NABI 60-BRT Orange Line bus at Warner Center Transit Hub

Side view of the NABI 60-BRT at Warner Center Transit Hub

Interior view of the NABI 60-BRT.

The Metro Orange Line is a dedicated transitway operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority which began its operation on October 29th, 2005. It travels fourteen miles between Warner Center and the North Hollywood Metro Red Line subway station in the San Fernando Valley. Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner-side. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner-side. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner-interior. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Metroliner-interior. ... There is a large number of public transport systems in European towns that fulfill several of the BRT criteria given above, but they are rarely designated as BRT. Bus lanes and exclusive use of key city-centre streets is commonplace, and bus priority on approach to traffic lights is quite... The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro, MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and public transportation operating agency for the county of Los Angeles. ... Warner Center is a business district in Los Angeles, California. ... Other service Kiss & Ride passenger drop-off area Platforms Red Line: Island platform Orange Line: Side platform Parking 1,101 Park and Ride lot spaces Bicycle facilities 68 Bike Rack Spaces 8 Locker Spaces Other information Opened Red Line: June 24, 2000 Orange Line: October 29, 2005 Accessible North Hollywood... The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. ... San Fernando Valley from southwestern edge. ...

The Orange Line is designed with characteristics similar to an urban light rail system such as a dedicated right-of-way, more broadly dispersed stations approximately one mile apart, platform ticket machines for faster boarding, public art, park-and-ride lots, and other amenities. It is designated as "Metro Liner." This article is about light rail systems in general. ... A right-of-way (plural: rights-of-way) is an easement or strip of land granted to a railroad company upon which to build a railroad. ...

Because of its many differences from a standard bus service, the authority has branded the transitway as part of the region's network of light and heavy rail lines. It appears on the Metro Rail System Map. Orange Line vehicles, called Metro Liners, are painted in the silver and gray color scheme of Metro Rail vehicles. Likewise, it is the authority's only bus line that has been marketed with a color designation rather than its line number (901). In addition, the Orange Line is built on the former Southern Pacific Railroad Burbank Branch right-of-way. This article is about light rail systems in general. ... The term heavy rail is often used for regular railways, to distinguish from systems such as trams/light rail and metro. ... The Los Angeles County Metro Rail is the current mass transit rail system operating in Los Angeles. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks SP) was an American railroad. ...

The transitway's color name, the Orange Line, refers to the many citrus trees that once blanketed the San Fernando Valley. The name was adopted in January 2004 by the Board of Directors. In the planning stages the transitway was known as the San Fernando Valley East-West Transitway, and later the Metro Rapidway. The idea for the transitway itself was inspired by the Rede Integrada de Transporte, which board supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky noticed during a visit to Curitiba, Brazil. shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Red Integrada de Transporte is a bus rapid transit system in Curitiba, Brazil Routes Express buses: These are large high-capacity buses that have exclusive traffic lanes, spreading radially from the city centre in 5 directions. ... Zev Yaroslavsky served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. ... Location of Curitiba Country Brazil Region Sul State Paraná Founded 29 March 1693 Incorporated 1842 Government  - Mayor Carlos Alberto Richa (PSDB) Area  - City 430. ...

The Orange Line has two other official names: the E Line and Line 901. These are rarely used by residents, but occasionally appear on documents.

Construction delays

During construction the contractor experienced several delays. There was a dead body found tucked in a barrel along the alignment and toxic soil had to be removed.

Twenty-two months after construction began, on July 19, 2004, the California Court of Appeals ordered the temporary halt to construction activity on the Orange Line. This action was the result of a successful appeal by a citizens' group known as C.O.S.T (Citizens organized for Smart Transit), which claimed a network of Rapid Lines should have been studied as a possible alternative to the Metro Orange Line. The 30-day shutdown cost $70,000 per day. July 19 is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ...

On October 22, Metro issued a Revised Final Environmental Impact Report (RFEIR) that concluded that the Metro Orange Line was superior to each of three Rapid Bus Alternatives studied in the revised report. The RFEIR studied: October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is a document required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ...

