J Line (Los Angeles Metro)

The J Line is a 38 mi (61 km) limited-stop bus route with some bus rapid transit features that runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and Gardena, with some trips continuing to San Pedro. It is one of the two lines in the Metro Busway system and is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

J Line
Metro J Line bus on the Harbor Transitway
Overview
Other name(s)	Silver Line (2009–2020)
Type	Bus rapid transit
System	Los Angeles Metro Busway
Status	In service
Termini	El Monte Station Harbor Gateway Transit Center (route 910) San Pedro (route 950)
Stations	11 (also makes additional street stops)
Daily ridership	16,703 (April 2019, weekday avg.)[1]
Line number	910 & 950
Website	Metro J Line
Operation
Opened	December 13, 2009 (December 13, 2009)
Operator(s)	Metro (LACMTA)
Character	Shared-use busways with some city streets
Depot(s)	Division 9 (El Monte) & Division 18 (Carson)
Rolling stock	35 NABI 45C-LFW buses
Technical
Line length	38 mi (61.2 km)
Route map El Monte ↓ El Monte Busway ( I-10) SR 19 I-710 Cal State LA ↓ left-side running LA County+USC Medical Center I-5 Union Station (2020) ↑ El Monte Busway Alameda St (Union Station)      ↑ left-side running US 101 Spring St/1st St 1st St/Hill St (Civic Center/Grand Park)     ↓ Grand │ Olive ↑ Kosciuszko Wy (northbound) 3rd St (southbound) 5th St (Pershing Square)     ↓ Grand │ Olive ↑ 6th St/Flower St ↑ Figueroa │ Flower ↓ 7th St (7th St/Metro Center)       Olympic Bl Pico Bl (Pico)     I-10 Washington Bl (Grand/LATTC)   23rd St (LATTC/Ortho Institute)   Adams Bl ↑ Figueroa │ Flower ↓ ↓ Harbor Transitway ( I-110) 37th Street/USC Slauson Manchester Harbor Freeway ( I-105)   Rosecrans SR 91 ↑ Harbor Transitway Harbor Gateway Figueroa St/ Victoria St (northbound) 190th St (southbound) I-405 ↓ Harbor Freeway ( I-110) Carson Pacific Coast Highway ( SR 1) ↑ Harbor Freeway Harbor Beacon Park & Ride Beacon St/1st St Pacific Av/1st St Pacific Av/3rd St Pacific Av/7th St Pacific Av/11th St Pacific Av/15th St Pacific Av/17th St Pacific Av/19th St Pacific Av/21st St all stations accessible busway station busway transfer station on-street stop on-street transfer stop one-way on-street stop one-way on-street transfer stop

The J Line offers frequent, all-stops service along the El Monte Busway and the Harbor Transitway, two grade-separated transit facilities built into the Southern California freeway system. The line was created on December 13, 2009 as part of the conversion of high-occupancy vehicle lanes along the route into high-occupancy toll lanes (branded as Metro ExpressLanes) that allow solo drivers to pay a toll to use lanes. The tolls collected have been used to operate the J Line and to improve amenities at stops.

As J Line buses travel along the El Monte Busway and the Harbor Transitway they serve stations built into the center or side of the roadway. There is a 3.6 mi (5.8 km) gap between the western end of El Monte Busway and the northern end of the Harbor Transitway in Downtown Los Angeles, where J Line buses travel on surface streets, making a limited number of stops. Along the route, buses serve several of the region's major transportation centers including El Monte Station, Union Station, 7th Street/Metro Center station, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

In 2020, the line was renamed from Silver Line to the J Line while retaining the color silver in its square icon.

Service description

Two services are operated under the J Line name:

• Route 910 operates with daily 24-hour service serving only the portion of the route between El Monte station, Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
• Route 950 operates with daily service serving the entire route between El Monte station, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro.

