Los Angeles is engaged in one of the most massive rail building schemes of any American city since NYC extended its subways last century, however, LA's is a mixture of light and heavy rail, and may just be Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa's legacy.
"Los Angeles once had a large, intricate and thriving public transportation system, with so-called Yellow Car trolleys that ran on downtown streets and a vast network of Red Cars, operated by the Pacific Electric Railroad, that ran throughout the region. This was dismantled amid the city's fervent embrace of the automobile".
That was then. Now LA is extending it's Purple (subway), Gold (Light Rail Transit) Line, and Exposition (LRT) Lines.
"(W)ith a vote by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority's board last month to approve the Purple Line expansion, there is a consensus that these projects are going to be built, even among those who describe them as a waste of money in a region that will never embrace mass transit. The projects are being financed by a half-cent sales tax surcharge approved by Los Angeles voters two years ago and expected to raise $40 billion over the next 30 years."
However, that is not to say there isn't opposition nor critics...
Thanks to Mark Boshnack
FULL STORY: Los Angeles Mass Transit Is Expanding
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