Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica)
The City of Santa Monica has awarded a multi-year contract to NABI and has issued a Notice to Proceed for the purchase of nine forty-foot low-floor CNG transit buses. There are options to purchase up to an additional 58 buses over the 5-year contract period subject to approval by the City Council. These new buses will replace the last diesel buses in the Santa Monica fleet.

El Monte Station
In mid-August, the El Monte Station will close and be torn down to make way for a new terminal. The demolition and construction of the new terminal is expected to be completed in January 2012. A temporary terminal located in the parking lot will be used until the new terminal is complete. Originally opened on July 15, 1973, the El Monte Station was the focal point of the newly completed El Monte Busway. Aside from a major transit hub in the San Gabriel Valley the terminal is also the Greyhound Station for El Monte. The new terminal will be bigger and include a Foothill Transit store.
For more information on the project visit: www.metro.net/elmonte.

Glendale Beeline
Effective August 1st Glendale Beeline will no longer accept Metro passes or Metro TAP cards as valid fare. Beeline will still honor the Los Angeles County EZ-Pass. Beeline also offers 10-Trip cards for $2 and a 31-Day pass for $12. For more information call Beeline at 818-548-3960, #1.

Long Beach Transit Mall
On August 29th, First St. between Pacific Ave. & Long Beach Blvd. will be closed to all bus traffic to upgrade the Long Beach Transit Mall with public art, night lighting, new bus shelters and landscaping. This work has been made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. First St. will remain open to pedestrian traffic and Metro Blue Line operations.
Transit customers will board buses on Ocean Blvd. between Pine Ave. & Long Beach Blvd., on Long Beach Blvd. between Ocean Blvd. & First St. and on First St. between Long Beach Blvd. & Elm Ave. The project is expected to be complete in Spring 2011. Below is a diagram with the temporary boarding locations.

• Route 1 will be adjusted on weekdays to operate every 30 minutes after 7pm.
• Routes 5, 15, 20 and 22 will adjust on Saturdays to operate every 60 minutes.
• Service to the Sierra Way-46th-Sepulveda loop will be eliminated on Route 7.
• The eastern portion of Routes 8 and 9 will end at the new Yucaipa Transit Center on 5th and Yucaipa Blvd. and new OmniGo circulator Routes 308 and 309 will serve southeast Yucaipa.
• Route 10 will operate every 60 minutes between the hours of 8am and 1pm on all days.
• Route 11 will operate every 60 minutes Monday through Saturday.
• Routes 63, 65, 80 and 83 will operate every 60 minutes on weekdays.
• The southern portion of Route 65, starting at the Chino Hills Civic Center, will be replaced by OmniGo circulator Route 365. Service will operate every 60 minutes on all days.
• Weekend service will be eliminated on Routes 67 and 81.
• The Route 80 short trip to Corona and D from Vineyard and Holt Aves. will be eliminated.
• Weekend Route 82 service will be eliminated west of Mulberry ending at Mulberry and Jurupa and extended on the north end to the Summit Beach Loop. Service along Walnut Ave. will be eliminated on all days.
• Route 215 will adjust weekend operations to every 60 minutes; weekday service will now begin at 5:05am and end at 10pm.
• New Grand Terrace OmniGo circulator Route 325 will begin operation to replace former RTA Line 25 service.
• The following routes will experience changes to running times and/or the elimination of some early morning and late night trips: Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 29, 61, 63, 66, 68, 80, 81, 82, 83 and 215.

• Route 3: Service will be reduced to every 30 minutes between 9am and 2pm.
• Routes 4 & 17: Interline on weekends to provide hourly service on each route in both directions.
• Route 21X: Eliminate Sunday service.
• Route 27: Reduce weekday service when Fall, Winter, or Spring quarter classes are not in session at UCSB.
• Route 2210: School booster route will be eliminated.

Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica)
Super 12 began its summer break on June 11th. Limited service begins on August 30th and full service begins on September 13th.
The following service changes went into effect on June 20th.

• Line 3 had a daily trip added departing Santa Monica at 11:45pm and serving LAX and the hotels on Century Blvd. Saturday evenings there is more frequent service from the Green Line Station to Santa Monica. For the summer only, early evening service has been added from Santa Monica to the Green Line Station on weekends.
• Line 7 and Rapid 7 had schedule adjustments for summer traffic.
• Line 9 added an early morning trip departing at 6:25am from Santa Monica to Pacific Palisades along with minor weekend schedule adjustments.
• Sunset Ride now operates every 20-25 minutes Monday-Friday.
• Mini Blue Beach Ride now operates on Monday only to the Annenberg Beach House pool. The Beach Ride travels along Pico starting at Virginia Ave. The first trip leaves at 10am and then departs every hour on the hour. Return trips begin at 10:30am and run hourly. Service does not run on July 5th and ends on August 30th.