Routing

The eastern section of J Line route runs on the El Monte Busway between the El Monte Station in El Monte and Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. The southern section of the route runs on the Harbor Transitway between 37th Street/USC station in Downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center near the city of Carson. Buses travel between the eastern and southern sections along 3.6 mi (5.8 km) of surface streets in Downtown Los Angeles where J Line buses make a limited amount of stops (11 in each direction) near major employment centers, tourist destinations and Metro Rail stations. Buses utilize about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) of bus only lanes in each direction to speed trips across Downtown Los Angeles.

J Line route 950 trips continue south of the Harbor Gateway Transit Center along the Harbor Freeway to San Pedro traveling in general purpose freeway lanes and making two stops en route at stations located on the side of the freeway near off and on ramps. In San Pedro, J Line route 950 buses once again travel along surface streets, serving the Harbor Beacon Park & Ride and making frequent stops along Pacific Avenue.

Headways

Time	Weekdays	Weekends/ Holidays
5:00A – 10:00A	4–10	20
10:00A – 3:00P	15
3:00P – 6:00P	4–10
6:00P – 8:00P	10–20
8:00P – 9:00P	20	40–60
9:00P – 1:00A	40–60
1:00A – 5:00A (910 only)	60	60

Fares

The J Line charges a premium fare (which is a different fare structure from most other Metro routes).[2][3] Metro day passes are accepted as full fare, but all other pass holders must pay for an upgraded 1 zone pass or pay the additional premium charge at the time of boarding.

Like the other Metro Rail and Metro Busway lines, the J Line operates on a proof-of-payment system.[4] Passengers may board at either the front or rear door of J Line buses and validate their Transit Access Pass (TAP) electronic fare card at readers located on board the bus, near the door. Metro's fare inspectors randomly inspect buses to ensure passengers have a valid fare product on their TAP card.

TAP vending machines are available at most stations (except Carson and Pacific Coast Highway, which are expected to be removed from the line in 2021) and are located near most street stops in Downtown Los Angeles. But, because vending machines are not available at all stations and street stops, passengers who need to purchase a card or add funds can do so at the farebox on board the bus. None of the other Metro Rail or Metro Busway lines offer onboard TAP sales.

As of December 15, 2014 the fares for the J Line are:

Fare Type[5]	Regular	Senior (62+) / Disabled / Medicare		College / Vocational	Student (K-12)
		Peak	Off-Peak
Base Fare	$2.50	$1.35	$0.95	$2.50	$2.50
Metro Day Pass (Honored as Full Fare)	$7	$2.50		$7	$7
Metro 30-Day + Zone 1 Pass (Honored as Full Fare)	$122	—		—	—
Metro Discounted 30-Day Pass (Honored as Full Fare)	—	$20		$43	$24
Premium Charge Required for: Metro 7-Day Pass Metro 30-Day Pass (without Zone 1) EZ transit pass (without Zone 1 or higher) Metrolink tickets and passes	$0.75	—		—	—
Premium Charge Required for: Foothill Transit 31-Day Pass	$1.20	—		—	—

"Silver 2 Silver" fare program

Metro and Foothill Transit offer a reciprocal fare program called "Silver 2 Silver" where pass holders may ride either J Line or Silver Streak buses between Downtown Los Angeles and the El Monte Station.[6] Passengers who have a Metro 7-Day or 30-Day pass, an EZ transit pass, or a Foothill Transit Local 31-Day pass are all charged additional when they board a J Line or Silver Streak bus.

