Metro Expo Line announces more frequent trains

Starting Monday, the Metro Expo Line will run every six minutes for most of the day, according to Metro blog, The Source. The more frequent service is expected to reduce crowding and wait time for riders.

From Monday through Friday, trains will run every 10 to 12 minutes before 6 a.m., after which they will run every six minutes. Starting from 8 p.m., they will run every 10 to 12 minutes, and after 9 p.m., trains will run every 20 minutes.

On weekends, the Expo Line trains will run every 12 minutes, and every 20 minutes after 9 p.m. The service will speed up for special events, like football games. Most recently, when the Los Angeles Rams played the Seattle Seahawks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 26 percent of attendees — 21,000 fans — were aboard the Metro, the most crowded it has ever been, according to The Source.

“I took a combination of Metro trains and buses to and from my internship all last summer,” said Zoe Cheng, a sophomore majoring in writing for screen and television. “The commute home is definitely really crowded, so trains arriving every six minutes will be much more convenient and comfortable for everyone.”

Currently, the Metro service during peak periods runs every seven minutes, with mostly two-car trains and some three-car trains. In the past, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Expo Line has been more than five minutes late 24 percent of the time, and during peak rush hour, has been delayed by more than five minutes 35 percent of the time. Metro officials have estimated between 15,000 to 20,000 boardings from noon to 4 p.m.

The number of three cars will increase with the addition of new Kinkisharyo light rail vehicles.