Transportation in Greater Los Angeles

Greater Los Angeles has a complex multimodal transportation infrastructure, which serves as a regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic. The transportation system of Greater Los Angeles includes the United States' largest port complex, seven commuter rail lines, Amtrak service, a subway system within the city of Los Angeles, and numerous highways. Los Angeles is integrated into the Interstate Highway System by Interstate 5, Interstate 10, and Interstate 15, along with numerous auxiliary highways and state routes. Bus service is also included locally within the area by numerous local government agencies. Subways and light commuter rail lines are present within Los Angeles proper, allowing mass transportation within the city. Commuter railroads are run by Metrolink. Amtrak has numerous railroad lines that connect Los Angeles to the rest of the country.

Los Angeles Union Station, hub for LACMTA metro lines and buses, Metrolink and Amtrak trains, and the Hollywood Freeway, one of Los Angeles' major thoroughfares

People in Los Angeles rely on cars as the dominant mode of transportation, [1] but starting in 1990 Los Angeles Metro Rail has built over one hundred miles (160 km) of light and heavy rail serving more and more parts of Los Angeles.

Rail

Map of the Metrolink system.

As Greater Los Angeles' main commuter rail service, Metrolink runs seven lines through Southern California.

Los Angeles County Metro Rail

The Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail and subway system that serves primarily Los Angeles and its surrounding cities. There are several routes associated to this system, which follows:

Map of the Metro Rail and Metro Liner system.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) runs six rail lines throughout Los Angeles County.

Amtrak California Pacific Surfliner

The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (563 km) Amtrak passenger train route serving communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.

Amtrak Coast Starlight

The Coast Starlight is a 1,389-mile (2,235 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from Seattle, Washington's King Street Station to Los Angeles, California's Union Station.

Amtrak Southwest Chief

The Southwest Chief (formerly the Southwest Limited) is a passenger train operated by Amtrak along a 2256-mile (3631-km) route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Amtrak Sunset Limited

The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental passenger train in American history (ignoring, of course, the comparatively small gaps between its endpoint stations and the respective seacoasts).

Amtrak Texas Eagle

The Texas Eagle is a 1306-mile (2102 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the central and western United States. Trains run daily between Chicago, Illinois, and San Antonio, Texas, and continue to Los Angeles, California, 2728 miles (4390 km) total, three days a week (incorporated as part of the Sunset Limited).

Bus

Buses in the Greater Los Angeles is serviced by several governmental entities, mostly notable Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro, MTA or LACMTA), Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Riverside Transit Agency, OmniTrans (San Bernardino County), Santa Barbara MTD and South Coast Area Transit (Ventura County).

Road

Public roads

The Greater Los Angeles area operates on a very extensive network of public roadways that allows vehicle drivers convenient direct access to all practical destinations in the area.

Major Freeways leading into and out of Greater Los Angeles Area

Greater Los Angeles Freeways

Air

The Greater Los Angeles Area is serviced by 4 major airports and several minor airports. Los Angeles International (LAX), while LA/Ontario International and John Wayne Airport serves as overflow to LAX. The region is also serviced by Long Beach Airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport, Palm Springs International Airport, San Bernardino International Airport, and Palmdale Airport.

Ferry

Santa Catalina Island is served by several ferry lines with regular daily service to Newport Beach, San Pedro, Long Beach, Marina del Rey, and Dana Point. One such line is Catalina Express.

References

See also

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