• Line 178 will be rerouted from Merced to Los Angeles Street away from the residential area of the route. Service will operate hourly on weekends and remain on Pacific (no service to the Metrolink station in Baldwin Park).
• Line 184 will be canceled.
• Line 185 weekday service to the Industry Park and Ride will only operate 5:00am to 10:00am and 1:00pm to 9:00pm. There will be no weekend service to the Park and Ride.
• Line 195 will operate peak hours only.
• Line 269 service between 10:00am and 1:00pm will now operate hourly.
• Line 274 will end at Baldwin Park Metrolink and no longer serve West Covina. The line will also be rerouted from Crossroads to Workman Ave.
• Line 280 northbound service will end at Foothill and Azusa and eliminate service between Foothill Blvd. and Sierra Madre Ave.
• Line 281 will terminate at Citrus and Foothill Blvds.
• Line 284 will now operate peak hours only 7 days a week. The line will be rerouted from Cypress to Covina and will terminate at Eastland Center.
• Line 285 will operate commute hours only 7 days a week.
• Line 289 will now operate commute hours only weekdays only.
• Line 292 weekend service is canceled.
• Line 482 will be split; service between Pomona and Puente Hills Mall will remain Line 482 and new Line 282 will replace the western portion of Line 482 between Puente Hills Mall and El Monte Station. There will be hourly service on the new line during the midday.
• Line 493 trips will now begin and end at the Diamond Bar Park and Ride.
• Line 497 trips will now begin and end at the Chino Park and Ride.
• There will be a reduction in the number of Line 498 trips that begin at Foothill and Barranca.
• Line 851 will be canceled.
• The Line 853 trip to Pomona Transit Center will be canceled.

• Fairfax and Van Nuys/Studio City will be reduced to 30 minute service on weekdays and Saturdays.
• Lincoln Heights/Chinatown will be reduced to 30 minute service on weekdays and Saturdays, eliminate weekday service after 6:30pm and eliminate service on Sundays and holidays.
• Highland Park/Eagle Rock service will be eliminated along Yosemite Dr. and Colorado Blvd. east of Townsend Ave. Service on weekdays after 6:30pm and service on Sundays and weekends will be eliminated.
• El Sereno/City Terrace will now operate every 25 minutes seven days a week and on holidays.
• Hollywood service after 6:30pm on weekdays and on Sundays and holidays will be eliminated.
• Southeast, Wilshire Center/Koreatown, and Panorama City/Van Nuys will no longer have service after 6:30pm on weekdays.
• Crenshaw and Midtown will no longer operate on Sundays and holidays.
• Downtown Central City East, Downtown C, Downtown DD, Hyde Park Shuttle, Hollywood/ West Hollywood, and Warner Center (North & South) will be canceled.
• Northridge will have the AM & PM Commuter Service eliminated. The frequency will be reduced to every 15 minutes until noon; then service every 20 minutes until end of service.
• Downtown D will now operate every 15 minutes after 6:00pm.
• Wilmington will now end service at 7:00pm on weekdays.

• Line 142 will no longer serve the Customs House or Terminal Island. Service will now be every 30 minutes until 9:00pm and every 60 minutes after 9:00pm.
• Lines 413, 430, and 575 will be canceled. Line 431 will now serve Loyola High School on select trips due to the cancelation of Line 430.
• Line 419 will no longer offer service west of the Chatsworth Metrolink Station.
• Line 422 will have two westbound trips (6:29am and 6:44am) and two eastbound trips (3:50pm and 4:34pm) eliminated.
• Line 423 will no longer serve Borchard Road and the western terminus will now be at the Thousand Oaks Transit Center. The eastbound trip at 8:00am will be eliminated.

• Route 3 on Sundays has been extended to UCSD Hospital via 4th/5th Avenues. Service to City College Trolley Station has been discontinued.
• Routes 8 and 9 have been restructured as two separate routes (instead of a loop route): Route 8 serves West Mission Bay Dr. and Mission Blvd. Route 9 serves Sea World, Ingraham St., Crown Point, and Garnet Ave. Levels of service will be similar to the existing Route 8/9, and additional service will be provided throughout the summer.
• Route 27 has added summer only service that operates every 60 minutes from 9:00am to 6:00pm. This expanded summer service will operate through Labor Day. The Pacific Beach terminal has been moved from Bayard Street to Felspar Street near Mission Blvd.
• Route 44A service to the Sharp and Children’s hospitals area on Sundays has been replaced by Route 120. Sunday service eastbound from Clairemont Square (toward Old Town) now uses stops on Clairemont Drive (behind Clairemont Square). Route 120 on Sundays has been extended from Fashion Valley north to Health Center Dr. (Sharp Hospital area) and will operate hourly.

