B Line (Los Angeles Metro)

The B Line (formerly the Red Line from 1993–2020) is a fully underground rapid transit line operating in Los Angeles, running between North Hollywood and Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. It is one of six lines in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Built in four stages between 1986 and 2000, the line cost $4.5 billion.

The B Line is one of the city's two fully-underground subway lines (along with the D Line). The two lines share tracks through Koreatown and Downtown Los Angeles. since 2024Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), the combined B and D lines averaged 66,642 boardings per weekday.

In 2020, Metro renamed all of its lines using letters and colors, with the Red Line becoming the B Line (retaining the red color in its service bullet) and the Purple Line becoming the D Line.

Service description

Route

The B Line is a subway that begins at North Hollywood station in North Hollywood, in the San Fernando Valley. The line turns southeast underneath Cahuenga Pass and passes through Hollywood and Koreatown, traveling east along Hollywood Boulevard and then south along Vermont Avenue. Arriving at Wilshire/Vermont station, the line merges with the D Line, and the lines continue between Wilshire Boulevard and 7th Street (and briefly Ingraham Street), where the lines interchange with the A and E light rail lines at 7th Street/Metro Center station. The lines then pass northeast through Downtown Los Angeles, passing through the Financial District, Pershing Square (near the Historic Core), and the Civic Center, before terminating at Union Station and it is also the only Metro Rail line to be entirely in the City of Los Angeles.

The B Line through Cahuenga Pass roughly follows a branch of the old Pacific Electric system.

Hours and frequency

Time	5A	6A	7A	8A-6P	7P	8P	9P-12A
Weekdays	14-18	12					20
Weekends/Holidays	20		16-20	12		20

Station listing

The following table lists the stations of the B Line, from north to south. All stations are located in the city of Los Angeles, California.

Station	Date opened	Neighborhood	Major connections and notes
Template:LAMs	June 24, 2000	North Hollywood	Template:LACMTA icon Park and ride: 1,085 paid spaces
Template:LAMs		Studio City	Universal Studios Hollywood shuttle Park and ride: 782 paid spaces
Template:LAMs		Hollywood
Template:LAMs	June 12, 1999
Template:LAMs		East Hollywood
Template:LAMs
Template:LAMs
Template:LAMs
Template:LAMs	July 13, 1996	Mid-Wilshire/Koreatown	Template:LACMTA icon
Template:LAMs	January 30, 1993	Westlake	Template:LACMTA icon Park and ride: 6 spaces
Template:LAMs		Downtown Los Angeles	Template:LACMTA icon strip
Template:LAMs			Template:LACMTA icon strip
Template:LAMs			Template:LACMTA icon strip
Template:LAMs			Template:Show by date Template:Rint Amtrak, Template:Rint LAX FlyAway and Template:Rint Metrolink Paid parking: 3,000 spaces

Ridership

Note: Ridership figures are for B and D Line combined.

Annual ridership

Year	Ridership	%±	<timeline> ImageSize = width:auto height:250 barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:30 bottom:15 top:11 right:15 AlignBars = justify Period = from:0 till:55 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical Colors = id:gray value:gray(0.5) id:line1 value:gray(0.9) id:line2 value:gray(0.7) ScaleMajor = start:0 increment:5 gridcolor:line2 ScaleMinor = start:0 increment:1 gridcolor:line1 PlotData= color:red width:22 bar:2009 from:start till:47.453332 bar:2010 from:start till:47.434969 bar:2011 from:start till:46.964495 bar:2012 from:start till:48.703612 bar:2013 from:start till:51.030536 bar:2014 from:start till:48.645206 bar:2015 from:start till:46.356726 bar:2016 from:start till:45.629352 bar:2017 from:start till:44.861106 bar:2018 from:start till:43.301200 bar:2019 from:start till:41.775490 bar:2020 from:start till:22.776524 bar:2021 from:start till:21.398104 bar:2022 from:start till:25.767716 bar:2023 from:start till:25.899711 bar:2024 from:start till:22.471851 </timeline>
2009	47,453,332	—
2010	47,434,969	Template:Change
2011	46,964,495	Template:Change
2012	48,703,612	Template:Change
2013	51,030,536	Template:Change
2014	48,645,206	Template:Change
2015	46,356,726	Template:Change
2016	45,629,352	Template:Change
2017	44,861,106	Template:Change
2018	43,301,200	Template:Change
2019	41,775,490	Template:Change
2020	22,776,524	Template:Change
2021	21,398,104	Template:Change
2022	25,767,716	Template:Change
2023	25,899,711	Template:Change
2024	22,471,851	Template:Change
Source: Metro

History

The current B Line is the product of a long-term plan to connect Downtown Los Angeles to central and western portions of the city with a subway system. Original proposals in the 1980s had it running down Wilshire Boulevard to Fairfax Avenue and then north to the San Fernando Valley. Residents in some parts of the city bitterly opposed the subway. A 1985 methane explosion at a Ross Dress for Less clothing store near Fairfax gave Rep. Henry Waxman, who represented the Fairfax District, a reason to derail the project that was opposed by his constituents by prohibiting tunnelling in an alleged "methane zone" west of Western on Wilshire. After some political wrangling, a new route was chosen up Vermont Avenue to Hollywood Boulevard.

