Saturday, July 9, 2011

405 Freeway try Metrolink Trains

On Friday, July 15, ramps along the 10 mile closure will begin to be shut down as early as 7 p.m., and closure of freeway lanes will begin at 10 p.m. to ensure full freeway closure by midnight. The closure will continue until 5 a.m. Monday morning, July 18. Ramps and connectors will be reopened by 6 a.m.

Metro will provide free rides on the Metro Red/Purple Line subway, as well as on the Metro Orange Line and select bus lines during the closure weekend to further spur transit trips between the San Fernando Valley and downtown Los Angeles. Valley residents are encouraged to park at available park & ride lots at North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sepulveda, Balboa, Reseda, Pierce College and Canoga Stations, that together offer more than 4,000 parking spaces, and ride Metro to reach their destinations. Walking, bicycling or taking transit to access stations is also encouraged.

Metro will also add a total of 61 buses to normal Saturday and Sunday schedules for eight major bus lines and up to 16 buses to protect late night and owl services serving key San Fernando Valley/Westside routes to accommodate increased travel times. Both the Metro Red and Purple Lines will operate weekday peak period service levels, or approximately every 10 minutes all weekend, with six and four car trains, respectively. The Metro Green Line will also run every 10 minutes throughout the weekend.

Metro will closely monitor traffic congestion on all routes in the I-405 construction area and will make needed adjustments to bus service based on the current traffic conditions. Transit patrons should, however, anticipate longer trip times to reach their destinations and plan accordingly.

Metrolink will supplement its current weekend schedule by offering seven round-trips on its Ventura County Line and nine additional trips on its Antelope Valley Line during the closure weekend. Metrolink will also offer its $10 Weekend Pass, which enables passengers to ride any Metrolink train, as many times as they would like between Friday night at 7pm and Sunday night at 11:50pm for one low rate.

More information on Metrolink service and affordable ticketing options can be found at www.metrolinktrains.com.

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