Rail News: Passenger Rail
Gas prices helped boost LACMTA ridership in September

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) posted gains in riders last month, with the average weekday ridership of 92,120 boardings setting a record for the Metro Blue Line.

September ridership on the Metro Orange Line, which included passenger counts from a four-mile extension to Chatsworth, soared to 31,787, LACMTA officials said in a prepared statement. The Metro Expo Line, which now includes two new stations that opened in June, surpassed 20,000 boardings in September compared with 11,347 boardings in its May start-up reports.

Overall, LACMTA's rail ridership has climbed 12 percent over the previous 12 months, totaling 357,096 average weekday boardings on the entire 87.7-mile system.

LACMTA officials attributed the ridership gains to "roiling fluctuations of gas prices," as well as an improving economy, efforts to combat traffic congestion, expansion of social media technology and "a new generation that chooses bicycling and public transportation over expensive car ownership."