With a Growing Number of Transit Projects Planned, L.A. Considers Renaming Rail Lines

L.A. Metro says it may run out of colors if it doesn't change its train naming system. "With an unprecedented number of rail and bus projects planned — and a dwindling number of hues to choose from — Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials are considering an overhaul of the transit map that would replace the system’s color names with letters or numbers," Laura J. Nelson reports for the Los Angeles Times. Those projects include "an extension of the Gold Line to Montclair by 2026, a San Fernando Valley rail line by 2027 and a 20-mile light-rail route between downtown and Artesia by 2028. They all will need names."

The agency will consider plans for renaming in the coming months, but some say the system is already confusing. "The problems with the current system are evident at rail stations where the Blue and Expo lines overlap, said Jessica Meaney, executive director of the advocacy group Investing in Place. Both lines have blue hues and run on the same tracks for portions of the route, confusing newcomers," Nelson reports.