1. Three East-West Rapid Bus Routes Alternative (Sherman Way, Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard)
2. Five East-West Rapid Bus Routes Alternative (Sherman Way, Victory Boulevard, Oxnard Street, Burbank Boulevard, and Chandler Boulevard)
3. Rapid Bus Network Alternative (as submitted by Citizens Organized for Smart Transit, this network of nine Rapid Bus routes would consist of three east-west routes and six north-south routes)

The revised FEIR examined the environmental impacts, costs and benefits of each Rapid Bus alternative and concluded:

1. The Metro Orange Line would attract substantially more new riders than any Rapid Bus alternatives.
2. The Metro Orange Line would result in the greatest system-wide travel time savings.
3. The Metro Orange Line would maintain the most consistent travel time, which would not be compromised over time as the result of increasing traffic congestion.
4. The Rapid Bus alternatives would all have lower capital costs than the Metro Orange Line because of their minimal construction requirements. However, because the Rapid Bus alternatives would attract fewer new riders than the Metro Orange Line, the Rapid Bus alternatives exhibit poor cost-effectiveness measured on a per-new-rider basis.
5. The exclusive transitway operation of the Metro Orange Line has distinct land use benefits that would encourage transit-oriented development at/around stations and is consistent with adopted local planning documents.
6. Operating costs for the Rapid Bus Network Alternative would be up to $10 million more each year than the cost to operate the Metro Orange Line

Operations

Parking lots

The large North Hollywood parking lot is completely filled by early mornings by inward-bound Red Line users. Parking lots at various Orange Line stops along the route will provide more passenger traffic for both Orange and Red Metro lines. This will also take many cars off of the freeways and surface streets. At present, the parking lots along the Orange line are being utilized at below 10% capacity. There is no signage on most busy arteries directing car-using, potential Orange/Red Line customers to the huge free parking lots. However, studies show that an increasing number of Simi Valley, Northridge, and Sylmar auto commuters are beginning to use these parking lots. If a reduction of Freeway and cross-valley arterial auto traffic results from using the parking lots, a major public convenience will be achieved.

Vehicles

The unusually large, high-tech looking buses, which have been dubbed "Metro Liners" by the LACMTA, are twenty feet longer than the standard forty-foot bus, which enables them to carry up to 57 passengers, which is about 50% more passengers. The buses are articulated in the center due to this longer length. They have three doors for faster boarding and alighting. Like most other Los Angeles Metro buses, the Metro Liners are made by North American Bus Industries and are fueled by compressed natural gas.^[1] Vehicles have no fareboxes because the Metro Orange Line operates on a proof-of-payment system, just like all LACMTA rail lines. A Mississauga Transit bus in Mississauga Ontario. ... North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama and was linked to Ikarus Bus and Crown Coach joint venture. ... A CNG propelled autorickshaw on the streets of New Delhi, Delhi. ... Proof-of-payment is a fare collection approach used on many public transportation systems. ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ...

Ridership

The ridership average for the first five full months of operation, from November 2005 to March 2006, was 16,766 boardings per weekday. A strong upward trend, from January 2006 on, suggested that ridership during the first full year of operation might fall between 5.5 and six million annual boardings (statistics for the first 11 months of operation, November 2005 - September 2006, implied 5.9 million passengers per year).^[2]

However, annual passenger traffic density is a more useful indicator than crude boarding counts for comparison between modes, lines, and systems. This is calculated by dividing annual passenger-miles (or km) by the line length. The result, expressed as "passenger-miles per mile of route" (or "passenger-km per km of route"), is simply a measure of the number of passengers who, on average, travel over each mile (or km) of line during some interval (e.g. weekday, year). Although seldom used in the U.S., annual traffic density is an important measure of line capacity and is a major determinant of operating expense.

The estimated number of boardings for the first full year of operation (based on actual results for the first 11 months of operation) is 5.9 million. The reported (annual) average travel distance per boarding is 6.2 mi (10.1 km) on the transitway. (It should be noted that the majority of passengers arrived at the North Hollywood terminal by Red Line trains or regular bus and are using joint route fares in many cases.) The Orange Line is 14 miles (23 km) long. These statistics imply an (annual) traffic density of 2.6 million pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per year.

The accompanying (weekday) traffic density figure, based on results for the first 11 months of operation (November 2005 - September 2006), is 8,800 pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per weekday.

Comparative figures for the Metro rail lines, based on MTA statistics for the 2006 fiscal year, are:

• Red Line: 11.1 million pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per year; 35,000 pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per weekday.
• Blue Line: 8.5 million pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per year; 26,000 pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per weekday.
• Green Line: 3.5 million pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per year; 11,000 pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per weekday.
• Gold Line: 2.9 million pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per year; 9,100 pass-mi (km) per mi (km) of route per weekday.

