Metro Rail Ridership Improves Amid Expo Line, Gold Line Extensions

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Ridership of Metro trains was up in May, thanks in part to the much-anticipated opening of the Expo Line extension to Santa Monica -- a welcome reversal of falling ridership during the same month last year.

Metro said there were 1.16 million rides taken on Expo Line trains last month, a 45 percent increase from last year. There were an average of about 39,000 daily riders during the week, compared with 29,801 last year. Ridership was down in May of last year by 4 percent compared with May 2014.

The Expo Line extension to Santa Monica was opened to the public May 20. Though ridership was up, there are still concerns of a lack of parking at some stations, as well as a concern among some Expo Line riders that the trains move too slowly as they approach downtown Los Angeles.

Gold Line ridership was up in May, too.The line was extended in March to Azusa.

Gold Line ridership rose by 23 percent in May, to 1.37 million rides. Average weekday ridership rose to 49,238 from 41,248 last year. Total Gold Line ridership had fallen slightly in May of last year.

System-wide ridership  was up in May by about 8 percent, with a total of 9.25 million rides, compared to 8.6 million rides in May of last year.