Harbor Transitway

Infobox rail line
name = color box|#LACMTA color|Harbor Harbor Transitway


image_width = 250px
caption = The Harbor Transitway as seen from the Harbor Freeway.
type = Transitway
system = Combined Transitway Service
status =
locale = Los Angeles, California
start = 7th St/Metro Center
end = Pacific Coast Highway
stations = 10
routes = 903
ridership =
open = 1996
close =
owner =
operator = Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA)
character =
stock =
linelength = 11 mi (18 km)
tracklength =
notrack =
gauge =
el =
speed =
elevation =

The Harbor Transitway is an 11-mile (18 km) high-occupancy vehicle roadway that runs in the median of Interstate 110 (Harbor Freeway) in Southern California, United States. The two-way roadway is open to vehicles with two or more occupants, and carries buses operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Orange County Transportation Authority, City of Gardena and City of Torrance. Five stations are located in the middle of the freeway; a sixth (the Artesia Transit Center) is off to the side of the interchange with the Gardena Freeway, and is also served by surface routes. Further south, several sections of bus-only lane, including separate roadways at two stations, exist on the sides of the freeway; buses must use a piece of Figueroa Street to reach that part from the Artesia Transit Center. The Transitway and stations have characteristics common to bus rapid transit, but no special buses are used.

Its main competitors are the Metro Blue Line to Long Beach and the Metro Rapid Line 745, just a block away on Broadway. Ridership on the Transitway is not officially tabulated because service on the Transitway consists of several Metro Express lines, two routes operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority, and services operated by the cities of Gardena, Los Angeles, and Torrance. However, anecdotally, ridership is deemed to be low, especially at the intermediate stations. The main causes for the low ridership are the premium express fare charged to passengers compared to riders on the Blue Line and Metro Rapid (up to $1 more each way than a trip made on the Rapid or Blue Line), the isolated and noisy freeway environment of the stations, and the inconvenience of accessing the stations (and lack of surrounding buses) around the stations compared to surface level light rail or Rapid service. In addition, frequency is inconsistent and the time between buses can be up to 30 minutes during the middle of the day.

Metro includes the Transitway in a bronze color in rail system maps, however, the line is not officially called the Metro Bronze Line. [ [http://www.mta.net/board/Items/2006/03_March/20060316Item13EMAC.pdf] (PDF)] All services Metro operates on the Harbor Transitway are sometimes referred to as Line 903, this allows the transitway running portions to be placed on one timetable since most buses serve all stations. This line designation is rarely used by residents, and also does not appear on signs. It was formerly known as Line 940 until Metro Rapid EXPRESS 940 came to existence.

Buses originate from West Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, with final destinations in Anaheim, Fullerton, Gardena, Huntington Beach, San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Torrance.

List of Stations, from North to South

Future Expansion

As the Transitway reaches downtown Los Angeles and exits the Harbor Freeway, ramps are built to take buses and cars to Adams Boulevard and Flower Street. These ramps were intentionally "overbuilt" as the elevated transitway/HOV lane was originally meant to be extended, and was originally intended in some way, to meet the El Monte Busway, possibly somewhere near Union Station.

No plans have yet been discussed for extending the Harbor Freeway HOV lane terminus.

References