Los Angeles, USA
The Metro Rail system in Los Angeles is composed of 5 lines:
* Red Line, a subway that runs from Downtown (Union Station) to the Hollywood area, then on into the San Fernando Valley. From there (North Hollywood Station) you can take the Orange Line (Busway system) to the west end of the valley.
* Orange Line, uses special sleek articulated “bus-trains” on rubber tires.
* Blue Line, runs from a subway connection with the Red Line Downtown at 7th and Figueroa Streets at street level or higher (with some interesting views) through south Los Angeles, southward to Long Beach.
* Gold Line light rail, runs from Downtown (Union Station) north to East side of Pasadena.
* Green Line runs from LAX east to the city of Norwalk along Interstate 105, connecting with the Blue Line at Rosa Parks Station in Watts. It runs west to a location just south of LAX, then on to a remote part of Redondo Beach.
Attractions that are easily reached via the rail system, for those with plenty of time to spend on the train, include: Universal Studios, Hollywood, Thai Town, the Griffith Observatory (via a brief bus transfer on Vermont), Koreatown, the Wiltern Theater, Westlake, Downtown (including the Financial District, Disney Hall, City Hall, Broadway, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, the Convention Center, and the Staples Center), Old Town Pasadena, the Watts Towers, LAX (via a free shuttle bus at Aviation Station), downtown Long Beach, and, via a frequent shuttle bus from downtown Long Beach, the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Distinct from the Metro is the Metrolink commuter railroad system, whose city terminus is Union Station. This commuter rail system reaches as far as Ventura, Lancaster, San Bernardino, and Oceanside (northern San Diego County), but has several severe limitations for the visitor — notably, most lines are shut down on week-ends, and stops service to the suburbs very early in the evenings during the week, although very limited Amtrak services run on the Orange County and Ventura County lines even when regular Metrolink trains don’t. Last but not least, your Metro Day Pass isn’t valid on Metrolink, so you’ll need to buy separate tickets, which aren’t cheap: a one-way from Union Station to Anaheim will set you back $6.75, although return and weekend discounts are available. Like the Metro Rail, the Metrolink uses the honor system where no barriers are required to enter the system, and random inspections to ensure that every passenger is in possession of a valid ticket are conducted often. You can use cash or credit card to purchase tickets.
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