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This one is by request of many riders: Metro’s popular Silver Line will soon be extended to San Pedro and will replace the existing 450 Line.
Here’s how it will work:
•During rush hours on weekdays, the new Silver Line Express 950X will serve San Pedro and will make the same limited stops along the 110 freeway as the 450 and will run every 20 minutes to/from San Pedro and every 10 minutes to/from Harbor Gateway Transit Center. Please see the top map.
•Outside of rush hour on weekdays, the Silver Line will run every 30 minutes to/from San Pedro, making all the stops along the way. On weekends, the Silver Line will run every 40 minutes to/from San Pedro. Please see the second map. Service between Harbor Gateway, downtown L.A. and El Monte Station will remain at current frequencies.
Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.
•Metro estimates it will take about an hour to travel between downtown L.A. and San Pedro during the rush hours on the Silver Line Express 950X.
•If coming or going to San Pedro or other stations south of Harbor Gateway Transit Center, there will no longer be any need to transfer to another bus at Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
•Once in downtown Los Angeles, the Silver Line and Silver Line Express will continue to make all current stops and then continue to El Monte Station via the ExpressLanes on the 10 freeway.
And here are the timetables, hot of the digital presses:
Categories: Projects
It always seems like 80% of the silver line or 450 transfer to the Green Line and head for LAX (and vice versa) why there’s not a rush hour bus from DTLA to near LAX is a mystery.
[…] Vean en esta nota más información sobre la extensión a San Pedro. […]
From reading the schedule, it appears to be 4 bus services to be run on the corridor:
910 Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (serving every stop)
910 San Pedro – Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (serving every stop)
950 Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (skipping Rosecrans, Manchester, Slauson, and 37th)
950 San Pedro – Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (skipping Rosecrans, Manchester, Slauson, and 37th)
It appears to me that it would be simpler if the 4 services each had separate numbers, maybe like:
910 Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (serving every stop)
912 San Pedro – Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (serving every stop)
920 Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (skipping Rosecrans, Manchester, Slauson, and 37th)
922 San Pedro – Harbor Gateway – Downtown – El Monte (skipping Rosecrans, Manchester, Slauson, and 37th)
Also, it’s not very clear that the 950’s are express from the timetable. Perhaps you should show the times for Manchester or Slauson on the schedule and then by seeing “-” in place of a time, it would be obvious to the reader that the bus skips the intermediate stops.
Anything that changes will seem complicated at first.
Over the years service to San Pedro has been downgraded several times. At one time, several lines including 445 and 446 provided one bus service from San Pedro to Union Station 7 days a week. When those changed to line 450 and 246, service to Downtown Los Angeles on weekends and off peak hours ended and ridership decreased as people chose not to stand around for 30 minutes or more at Harbor Gateway to wait for connecting service.
This change is finally an upgrade in service to San Pedro and returns one bus service from the Port of Los Angeles on weekends and off peak hours. I never thought I would see this again and just thought more and more people would jump back in our cars like I did.
Before a public input the Silver Line was not going to serve the Pacific Ave corridor and was to terminate at 7th Street. Thanks to that input more residents will be served.
I do not see where this will be confusing at all from downtown. The bus will either say “Harbor Gateway” or “San Pedro”.
For those who remember the start of Silver Line service to Harbor Gateway, not all of those buses went all the way through from El Monte, as some terminated at 7TH Street Metro Center. This is no different—you just have to look.
At that time the demand did not exist to justify running every Silver Line to Harbor Gateway and the same will be true of the new San Pedro service unless Metro can convince enough people that it is safe to come out of their cars again and that they won’t be stuck waiting at Harbor Gateway with those smelly outhouses they had before they put in the flush toilets.
There is lots going on downtown on the weekends and by making it more convenient, Metro will get people who do not ride the bus to try it out.
Thank you for posting the map Steve, however the schedule makes it even more confusing. More importantly, it is not clear that 37th Street Station is skipped, nor stops that the 450 currently skips in Downtown, like at Pico and Washington, will be served by the 950. It ends up being a service cut to those on the Harbor Transitway stations in the mid-section, while saving literally two minutes over the regular 910 and adding a layer of complexity. Honestly the existing 450 shuttle was fine the way it was, but politicians decided to get involved because San Pedro didn’t feel like it was getting enough service. Now we’ll get empty buses to San Pedro middays and weekends, while service elsewhere gets cut because Metro has decided to hold bus service hours flat for the foreseeable future.
WOW!!! That’s a really confusing time table. So basically if I board the 950 at Harbor freeway/PCH it will take me downtown or to El Monte but if I board a 950 in downtown or El Monte it MIGHT NOT take me all the way to San Pedro?!?!?! Seriously this is going to be a real mess come 12/13. Why not have all 950 buses run down to San Pedro and have it stop/start at Harbor Beacon. Its not like it runs to El Monte then takes side streets to drop off a few passengers here and there. This makes no sense. Seriously Metro?
Hi Joebee;
Think of it this way: every other 950 bus goes from DTLA to San Pedro during peak hours. I think the idea was to use the 950 number to signify that the bus would make limited stops between DTLA and Harbor Gateway while also serving San Pedro during peak hours.
I’ll pass along your concerns.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Great its about time! Might be to slow for the work commute with combo Gold Line, S.Pasadena, but great to get out of the car to get dwntwn on wknds. Will try the Silver Line definitely.
Great news especially with Fleet Week coming to San Pedro in a few years. However, I was wondering if the Green Line will make its way to San Pedro once Metro extend the Greed Line further south in the South Bay?
