Purple lines will have new modern subway trains with brighter white lights for the inside, seating arrangement just like the New York City subway (except for the front and end of each car), and open gangways just like your new upcoming updated subway trains. They are called the HR4000 if you want to see for yourself. They are going to be delivered next year
I've been taking the metro for 12 years now and the dim lights have always been a plus not an issue, especially if ur in there for a really long time.
I should also note that you used to be able to see into all of the cars but they started tinting them so that people don't try forcing the door open and crossing through to the next car, though some still do. The A650s used to get so much love but now they don't stay clean long enough to matter :(
Metro really went all out in getting creative, distinctive designs in the Red Line stations, was one of my first impressions when riding it for the first time two years ago. The next impression was how rundown they looked- lack of maintenance (huge graffiti seen here on the wall at the last escalator up to street level), lights out, water-streaks on the tiled artwork, etc. And noisy inside the cars- poor insulation. The new trains should be an improvement. But fast and smooth rides, credit Metro for that.
Those trains are workhorses just like the Nippon sharyo p865
Saying that nobody takes that train looks like an understatement. Apparently getting the Angelinos out of their cars remains a work in progress.
This is clearly not recorded during rush hour. 500,000 people use the various train lines daily. Rush hour is super crowded.
@@themoviedealers Oof only 500,000. Those are rookie numbers. Here in Toronto we get 1.2 Million per day. And no, that doesnât include any buses or trams.
The reason why nobody uses it is because of American urban planning. American cities are single handedly dominated by low density single family use Euclidean zoning. Nobody is going to ride this is they have to walk 2-3 hours to even get to this.
LA can build as much public transit as it likes but if the city is far too spread out to actually be useful no one will ride it. The same thing can be said for about 95% of Americaâs cities with obvious special cases of NYC Chicago Boston.
As a former L.A. resident who took the trains everywhere: the trains ranked by pleasantness are L/Gold > E/Expo > B/Red and D/Purple > C/Green > A/Blue
Thanks for the ride to Hollywood Subway
I took this exact same route every work day for nearly a year. I never found the lighting to be bad. I never noticed much litter. But I took the trains at business hours so they were packed. For me it was very convenient and reliable.
You did a great video. Was impressed by how brutally honest you were, LOL!
I agree with you that the sound system should be upgraded as well as the lights are dim and the garbage is a problem on the trains. I also notice their start up speed is very slow, they look like the old trains from Toronto from the sixties...Long pauses between stations. Thank you for your interesting and educational videos, we do enjoy them....
Red line in fact has no cell service underground, if you did have service w t-mobile it was VOIP, or built in wifi in the stations. No one can make calls underground, and it's about 60-100ft underground. Which usually keeps the train nice and quiet at coming home from universal station to 7th street. You also didn't mention how spacious the inside of cars are. It's about 10 feet of space from door to door by width since the red line uses a full heavy rail gauge. Ive always loved LA red line.
Good title for the video, should get views on both coasts.
Oh wow...
Thanks you for sharing with us at L. A.
Thank you for your thoughtful and constructive criticism of the Los Angeles subway system. I lived in Los Angeles for almost 35 years from 1981 to 2016. I lived about 3 long blocks from the current terminus of the D-line (Purple) at Western and Wilshire. I very much enjoyed riding the subway to downtown and Hollywood especially since I wouldn't have to worry about paying a premium for parking at these two destinations. Even though I enjoyed my rides on the Metro subway, I did have some complaints about it. When the Purple and and Red lines split at Vermont and Wilshire a lot of people, especially tourists, would get lost trying to get to Hollywood. Because the trains were not well marked in the beginning of the service a lot of people would end up at Western and Wilshire instead of Hollywood. Whenever I happened to by riding the subway and came upon these poor lost tourists I would help them get on the correct train to Hollywood. The speaker system, as you noted, is of very poor quality and definitely needs to be replaced. The one thing in your video that really upset me was the garbage on the trains. Since I moved away in 2016, it appears that the homeless situation, which was getting bad by the time I moved, and the pandemic have taken a toll on the trains there. It really saddened me to see it. I think if I were living there still, I would take a box of garbage bags, some gloves and just start cleaning the cars up myself. I noticed that someone in these comments mentioned the Hollywood and Vine station of the subway. I hope you were able to see it. It's an art deco tribute to Hollywood and the film industry. The ceiling is covered with empty film reels and there is a homage to "The Wizard of Oz" using yellow bricks interspersed along the flooring to suggest a yellow brick road. I've been to NYC several times and although many of the stations are older, I still loved riding it.
Again, thank you for this video.
Where have you moved to after leaving LA?
@@troysierra5228 I retired early from my teaching job to move to Yuma, AZ to care for my elderly parents. I hope to return to Los Angeles one day.
Metro workers clean the trains, the issue is the passengers who disrespect the trains and the system from leaving behind their trash to urinating in the elevators. These trains are also over 20 years old and will soon be replaced with new trains with better speakers and lighting.
Wrong the older trains will be replaced 501-530 the newer ones are being modernized deal with it plus Chinese trains are cheap compared to Japanese ones
I recommend getting out and exploring Wilshire and Vermont station. Because it's built into the flyover (done with a transition from side-by-side tunnels to stacked tunnels) it has a big cavern in an interesting wedge shape with some interesting, large art in it.
