Citizens' Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line

In 1998, in response to the high frequency of Blue Line accidents, the MTA commissioned a study conducted by engineering firm Booz-Allen, Hamilton, Inc. to evaluate the cause of the incidents on the most-deadly and accident-prone light rail line in the country. The full text of the study is here

The major points, related to the Expo Line are found in section 1.4 of the report, titled What Makes the Metro Blue Different from Other Light Rail Systems?:

“One aspect of this study is to analyze those factors that may contribute to the MBL’s high accident rate as compared to other light rail systems. There are several factors that contribute to the accident rate including:

“1. The MBL travels through a high population density area with a diverse varied social-economic community. The high density results in increased pedestrian and automobile traffic as compared to other transit properties. In addition, the communities through which the MBL travels requires special attention to language and literacy issues when disseminating public outreach and education information.”

“2. The MBL traverses through an industrial center of Los Angeles. The industrial center results in increased trucking and shipping traffic near the MBL. The increased truck traffic results in increased driver frustration due to slower street traffic speeds. This frustration may result in increased crossing gate running and illegal left turns.”

[snip]

“4. The MBL has one of the highest ridership counts for light rail lines in the Country. This factor is perhaps the most important contributor to the grade crossing accident rate. The high ridership results in increased pedestrian traffic near stations as compared to other light rail systems. In addition, although MTA Operations does not allow high passenger loads dictate safe operations, there is pressure to maintain travel times and headway schedule requirements (e.g., passenger trip from Los Angeles to Long Beach in less than one hour).”

All of these conditions are exacerbated on the Expo Line. The ridership per mile is expected to greater than the Blue Line; the Expo Line passes through areas with slower street traffic speeds and industrial truck traffic as well; and the population densities are greater. It is clear, the MTA is willfully and deliberately making the same mistakes, and have not learned their lesson.

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Opening Brief of Expo Communities United: 264 KB pdf

Reply Brief of Expo Communities United: 212 KB pdf

While we continue to point out the facts the Expo Authority’s continues their political damage control campaign: Local Legislators Pressure PUC Commissioner

UPDATE: Conversation with Commissioner Simon’s Chief of Staff

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Here are just a few of the documents and memos the Fix Expo Team has found:

LAUSD

The LAUSD has registered its reservations with the at-grade design of the Expo Line going back at least to 2001. Here are some quick links to the documents:

1) In his comments to the Draft EIR, then Superintendent Roy Romer request a below grade portion from the I-110 to west of Vermont and the LAUSD inter-office memo regarding the large number of bus routes serving many students including special needs kids on the corridor. The comments appear in Volume 2B1 of the Final EIR here on pages 28-35.

2) Shortly after the Final EIR was certified in December 2005, in large part to the proding of some of the founding members of Expo Communities United the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety sent a formal letter opposing the Expo Line at-grade design: 33KB pdf

3) The Parent Collaborative also submitted their letter of opposition, adding to the concerns of the LAUSD OEHS, the special needs children who would have their learning environments irreparably harmed: 38KB pdf

4) Among OEHS basis for opposition is their Distance Criteria for School Siting, which requires a new school be built no less than 128 feet from a rail line: 36KB pdf

Public Utilities Commission Staff

The PUC Staff has expressed reservations about the MTA Grade Separation Policy numerous times:

1) PUC Staff comments to the Final EIR: 176KB pdf

2) PUC Response to the Preliminary Grade Crossing Hazards Analysis submitted by Expo/Metro: 252KB pdf

3) PUC’s comments during the Expo Field Diagnostic Meetings requesting the USC trench be extended beyond Vermont: 276KB pdf

4) PUC’s Meeting Minutes regarding problems with the Dorsey High School “holding pen”: 172KB pdf

LADOT

Among the sternest concerns are those expressed in the May 17, 2007 letter from Gloria Jeff to Rick Thorpe calling the Expo Park event management plan will “lead to gridlock” and is “unsafe for pedestrians”: 92KB pdf

And there’s plenty more to be scanned and uploaded.

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Visit our page on YouTube to view some of the relevant videos related to the Expo Line. Lots of footage is currently uploaded including:

– The afterschool surge of Dorsey High School students that cross the Farmdale/Exposition intersection (up to 105 students PER MINUTE), where the MTA is applying to operate trains at 55 mph with a crossing every 2 minutes and has proposed a “holding pen,” which they allege the students will actually use:

– Cars and trucks caught in the Gold Line crossing gates at Mission Station:

– Television footage of the two Gold Line crashes in just the past couple of weeks, one which set the train on fire:

The Expo Authority lawyers would probably characterize the flaming train accident as a “fender bender.” Just like this Blue Line Flower Street accident on Sept. 17th:

(In their Reply Brief to the Expo Communities United protest before the Public Utilities Commission, the Expo Authority actually claimed that the majority of accidents on the Blue Line in the portion that accounts for over 75% of the accidents on the most accident prone light rail line in the country and is identical in design as the Expo Line were just “fender benders.”)

SOON TO COME:

– Expo Authority staff members denying the request for open public forums at various “project status update” meetings in the Phase 1 communities.

– Expo CEO Rick Thorpe denying that he is building a line through majority-minority South LA communities identical in design to the most accident-prone section of the Blue Line.

http://www.youtube.com/fixexpo

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