Marina Del Rey Shuttle Returns
From May 28th to September 8th, the Marina Del Rey shuttle returns to the beach community. The Beach Shuttle will operate on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
Friday and Saturday operating hours will be from 10:00am to 10:00pm. Sunday and holiday operating hours will be from 10:00am to 8:00pm. In conjunction with the Thursday evening classical concerts at Burton Chace Park, (July 8 and 22; August 5 and 19) the Beach Shuttle will also operate from 5:00pm to 10:00pm providing direct service to Burton Chace Park. The Beach Shuttle will also provide service for the Sunday, September 26th Abbot Kinney Festival between the hours of 10:00am and 6:00pm.
The free Beach Shuttle buses will travel from Playa Vista every 30 minutes beginning at 10:15am, carrying passengers to major points of interest including Fisherman’s Village, Waterside Shopping Center, Mother’s Beach and Venice Beach Pier. Please note that there will be a pause in service between 3:15pm to 4:15pm to allow for the shuttle drivers’ lunch breaks.
Shuttle stops are also conveniently located near seven Marina del Rey WaterBus boarding locations. For more information on the Beach Shuttle, visit beaches.lacounty.gov or call the Marina del Rey Visitor’s Center at: (310) 305-9545.

Metrolink
Effective June 28th Metrolink will make a number of changes to their system.
On the

• Ventura County Line Trains 105 and 114 will be canceled. New Train 907 will operate between Los Angeles and Burbank Airport on Train 105’s schedule. Current Trains 907 and 909 will be renumbered 909 and 911. Amtrak Train 799 will now depart at 7:35am and will no longer stop in downtown Burbank.
• On the San Bernardino Line, weekday trains 306 and 323 will be canceled.
• Inland Empire- Orange County Line trains 857, 858, 859, and 860 will operate on Saturdays and Sundays from July 3rd to October 10th due to the summer season.

• Line 31 will be canceled and Line 287 will be extended to replace the segment between Indiana Station and Collegian/Cesar Chavez. All Line 30 service (including owl) will terminate at Indiana Station.
  
• Line 66's short route segment west of Western Ave. (via Wilton Pl.) has been canceled, and most of the service that had terminated at the 8th/Western terminal (including weekends) now operates to Wilshire/Western Station directly via Western. All limited-stop Line 366 trips have been converted to local shortline Line 66 service.
  
• The Line 96 deviation to serve the Silver Lake Library will be made permanent.
  
• Line 176 has a minor route change for trips leaving El Monte Lower Station, via MTA Way-Santa Anita Ave.-Baldwin Ave. instead of via Ramona Blvd.
  
• Due to Jet Propulsion Laboratory reducing the amount of layover space on their premises, Line 177 midday trips and Line 268 rush hour trips now run through JPL without a layover. Passengers riding Line 268 to JPL must now wait through layover at Woodbury/Lincoln during rush hour.
  
• Line 202 has been extended via Anaheim St.-Wilmington Blvd.-"C" St. to replace Line 246/247 service in Wilmington which has been detoured for construction on Harry Bridges Blvd. Line 246/247 now operates via Anaheim St.-Figueroa St., and weekend service now continues north from Artesia Transit Center to Harbor Freeway Green Line Station.
  
• Select Line 217 trips will shortline at Hollywood/Vine Station on weekdays and Sunday between 7am and 8pm.
  
• Lines 222 and 353 have minor route changes to accommodate problems the new 45-foot local service buses have in completing some right turns. Line 222 now operates via Strathern St. and Vineland Ave. to its layover at the north end of the route; Line 353 operates via Webb Way between Roscoe Blvd. and Lankershim Blvd. on eastbound trips.
  
• Line 333 will be upgraded to new Rapid Line 733 and will operate between 5am and 11pm. Line 33 will operate owl service from Union Station (Gateway Transit Plaza).
  
• Line 442 will be canceled later in the year once a new stop is constructed at Manchester Transitway Station with security enhancements as part of the ExpressLanes project.
  