In April of 2007, the Orange Line averaged 23,814 weekday boardings (the "average" for the first 11 months of operation, November 2005 - September 2006, was 18,767). The loading factor has continued to grow such that, in many peak periods, coaches depart the North Hollywood station completely full with little standing room for riders wanting to board at points west. Studies of its use suggest that most riders are long haul and in fact travel east to or travel west from the Red Line subway service. This "extension" effect of Red Line service is more "traffic productive" than the more typical boarding and dropping off of a passenger along the bus line. Creating better service with higher frequency or longer coaches on the Orange Line, will further stimulate traffic on the subway. The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. ... Metro Blue Line The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach. ... Metro Green Line The Metro Green line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Redondo Beach and Norwalk. ... Metro Gold Line diagram. ...

Collisions

An Orange Line bus heading toward North Hollywood crosses Burbank Boulevard and Fulton Ave. Notice the yellow LED BUS sign on the right traffic light pole.

Another bus at the same intersection, heading toward Warner Center

During the first few months of operations on the Orange Line, there were several collisions, approximately one per week. In each case, the driver of the vehicle other than the MetroLiner was determined to be at fault. There were several injuries but no fatalities. The collision issue is reminiscent of a similar issue with the Blue Line, which currently has the highest fatality rate in North America.^[3] Like the Orange Line, this is because most of the line runs at grade and is thus open to driver mistakes. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Led is also the past tense of the verb to lead Blue, green and red LEDs. ... Traffic lights can have several additional lights for filter turns or bus lanes. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Metro Blue Line The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach. ...

The LACMTA has noted that the Orange Line had about the same accident rate as other bus lines in the city on a per-mile basis,^[4][5] and has stated more recently that the line's accident rate is "less than half" of the MTA's entire fleet of buses.^[6]

Some residents have protested aspects of the Orange Line, saying that the buses should have been painted orange to be more noticeable (instead of the silver scheme they currently have). Others have concerns that the transitway does not employ railroad crossing-style arms or lights (or grade separations) to prevent motorists from crossing that roadway while a bus approaches, relying instead on traffic lights and warning signs. Perhaps more importantly is people observing traffic signals and stopping at red lights, as red-light runners have caused most of the accidents.

On October 27, 2005, two days before the line's official opening, a motorist driving with a suspended license ran a red light and collided with an eastbound bus at Vesper Avenue. There were no injuries.^[7] October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Two collisions involving Orange Line buses occurred on November 2, 2005: November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• A 65-year-old female driver illegally made a right turn against a red light and struck an Orange Line bus near the crossing at Corbin Avenue^[8] in Reseda, at about 11:15 a.m.. A fare inspector on the bus was taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

• At about 2:00 p.m., at the crossing near Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street^[8][9] in Valley Glen, a 78-year old woman driving a Toyota Camry ran a red light and slammed into Metro Liner 9218 that had nearly cleared the intersection. The Camry spun around and hit the bus a second time and the airbags were deployed. Officials say that 37 people were aboard the bus, and at least 15 passengers were injured; the driver of the Camry was critically injured. This accident remains the most serious accident on the Line to date.^[6]

After the second accident, the MTA issued a "slow order" for every driver of every Orange Line bus; until further notice, all buses had to slow down to 10 miles per hour (15 km/h) while going through every intersection along the transitway, as opposed to the 25-30 mph (40-50 km/h) speed limit originally put on line intersections.^[10] MTA officials pledged that they would review any and all ideas to improve safety on the line and report back to the public in a timely manner. They also installed white strobe lights on the sides of the buses to improve visibility.^[11] The Orange Line continued operations.

In December 2005, MTA called for the installation of red-light cameras at many of the Orange Line's intersections, specifically, Burbank Boulevard and Fulton Avenue; Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street; Woodley Avenue; Balboa Boulevard; White Oak Avenue; Lindley Avenue; Reseda Boulevard; and Wilbur, Tampa, Corbin, Mason and De Soto avenues.^[12] As of May 2006, installation is still continuing,^[13] and the cameras are supposed to be operational by August 2006.^[14]

Future expansion

On September 28th, 2006, the LACMTA board approved a plan to extend the Orange Line to the district of Chatsworth, terminating at the Chatsworth Metrolink station. The expansion will cost $135 Million and should be completed in 2012.^[15] September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Chatsworth Amtrak/Metrolink Station, sometimes referred to as the Chatsworth Transportation Center, is an Amtrak and Metrolink rail station in the Los Angeles community of Chatsworth, California. ...

