It’s no secret that the pandemic devastated public transit systems across the country, and Los Angeles’ ever-expanding Metro rail system is no exception. With many white-collar employees now working remotely for all or much of the week, ridership on the region’s subway and light-rail lines is still around just two-thirds of its pre-COVID peak. The situation is even worse for systems such as Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART, which is overly reliant on the office workers and employers who have largely abandoned downtown San Francisco.
But therein lies the key to Metro’s long-term recovery. Originally conceived in the 1970s as a BART-like system primarily serving downtown employers and commuters, Metro rail has since sprawled to the far reaches of Los Angeles County. At the same time, downtown L.A. has become a residential and entertainment destination, not just an employment center. As a result, the current rail network serves a variety of riders heading to many destinations for a range of reasons. That helps explain why, for the first time since the federal government began keeping records two decades ago, Metro trains are now serving more people than their Bay Area counterparts.
To survive and thrive over the long run, however, Metro needs to build on these strengths and abandon business as usual. The best recipe for long-term success — one we’ve seen in thriving cities across the world from Milan to Busan — is to allow more apartment buildings, offices and mixed-use projects to be built within walking distance of the stations. Beyond keeping Metro rail viable, more such walkable neighborhoods will provide environmental, economic and quality-of-life benefits for their residents.