@@powerfulstrong5673 Partly they just don't think about having it, partly due to interchangeability. Open-gangway trainsets are basically one unit. It takes a lot of time and effort to swap out cars. So if a homeless person sets a fire in one of your cars, on a trainset with separate cars you can just pull that car out of the consist for repairs, but on an open-gangway train you have to take the whole trainset out of service (at least for a little while).
@@powerfulstrong5673 In North America public transit is mostly seen as something for poor people. Consequently in many cities public transit works as a moving homeless shelter, especially if it's raining.
@@powerfulstrong5673 There's more of a need due to less acceptance of multigenerational housing like in some cultures, and a lack of tolerance for multifamily housing being expressed in zoning regulations. As far as metros go, there's a lack of political will, lobbies from the automobile industry, and large costs due to a lack of regular construction of mass transit so there are no efficiencies of mass production. These two factors combine to create a large housing shortage where there is not enough housing where it is needed, with most of the available housing being far from places where jobs could support it.
Both of these problems could be fixed if we reduced road funding and density limits as social functions. The government provides roads for free, so of course people use them. The government won't let people build more housing, so of course it becomes more expensive.
What experience...Thanks...A.K.
Rode the Red Line a few years ago. Not as much litter but the cars seemed worn as they date back to the 90's. Don't know if there's been a mid life overhaul as they plan to replace the fleet in a few years.
I did think that many of the stations were architecturally nice.
We rode B (Red) and the L (Gold) line back in early 2020 and it wasn't anything bad. It wasn't really dirty but the lighting needs to be improved. At least compared to SF Bay Area (where I'm from) standards, it was better than BART.
2023 Edit: It has come to my attention that the situation on the LA Metro's B and D Lines have deteriorated since COVID. After being on both BART and LA Metro, I think it's safe to say that BART feels way safer and cleaner compared to LA Metro's two heavy rail lines. Additionally, service has been cut to every 15 mins during the day which is honestly not so great for LA. Hopefully they turn things around to actually get people to take Metro.
The reason for the slow departure from union station is the train must cross over to the other track, which needs to be at slow speed.
Regarding your comment about how many stairs/escalators it takes to get from the platform to the street level, newer subways like L.A., S.F.'s BART, Washington DC's WMATA, & even in NYC like the Q - 2nd Avenue Subway and the 7 - Hudson Yard Extension are built deeper and with a mezzanine level to avoid underground utilities in built environments. Many of these also are center-platform stations. Older subways, like many in NYC are cut-and-cover, which lacks a mezzanine level, were built with less underground obstructions; also, those are the stations where you'd have to go to street level and get into the right subway entrance to go in the direction you need to go (Uptown/Downtown/Bronx/Queens/Brooklyn, etc.), particularly if they're side-platform stations. As for subways in earthquake-prone areas, Tokyo, Japan and San Francisco, CA proved that their respective subway systems survived earthquakes unscathed. In L.A., the segment of the B/D Line between Union Station and Westlake/MacArthur Park existed when the 1994 Northridge Earthquake hit - the subway survived. There are two century-old railroad tunnels used by the Metrolink Ventura County & Antelope Valley Lines commuter train (similar to MNR & LIRR) that also survived that earthquake.
Miami metro rail otherwise known as the Miami L train system has better seats with cloth covering foam pad seats and backrests on the seats and a higher rate of acceleration like the Washington D.C. Metro system. It is elevatedabovd the streets except for 50 yards of surface running near the city center. Itmis the last elevated train system in the U.S.
Cloth covered seats on public transport is a bad thing. Many LA public transports had and still have cloth covered seats and itâs bad for cleaning purposes. Also LA trains are really fast actually, everyone is getting the wrong impression in this video because it started with slow acceleration at 1 terminal station (Union Station) in Downtown LA.
Interesting ride....
You will need to make this trip early during the day to be safe, some areas have gotten so bad. I am forced to drive now.
I was there back in August I'm just seeing your video now I took the LA metro to Hollywood also for the first time I'm the 3 times I've been there it wasn't a bad ride
In the late 2000s, automated announcement systems were installed on all metro trains.
As a New York City native that transplanted to LA in 2004, I can better comment on a comparisons of the systems. While smaller the system is much younger and does not have the extensive difficulties of the NYC MTA. All cities that have public transit have litter problems and difficulties in their public address systems.. And while you may believe that the car lighting could be better, the NY system is not brighter. The B train ( purple line will extend past Beverly Hills to Westwood.
And since there are less stations ( not a combination local/ express system), the bus and now the micro elements. Can permit availability to most places. You can also. Rent either a motorized bicycle at various station points or private party scooters for local transport .
No matter where you go there's always a dirty train/subway
Not true. Clean trains and stations exist
@@greenmachine5600 like the train in Washington dc ?
@@greenmachine5600 LA is getting a new train next year
not in Japan
I have never been on a dirty Marta Train in all of my years of riding it.
After the universal city station the train really picks up speed as it travels under the Hollywood hills to the final station đ
It travels north on lankershim Blvd to n Hollywood station use to reside in la btw.
The LA metro tap turnstiles are identical to the ones used for the NJ path train
The system is getting expanded for the 2028 LA Olympics