Stations & stops

Station/Street Stop		Services		Stop type	Date opened	City/ Neighborhood	Major connections and notes[7][8]
Northbound	Southbound	910	950
El Monte Station		Yes	Yes	Station	1973	El Monte	Park and ride: 1,287 stalls
Cal State LA		Yes	Yes	Station		East Los Angeles	Connects with Metrolink
Los Angeles County & USC Medical Center		Yes	Yes	Station		Boyle Heights
El Monte Busway/Alameda (Union Station)		Yes	Yes	Street Stop		Downtown Los Angeles	Connects with  B Line,  D Line,  L Line, Amtrak, LAX FlyAway and Metrolink
Spring/1st (Civic Center/Grand Park)		Yes	Yes	Street stop	December 13, 2009		Connects with  B Line and  D Line
1st/Hill (Civic Center)		Yes	Yes	Street stop			Connects with  B Line and  D Line
Olive/Kosciuszko	Grand/3rd	Yes	Yes	Street stop
Olive/5th (Pershing Square)	Grand/5th (Pershing Square)	Yes	Yes	Street stop			Connects with  B Line and  D Line
6th/Flower	(none)	Yes	Yes	Street stop
Figueroa/7th (7th St/Metro Center)	Flower/7th (7th St/Metro Center)	Yes	Yes	Street stop			Connects with  A Line,  B Line,  D Line and  E Line
Figueroa/Olympic	Flower/Olympic	Yes	Yes	Street stop
Figueroa/Pico (Pico)	Flower/Pico (Pico)	Yes	Yes	Street stop			Connects with  A Line and  E Line
Figueroa/Washington (Grand/LATTC)	Flower/Washington (Grand/LATTC)	Yes	Yes	Street stop			Connects with  A Line
Figueroa/23rd (LATTC/Ortho Institute)	Flower/23rd (LATTC/Ortho Institute)	Yes	Yes	Street stop	April 30, 2012 (Flower/23rd) June 23, 2013 (Figueroa/23rd)	North University Park	Connects with  E Line
Figueroa Way/Adams	Flower/Adams	Yes	Yes	Street stop	June 26, 2011
37th Street/USC		Yes	Yes	Station	June 1996	Exposition Park
Slauson		Yes	Yes	Station		South Los Angeles	Park and ride: 150 stalls
Manchester		Yes	Yes	Station			Park and ride: 253 stalls
Harbor Freeway		Yes	Yes	Station			Connects with  C Line Park and ride: 253 stalls
Rosecrans		Yes	Yes	Station		Harbor Gateway	Park and ride: 202 stalls
Harbor Gateway Transit Center		Yes	Yes	Station			Park and ride: 980 stalls
Figueroa/Victoria	Figueroa/190th	No	Yes	Street stop	December 13, 2015	Carson
Carson		No	Yes	Station	June 1996		Park and ride: 143 stalls
Pacific Coast Highway		No	Yes	Station			Park and ride: 240 stalls
Harbor Beacon Park & Ride		No	Yes	Street stop	December 13, 2015	San Pedro	Park and ride: 180 stalls
Beacon/1st		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/1st		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/3rd		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/7th		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/11th		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/15th		No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/17th		No	Yes	Street stop
(none)	Pacific/19th	No	Yes	Street stop
Pacific/21st Street		No	Yes	Street stop

History

Main article: History of Los Angeles Metro Rail and Busway

This elevated section of the Harbor Transitway carries the Metro J Line and the Metro ExpressLanes over the frequently congested Harbor Freeway.

The El Monte Busway opened along Interstate 10 in 1973. As the new Harbor Transitway was under construction in the early 1990s, Metro drew up plans to offer a unified bus rapid transit service along both corridors, connected by street running through Downtown Los Angeles; however, eventually the agency chose to increase service on the existing Harbor Freeway express lines and operate each as independent routes, mostly at peak hours. Ridership was radically lower than expected: planners had projected that 65,200 passengers would travel along the Harbor Transitway each day, but after 10 years ridership fell far below those predictions, with the route seeing just 3,000 passengers per weekday in 2004.[9]

In the early 2000s, Metro began depicting the two busways on its Metro Rail maps, and in 2008, Metro once again looked at the concept of linking them with a "Dual Hub Bus Rapid Transit" route.[10] The service was rolled out as the Silver Line in December 2009. Five Metro Express lines were truncated to terminate at either Harbor Gateway Transit Center or the El Monte station, where passengers would transfer to the Silver Line to continue into Downtown Los Angeles.[11]