• Line 720 has a new shortline terminal in downtown Los Angeles at Central/6th.
  

• Line 1 will switch to summer schedule with increased service to handle summer crowds.
• Line 47 schedules on Saturday, Sundays, and Holidays will be the same.
• Line 472 will now travel on Red Hill to Main instead of MacArthur. The schedules will be modified to accommodate this change.
• Lines 757 and 758 will now have a timed connection, and wait for each other, at Brea Mall in both directions for improved passenger connections. Line 758 will also no longer serve the Chino Park-and-Ride lot.

El Monte Station
In April 2010 Metro began construction on a temporary bus terminal on the eastern side of El Monte Station. The construction closed the southeast parking lot, removing approximately 450 parking spaces. A new parking lot has opened on the site of the former Chevrolet dealership next to the freeway on the west side of Santa Anita Avenue. The new temporary bus terminal is expected to be completed in late summer.

Foothill Transit
Effective April 11th, Foothill Transit made several changes to their service. Lines 185 and 480 will operate every 30 minutes during peak hours, and every 60 minutes throughout the midday (10:00am -1:00pm). Line 291 will run every 20 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during the midday. Due to low ridership during the on weekend mornings, four trips on Line 187 have been removed and service will operate every 60 minutes between 4:40am and 6:00am.

PVPTA
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved the disbursement of $408,200 to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority (PVPTA) to continue public transit services for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011. The funds come from the Fourth Supervisorial District's allocation of Proposition A Local Return Transit Program funds.

Riverside Transit Agency (RTA)
Effective May 9th, RTA has discontinued service on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day due to low ridership. Along with the discontinuation of service on the above holidays, select trips will be eliminated on the following routes: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 27, 32, and 42. Service improvements will be made to the following routes: 1, 7, 8, 22, 50, 79, 206, and 208.

Orange County Rail Projects
Rail projects throughout Orange County received a financial boost in April when the California Transportation Commission allocated more than $357 million to fund construction. The commission allocated the money as a result of state bond sales last month. The projects are part of the voter approved Proposition 1B and Proposition 116 bond programs to fund transportation projects throughout the state. The rail projects that received funding include: $11.5 million for the Metrolink Service Expansion Projects and grade crossing enhancements, $8.25 million for Tustin Metrolink station parking structure, $15.4 million for Fullerton Metrolink station parking structure and $12.3 million for Metrolink fiber optics in Orange County. Construction of these projects has been on hold pending the funding from the state. The commission's action will mean an infusion of millions of dollars into the local economy and creation of jobs.

Dodger Shuttle
Metro is now offering service to Dodger home games for the 2010 season. Buses will board at Bay 3 in Gateway Plaza and the operate to Dodger Stadium making stops at Cesar E. Chavez/Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez/ Figueroa if space is available. The service begins 90 minutes before games time and runs every 10 minutes thru the 3rd inning. 30 minute service will be provided between the 3rd and 7th innings. Return service begins during the 7th inning and continues until 45 minutes after the last out. Dodger tickets are valid for fare and drop off at the stadium will be inside Dodger Stadium behind Center Field.

Metro
Metro contractor Veolia has a new bus in service, NABI 3100. This is the first bus Metro has purchased specifically for the contract services and is 31 feet long.

Riverside Transit Agency
Due to low ridership, Temecula's Route 57 Red Line Trolley was discontinued on Thursday, April 1. The city's Route 55 Green Line Trolley continues to operate.
New bus stops have been added at 4th Street and "G" Street in Perris for the following routes; Route 27 northbound, Route 27 Southbound and Route 30 Eastbound.

San Diego
Using federal stimulus funds, SANDAG, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and the City of La Mesa have begun work on a project to enhance pedestrian and ADA access at the Grossmont Transit Center. The construction project will add elevators and a pedestrian bridge, making it easier for transit patrons to move back and forth to the busy Grossmont Center-area businesses on a mesa about 40 feet above the center and Trolley station.
The project will cost a total of $8 million, including $4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The city of La Mesa contributed $540,000. The rest of the funds come from federal and state transportation programs. SANDAG will oversee the construction, being done by Riha Construction. MTS will maintain and operate the facility.
Additional enhancements will include a bridge landing at the mesa, new paving, a colonnade flanking the elevator tower, furniture, landscaping, lighting, and enhanced busway pavement. Bicycle lockers also will be installed near the Trolley platform. Work is expected to be complete in summer of 2011.