File:Hollywood and Vine station.jpg

Interior decor and stairs to platform level of Hollywood and Vine station

The groundbreaking for the first segment of the subway was held on September 29, 1986, on the site of the future Civic Center/Grand Park station. Today's B Line was built in four minimum operating segments:

• MOS-1, consisting of five stations from Union Station to Template:LAMs, opened on January 30, 1993, as the Red Line. (At this point, the line's operator was still the Southern California Rapid Transit District).
• MOS-2A, consisting of three stations from Template:LAMs to Template:LAMs, opened on July 13, 1996, although only one station on this section (Template:LAMs) is on today's B Line.
• MOS-2B, consisting of five stations from Template:LAMs to Template:LAMs, opened on June 12, 1999.
• MOS-3, extending the Red Line from Template:LAMs to Template:LAMs, opened on June 24, 2000.

Overall, the construction of the subway over the four phases cost $4.5 billion.

On June 22, 1995, during the construction of MOS-2B, a sinkhole appeared on Hollywood Boulevard, barely missing several workers and causing damage to buildings on the street. Subway construction was delayed during the investigation and repairs of the sinkhole. The contractor on that segment project was replaced, and because of the perceived mismanagement of Red Line construction, in 1998 voters banned the use of existing sales taxes for subway tunnelling.

File:Breda A650.jpg

Breda A650 Metro Red Line train at Union station in 2008

Construction of MOS-3, by comparison, proceeded with relatively few issues. Tunnelling from North Hollywood for the subway started in 1995. Workers dug under the Santa Monica Mountains using tunnelling machines. Work progressed an average of daily, performed by work crews round-the-clock six days a week.

Original proposals for the subway system included expansions east from Union Station to East Los Angeles and west from North Hollywood towards the Warner Center transit hub in the San Fernando Valley. Barred from subway tunnelling, Metro turned to other types of mass transit. In the San Fernando Valley, residents passed a law in 1991 mandating that any rail line in the area be built underground, so Metro built a busway (now the G Line) from North Hollywood to Warner Center, which opened on October 29, 2005. East of Union Station, Metro built a light rail line with at-grade and underground segments to East Los Angeles, now part of the E Line, which opened on November 15, 2009.

In 2020, Metro renamed all of its lines using letters and colors, with the Red Line becoming the B Line (retaining the red color in its service bullet) and the Purple Line becoming the D Line.

Operations

On Metro Rail's internal timetables, the B Line is called line 802.

Maintenance

File:Metro Red & Purple Lines Train Car.JPG

Inside a Breda A650 car used on the Metro B and D Lines

The B Line operates out of the Division 20 Yard (Santa Fe Yard), located at 320 South Santa Fe Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. This yard stores the fleet used on the B and D Lines, and where heavy maintenance is performed. Cars reach this yard by continuing past Union Station, making a right turn and surfacing at the Eastern terminus of Ducommun Street. They then travel south to 1st Street, through a washing station, and enter the yard.

Rolling stock

The B Line uses A650 electric multiple unit cars built by Breda in Italy. Trains usually run in six-car configurations during peak hours and four-car configurations otherwise. The cars are maintained in a Metro yard on Santa Fe Avenue near 4th Street alongside the Los Angeles River in downtown Los Angeles.

In March 2017, Metro ordered new CRRC HR4000 railcars, which also operates on the B Line. In January 2024, Metro ordered 182 Hyundai Rotem HR5000 trains, allowing for future replacement of all Breda A650 trains as well as expanded train service including a four minute train frequency.

Potential future extensions

File:Universal City Metro Red Line Station 1.JPG

Eastbound platform at Universal City station

Extension to Arts District

In 2010, at the request of L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, Metro staff studied the possibility of adding a station along the west bank of the Los Angeles River to 6th Street and Santa Fe Avenue. The study concluded that such an extension, completed at-grade along Metro-owned right-of-way, could be completed for as little as $90 million.

The study suggested an alternative station at the Division 20 Yard north of 4th Street and Santa Fe Avenue. This station would be closer to the residential population of the Arts District. As new turnback tracks will need to be built as part of the D Line Extension (to allow shorter headways), this Arts District extension could possibly be partially completed as part of the Purple Line Extension project, lowering the incremental cost of the station while increasing its usability.

Extensions to the South

One of the proposals for the Vermont Transit Corridor being considered by Metro would extend a subway line from Wilshire/Vermont station down Vermont Avenue to 120th Street. Metro is also considering other types of mass transit for the line, including light rail and busway options.

Incidents

• On December 22, 2006, a rider accidentally spilled a vial of mercury on the platform at Pershing Square station. He notified the operator on a passenger intercom before boarding a train, but Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not know of the spillage until eight hours later. In response, Metro implemented new hazardous materials (Hazmat) training to its field employees and operators.
• On August 19, 2011, near the Hollywood/Vine station, an altercation between two passengers resulted in one being fatally stabbed. The suspect was arrested on August 24.
• On September 4, 2012, a 54-year-old man fell onto the tracks at the North Hollywood station and was hit by an oncoming train. He was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
• On May 22, 2018, an unidentified man "probably jumped" onto the tracks at the 7th St/Metro Center station and was hit by an oncoming train. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. It is unknown if it was suicide or not.
• On April 20, 2024, a woman in her 50s was stabbed in the throat at the Universal City station shortly after 5am. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries.

External links

• MTA Home Page
• Red Line news