As part of the Metro ExpressLanes project to convert the El Monte Busway and the Harbor Transitway from lanes reserved for buses and high occupancy vehicles into high occupancy toll lanes that allow solo drivers to pay a toll to use lanes, aging stations were refurbished and frequencies on the route were improved; the most drastic change was the complete reconstruction of El Monte Station which was demolished and entirely rebuilt, reopening in 2012.[12] LADOT added bus priority to traffic lights to improve on-time performance in Downtown Los Angeles in the same year.[13]

In 2015, Metro integrated the last remaining Metro Express route on the Harbor Transitway, the 450X to San Pedro, into the Silver Line. Originally a new express Silver Line service was added that served San Pedro and skipped many Harbor Transitway stations; but by June 2017, San Pedro-bound buses were serving all stations, the increase in speed being deemed not enough to justify increased crowding on local buses.[14]

Current developments

New transitway station at Patsaouras Transit Plaza

New transitway station under construction in July 2017

A new transitway station for the Metro J Line and other transit buses operating on the El Monte Busway is being built to the south of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza in the median of the El Monte Busway. The project has been planned for years but has been beset by delays and an increasing budget.

When completed, the station will allow buses traveling in both directions on the busway to serve Union Station with a minimum of delay for passengers for other destinations.[15][16] When the project is completed, a bridge will allow passengers to walk directly from the Patsaouras Transit Plaza to the busway station, thereby eliminating a long, convoluted walk across the Union Station property to the current stop located on the El Monte Busway at Alameda.

Construction on the station started in early 2017. Work on the station was halted on April 24, 2018, when archaeological and Native American artifacts were discovered at the site. Archaeological investigation fieldwork was completed nearly a year later on April 12, 2019. Construction resumed in May 2019, and is now scheduled to be completed in Summer 2020.[17]

The project is now estimated to cost $51 million, well more than double the original estimate. The project is funded by tolls collected as a part of the Metro ExpressLanes project and a grant from the U.S. government.[18][19]

NextGen Bus Plan changes

As part of Metro's NextGen Bus Plan, the J Line would only operate between El Monte Station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center, eliminating the extension to San Pedro. Metro says the change would enable higher frequency on the J Line, would improve reliability and allow for the transition to battery-electric buses. Service to San Pedro would be shifted to a new line that would operate between San Pedro and the Harbor Freeway station via the I-110 Freeway, with a peak-hour extension to Downtown Los Angeles.[20] The changes are expected to be implemented in 2021.

Ridership and reliability

Ridership has steadily grown on the J Line each year.

An estimated 6,612 passengers rode the line each weekday in January 2010 (the first full month of operation) and ridership has grown steadily each year since.[1] Ridership set a new all-time high in February 2016 with an estimated 16,884 passengers riding the line each weekday.

J Line Estimated Ridership

Year	Weekdays	Saturday	Sunday
2010	7,302	2,641	1,795
2011	9,422	3,324	2,148
2012	11,658	4,385	2,941
2013	12,842	5,468	3,661
2014	14,173	5,967	4,390
2015	14,743	6,009	4,378
2016	15,478	5,825	4,386
2017	14,905	5,959	4,543
2018	15,059	6,346	5,127

The on time performance of the Metro J Line is currently around 82.4%, defined as being less than 5 minutes behind schedule.[21] That places it far behind the Metro Rail lines (99% on time) and Orange Line (94% on time), but better than an average Metro bus route (80.6% on time). On time performance benefits from the active traffic management system installed as part of the Metro ExpressLanes project.

Incidents

Vehicle strike at the Harbor Freeway Station

Metro J Line bus at Harbor Freeway station showing yellow bollards installed after a private vehicle drove onto the platform injuring waiting passengers.