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)
Effective March 14, OCTA will make several significant changes to their system. These changes are in response to a loss of state transit funding and decreased sales revenue. Below is a summary of those changes. For more details visit www.octa.net/marchchange or call (714) 636-RIDE.
Night Owl Elimination: OCTA will no longer operate Routes 43, 50, 57, and 60 between 1am and 4am.
Route Eliminations: The following routes will be eliminated with no direct replacements: 62, 74, 75, 131, 147, 164, and 693.
Weekend/Holiday Route Eliminations: The following routes will no longer operate on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 24, 76, 172, and 193.
Saturday Route Eliminations: Route 86 will no longer operate on Saturday.
Sunday/Holiday Route Eliminations: The following routes will no longer operate on Sundays and holidays: 51, 82, and 85.
Frequency Reduction: The frequency will be reduced on the following routes on weekdays: 24, 25, 30, 35, 37, 50, 55, 64, 66, 71, 72, 76, 82, and 145. The frequency will be reduced on the following routes on weekends: 29, 50, 55, 66, and 89. Midday service will be eliminated on Route 21 between 9am and 2pm.
Route Restructuring: The northern segments of Routes 29 and 59 will be replaced with new Route 129. The northern segments of Routes 43 and 47 will be replaced by new Route 143. The northern segment of Route 53 will be replaced by new Route 153 and the southern segment of Route 70 will be replaced by new Route 90.

LCF Shuttle
The city of La Canada Flintridge (LCF) has placed a second vehicle in service on the LCF Shuttle during peak travel times. The bus operates on Foothill Boulevard during peak times and then operates the entire length of Glendale Beeline Route 3. Ridership has increased 5% annually on Route 3 and that prompted the city to fund the additional vehicle with Prop A sales tax money. The LCF Shuttle is operated by Glendale Beeline. The city of La Canada is considering several other transportation options including service to Pasadena in conjunction with the Pasadena ARTS service.

Metrolink
On March 2nd, the first two brand new Metrolink cars arrived at the Port of Long Beach from South Korea. The new cars feature a new collision-absorption technology called Crash Energy Management (CEM) and are built by Hyundai-Rotem and is an order for 107 cars. Once these cars are places in service, Metrolink will retire the popular Comet Cars.

On April 2 Metrolink will hold a public hearing to consider various train eliminations and fare increases for Fiscal year 2010-2011. The hearing will be on the agenda of a Special Meeting of the SCRRA Board of Directors on April 2, 2010 at 10:00 am, Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), 818 W. Seventh Street, 12th Floor - Board Room Los Angeles, CA 90017. For more information visit: www.metrolinktrains.com

CSUN Shuttle
California State University, Northridge (CSUN) has selected Diversified Transportation to perform contracted shuttle bus services. The contract will begin during the Spring 2010 semester and will provide transportation for students and employees. Diversified Transportation is a subsidiary of Tectrans Inc., operating a wide variety of contracted transportation services out of its Pomona, Van Nuys and Long Beach terminals. Tectrans Inc. is a transportation and technology firm headquartered in Los Angeles with operating subsidiaries throughout Northern and Southern California, and in South Florida. Diversified Transportation currently operates shuttle bus services for several other college campuses in Southern California.

Foothill Transit
Foothill Transit will be having a series of public hearings on several proposed service changes. Below is a list of the hearing dates and locations.
Wednesday, March 24, 6:30pm, El Monte Station (Metro San Gabriel Valley Office, Council Chambers Room), 3449 Santa Anita Ave.
Thursday, March 25, 6:30pm, Duarte Community Center, 1600 Huntington Dr.
Wednesday, March 31, 6:30pm, Industry Manufacturers Council Chambers, 15651 Stafford St., City of Industry
Thursday, April 1, 6:30pm, Ganesha Community Center, 1575 N. White Ave., Pomona
For more information visit: www.foothilltransit.org

San Bernardino Associated Governments
San Bernardino Associated Governments selected HDR to help develop the Redlands First Mile Project, which will extend Metrolink commuter rail service to a new proposed multi-model transit center in downtown San Bernardino. The first phase of the fast-track project as a construction cost of more than $50 million and is scheduled for completion in mid-2013.
HDR will provide services including preliminary and final engineering, environmental documentation and permitting, right-of-way acquisition, transit-oriented development (TOD) assistance and other potential on-call services for the project.
The project is a critical part of a larger vision for the San Bernardino Associated Governments and the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands in creating a downtown urban TOD. The new hub will offer increased opportunities for transit, including a potential stop for future highspeed rail, and economic development benefits that will lead to a revitalized of the downtown area as well as cities along the travel corridor.