In addition, another possible extension of the Orange Line often proposed by transit advocates is an extension from North Hollywood station to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, which would approximately go north on Vineland Avenue and east on Vanowen Street to the airport, to connect with the Metrolink station. Bob Hope Airport (IATA: BUR, ICAO: KBUR), formerly known as United Airport (1930-1934); Union Air Terminal (1934-1940); Lockheed Air Terminal (1940-1967); Hollywood-Burbank Airport (1967-1978); and most recently Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (1978-2003), is located in Burbank, California, United States. ... Founded May 1, 1887 Incorporated July 8, 1911 General Information County Los Angeles County, California Latitude Longitude 34°1049 N 118°1942 W Area  - Total  - Water 45 km² (17. ... Bob Hope Airport Train Station is an Amtrak and Metrolink rail station south of Bob Hope Airport in the city of Burbank, California. ...

The January 26, 2007 issue of the Daily News reported that Metro will begin testing a new, longer 65-foot bus on the line in the summer of that year as a way of expanding capacity on the line; the agency had to receive a special waiver from Caltrans to operate the bus for testing purposes, since current state law only allows the operation of buses 60 ft or shorter.^[16] In addition, officials will look into obtaining 80-foot buses for future expansion. Such buses would most likely be bi-articulated buses and would require modifications to California's laws to allow for their operation. January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Los Angeles Daily News is the second largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. ... Caltrans logo The soaring ramps in the stack interchanges favored by Caltrans often provide stunning views. ... Ikarbus Ik-201 used in Novi Sad, Serbia. ...

Conversion

Many opponents of the Orange Line call the collisions unacceptable and call for the conversion of the transitway to light rail. They say that keeping it a transitway is unacceptable after the collisions, and conversion to heavy rail is not feasible. They say that the conversion will not require much time or money. They believe it can be done in 2 years or less. However, they say that they will not oppose the expansion of the Orange Line to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station via Canoga Ave. This article is about light rail systems in general. ... The term heavy rail is often used for regular railways, to distinguish from systems such as trams/light rail and metro. ...

There is also concern that the Orange Line will soon reach its engineered capacity.^[17] During peak hours, the signaling system is designed to balance the Orange Line buses with vehicle cross traffic. Adding more buses would either cause bus bunching or shorter green times at cross streets. The other practical alternative would be purchasing bi-articulated (80 foot long) buses as used in Curitiba, Brazil. On December 12, 2006, Metro closed the transitway between Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood and Fulton Avenue in Valley Glen (at the Valley College station) to repave the transitway surface that is "showing signs of wear."^[18] The closure was expected to last approximately two weeks to rebuild the busway's crumbling pavement. The bad pavement was caused by either bad design or poor construction. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

List of Stations, from East to West

Metro Orange Line Transitway map.

North Hollywood Orange Line Station.

A Metro Liner with a bicycle rack at North Hollywood Station.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (600x800, 188 KB)This photo was taken by user: rcstampede. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (600x800, 188 KB)This photo was taken by user: rcstampede. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1296x972, 200 KB)[edit] Summary A Metro Liner bus (with bicycle rack) at North Hollywood Orange Line Station [edit] Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1296x972, 200 KB)[edit] Summary A Metro Liner bus (with bicycle rack) at North Hollywood Orange Line Station [edit] Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Other service Kiss & Ride passenger drop-off area Platforms Red Line: Island platform Orange Line: Side platform Parking 1,101 Park and Ride lot spaces Bicycle facilities 68 Bike Rack Spaces 8 Locker Spaces Other information Opened Red Line: June 24, 2000 Orange Line: October 29, 2005 Accessible North Hollywood... The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. ... A Metro Local bus with its trademark orange color A Metro Local bus with the old paint scheme Metro Local is a bus service in Los Angeles County, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Laurel Canyon is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Valley College is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Woodman is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Van Nuys is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... A Metro Rapid bus on Line 720 Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ... Santa Clarita Transit is the transit agency serving the city of Santa Clarita, California. ... Sepulveda is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... A Metro Rapid bus on Line 720 Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ... Woodley is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Balboa is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Reseda is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... A Metro Rapid bus on Line 720 Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ... Tampa is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Pierce College is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... De Soto is a station on the Los Angeles LACMTA Orange Line. ... Canoga is a station on the Los Angeles Orange Line Transitway. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... NABI 60-BRT Orange Line bus at Warner Center Transit Hub. ... A Metro Rapid bus on Line 720 Metro Rapid is a bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County, California, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 53 days remaining. ...

External links

• Orange Line official web site
• Orange Line schedule
• Orange Line history
• A Bus by Any Other Name Is Still ... a Train? - the problems of designing buses to resemble light rail trains. Mentions the problem of calling the "San Fernando Valley Busway" the "Metro Orange Line."