Just a week after introducing legislation to urge Metro to fix up the crickety Blue Line light rail, Vice Mayor Robert Garcia is reporting success. His office sent out a release today saying Metro agreed to install TAP Card validators at all eight Long Beach Blue Line stations, and by the end of the year, the agency will upgrade all station canopies, adding safety signage, and repainting all stations. Maybe most importantly, especially to those who say the line is fraught with ne'er-do-wells, Metro agreed to add "four additional Sheriff Deputies every day who will be patrolling the Long Beach stations by foot" and "four additional Security Assistants every day who will be checking fares at Long Beach stations. While Metro's subway stations are all in the process of adding locking turnstiles, many of the system's above-ground light rail stations are impossible to gate because of spatial constraints, but Metro is looking into whether it can add any to the Blue Line. Garcia says he's looking forward to Metro upgrading the Blue Line track, purchasing new rail cars (in about three years), and working on signal issues so the train moves faster between LA and Long Beach.
· Long Beach Politician Pushing for a Cleaner, Safer Blue Line [Curbed LA]
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