User:TJH2018/Sandboxes/Metro Rail Sandbox

= Metro Rail =

In Los Angeles County, California, the Metro Rail system, is a combined rapid transit and light rail system, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). The system is composed of two rapid transit lines and four light rail lines that run on 87.7 mi of track. As of March 2012, Los Angeles County Metro Rail serves an average of 323,870 passengers each weekday, 192,943 each Saturday, and 146,646 each Sunday. Metro Rail is one of the largest rapid transit and light rail systems in the United States by ridership. This is complemented by Metro's extensive Metro Transitway system of bus rapid transit lines.

Metro Rail history
Metro Rail began service on July 14, 1990, when the light rail Blue Line opened between Pico and Anaheim stations; the line was extended to Downtown Long Beach and Pacific Avenue stations on September 1. The Blue Line was extended one stop northward from Pico to 7th Street/Metro Center on February 15, 1991. The next Metro Rail line, the rapid transit Red Line, opened on January 30, 1993, between Union Station and Westlake/MacArthur Park station. The light rail Green Line, the system's third line, opened on August 12, 1995 from Norwalk to Redondo Beach stations. Metro Rail's next expansion occurred on May 22, 1996, when the Red Line expanded westward from Westlake/Macarthur Park to Wilshire/Western stations. The Red Line expanded again on June 12, 1999, with a branch from Wilshire/Vermont to Hollywood/Vine stations. The final section of the Red Line opened on June 24, 2000, from Hollywood/Vine station to North Hollywood station, completing the Red Line as originally planned. A fourth Metro Rail line, the light rail Gold Line, opened on July 27, 2003 between Union Station and Sierra Madre Villa station in Pasadena. The rapid transit Purple Line became the fifth Metro Rail line on August 24, 2006, when LACMTA separated the Red Line into two separate services; the branch between Union Station and Wilshire/Western station became the Purple Line while the branch between Union Station and North Hollywood station remained the Red Line. The Gold Line was later extended to Atlantic station in East Los Angeles on November 15, 2009. The light rail Expo Line opened between 7th Street/Metro Center and La Cienega/Jefferson on April 28, 2012; two additional stations opened on June 20, 2012. The Gold Line Foothill Extension opened on March 5, 2016, with a new terminus at Arcadia.

Current Metro Rail system
The system has eighty-six stations serving its six lines. Five of these stations are transfer stations, which allow passengers to transfer between lines. Ten of these stations are termini&mdash;stations at the end of lines. Forty-five of the stations are within the city of Los Angeles; the other forty-one stations are located in surrounding communities.

Lines
There are six Metro Rail lines as of 2016. Each line is associated with a color; five of the lines are named for their color, while the sixth, the Expo Line, is named for Exposition Park.

Stations
The following table lists all stations served by Metro Rail. For stations served by more than one line, lines are listed in the order of opening.