Hi Warren;
There is a project funded in part by Measure R to extend the Green Line a couple of miles; there could also be funding in the potential Metro ballot measure next year to extend the Green Line to Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance. We’ll know more when Metro — working with local cities — releases a ballot measure expenditure plan. That’s scheduled to happen in March.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
The service is way too complicated. Keep it simple.
The 450 should continue to run during peak hours. The Silver Line could terminate at the Harbor & Beacon Park & Ride and use the savings to operate more frequently to San Pedro. Ultimately, there should be a “San Pedro Transit Station.”
I live in the PV area and have been taking the Silverline and/or 450 for 5+ years from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center(HGTC). I tried to park at the Park-n-Ride at PCH/110 in Wilmington and just use the 450 but had some issues not only with lack of late night service but also with the parking lot itself. This will now save me time from driving to HGTC, hopefully. I am now faced with the issues I experienced previously. While my car was parked at the Park-n-Ride in Wilmington on the corner of PCH and Figeuroa the catalytic converters were stolen two separate times. While my insurance covered most of the cost of replacement I still was out $200 deductible each time, not to mention rental car issues and inconvenienced each time. Both times I reported this to Metro and CalTrans(who I think owns the lot).
My question is, now that there may be increased use of the parking lot, will there be increased security? I have noticed the installation of cameras at the lot but how are these monitored? Real time or recording for later use if needed? Are there or will there be armed security guards like they have at HGTC? Because of these issues I have contemplated returning to driving to work.
Run the Silver Line to San Pedro every 20 minutes on weekends. Run enough capacity during rush hour to provide everyone with seats.
Overjoyed to hear about the extra service for San Pedro. That being said…
Rush hour busses will skip four stops: Rosecras, Manchester, Slauson, and USC.
This is a prime example of Metro’s bean counters getting things totally wrong.
To save maybe 80 seconds of boarding times, they’ve introduced a ton of complexity into the system and decreased the ‘network effect’ of the Silver Line. People won’t use a bus system if they can’t understand it or if they’re afraid of getting stranded if their planning goes awry.
Three Questions for Steve Hymon & the Metro Staff:
#1. A USC student boards a Silver Line in San Pedro before rush hour. On the way over, rush hour begins. Does she have to walk fourteen blocks south or will she be allowed to exit at her stop?
#2. A man in Rosecrans wants a round trip visit to the coast. He takes the Silver Line south to Harbor Gateway Transit Center, then transfers to the southbound Silver Line. How many times will he pay the freeway surcharge?
#3. How did Metro decide to include Olive/Kosciuszko but leave out USC?
Hi Dayle;
I’ll try to get the answers from the bus planners/schedulers.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
If it’s going to be called silver line express you mind as well have the bus continue to make limited stops all the way to el monte station.
And to clarify there will now be two routes marketed as “Silver Line”, 910 and 950?
Correct. The two routes will be Silver Line 910 and Silver Line Express 950X. Keep in mind that the 950X only runs during peak hours on weekdays. I’m supposed to get the timetable today — which I’ll post — and that may help clarify this.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Is there not going to be a stop at 1st and Hill in either direction for 950X?
Both directions stop at 1st/Hill according to the schematic (the second map).
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
I catch the 450 every day and find this change very unsettling. I catch the 450 at 5th & Flower and I ALWAYS get a seat. The 450 fills up at 7th & Flower to standing room only. I am now afraid that we will have to stand on the 950X most days as the bus will probably be filled to capacity by the time it reaches our stop. Also, the Silverline is very unpredictable. Lately, I have seen the bus in bunches of 3 or more at the Harbor Freeway stop and at 5th & Flower. It is bad enough that the 450 is full in the morning but to have to stand up both ways may make me return to driving to work.
I think the Silver Line needs to run more frequently. Everytime, I board the Silver Line anytime during the week day out of rush hour, the buses are packed with people. But generally I go between Harbor Gateway Station and Downtown LA.
My prediction is that the 950X south will fill up as the 450 does with dozens of riders going to Harbor Freeway/105/Greenline station. This will make some of us that travel south to San Pedro standing room only as happens now at the Flower/7th street stop or worse, not get on and have to wait for another bus. I am hopeful that one day Metro will recognize this and have the 950X bypass the Greeline station as well and allow those who travel to 105/Greenline take the 910(silverline).
This is a God send IF it runs to San Pedro later than the 450. It would mean an evening out in downtown LA, maybe even a ballgame, for me.
I really think the 950 Silver Line Express should be a one seat ride from Union Station to El Monte Station. Metro should propose that for the June Serivce Change.
If you read the article, it is. Are you saying to cancel the stops on the Silver Line Express at Cal State and County USC Hospital?
Yes because the 950 will stop at Cal State and Keck. These days, the Silver Line is idle for 2+ mins for every passenger to board at CSULA. That sometimes drags the travel time to Harbor Gateway.
This is really going to hurt reliability on the El Monte side due to the length on the San Pedro-side (and when traffic congestion fouls up to El Monte side, punishing San Pedro-side customers). On the other hand, it does provide a direct connection to the Cruise Ship Terminal from Downtown Los Angeles and Union Station, so it may be of some benefit to tourists. My hope is that the service south of Harbor Gateway is shown as a dashed line on the rail system maps, since it most decidedly does not operate as frequently as the other service shown, nor does it run as late into the evening.
Agreed on the reliability. San Pedro trips should be turning back at downtown LA. There’s no reason for the San Pedro trips to go all the way to El Monte. You could also serve San Pedro with more frequent service with the same buses.