Seven passengers waiting on the northbound platform of the Harbor Freeway Station received critical and serious injuries when a private vehicle entered the station and struck the platform on February 22, 2012.[22] After the accident Metro studied the design of the stations and decided to add concrete filled metal bollards at the platform edge of a number of stations during August 2012.[23] The bollards are spaced close enough to stop a car from entering the platform, but have enough room to allow multiple buses to stop at the platform and lower the accessibility ramp.

Fleet

Metro J Line 45-foot NABI Compo bus

The Metro J Line is operated with a fleet of dedicated NABI Metro 45C "CompoBus" coaches. Each 45-foot (14 m) long bus is made of light composite materials and is powered by compressed natural gas. Coaches are painted or vinyl wrapped with a special grey livery that matches the design of newer Metro Rail vehicles and the coaches used on G Line.

Metro plans to transition the J Line to battery-electric buses by the end of 2021.[24]

See also

• List of Los Angeles Metro Busway stations

References

1. "Metro Ridership". Metro.net. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
2. "Guide to the Metro Silver Line". The Source.
3. "Line 910 fare structure" (PDF). October 15, 2009.
4. "Metro Silver Line | All-Door Boarding Pilot". www.metro.net. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
5. https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/
6. http://foothilltransit.org/lines-and-schedules/silver2silver/
7. "Metro J Line (Silver)". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
8. "Metro Parking Lots by Line". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
9. Weikel, Dan (December 2, 2014). "A cleaned-up, safer Harbor Transitway puts more commuters on the bus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
10. "Dual Hub Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) El Monte Station to Artesia Transit Center" (PDF). November 20, 2008.
11. "SB910 Feb09 public hearing" (PDF). February 1, 2009.
12. "Metro Silver Line Update Report" (PDF). January 19, 2012.
13. "Metro Silver Line (service tab)".
14. http://thesource.metro.net/2017/06/19/service-changes-go-into-effect-june-25-orange-line-and-silver-line-to-operate-around-the-clock/
15. "Patsaouras Plaza/El Monte Busway Station". EE&K Architects. Perkins Eastman.
16. "Patsaouras Plaza Connector (Conceptual Plan)". Flickr. May 12, 2009.
17. "Patsaouras Plaza Busway". www.metro.net. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
18. McCarty Carino, Meghan (January 2, 2017). "Metro starts work on pedestrian bridge at LA's Union Station". KPCC. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
19. Clarke, Richard (May 2019). "Program Management Major Project Status Report" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
20. "NextGen Bus Plan - Update for Metro South Bay Service Council" (PDF). July 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
21. Mendelson, Aaron (February 19, 2015). "How late are Los Angeles buses and trains? Depends which line you're riding". KPCC – Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
22. "Source: Accident on The Harbor Transitway". February 22, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
23. "Harbor Freeway Metro Silver Line Station platform improvements" (PDF). April 20, 2012.
24. "Electric Bus Program Update" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 19, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2020.

Further reading

• https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/10_October/20111020OPItem52.pdf
• https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/4_April/20110420AHCPItem1.pdf%5B%5D
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110819175805/http://laccod.org/cms1_153455.pdf
• http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/hov/dual_hub_hov_transitway.pdf
• https://www.metro.net/board/Items/2011/7_July/20110708OtherSectorSBAItem6.pdf%5B%5D

External links

• Metro Silver Line timetable – as of June 2013
• Silver Line Map – Overall map of the line
• Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line destinations guide (English)
• Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line destinations guide (Spanish)
• A recent report of the Metro Silver Line
• Metro's official release about the New Metro Silver Line Released on December 9, 2009.
• Metro's proposed security for the Metro Silver Line stations
• CBS news article about the Metro Silver Line Accident at Harbor Freeway Station
• NBC news article about the Metro Silver Line Accident at Harbor Freeway Station
• Metro Silver Line and Foothill Silver Streak Coordination