Scoring Metro’s stations

By Jon Schleuss and Dan Weikel

The Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at UC Berkeley and Next 10, a nonprofit organization studied 489 rail transit stations and their neighborhoods across California. The research included grading 88 Metro rail and busway stops. Read the story

Metro’s best and worst stations

Researchers named Westlake/MacArthur Park as Metro’s highest-performing station. The stop benefits from a high concentration of commercial and residential land uses. The lowest rating went to Wardlow Station, located in a car-dependent, low-density residential area.

Westlake/

MacArthur Park

10

 

405

 

Wardlow

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Other

Best: Westlake/MacArthur Park

Worst: Wardlow

Westlake/

MacArthur Park

405

 

Station

Half-mile radius

Rank Station Line Location Grade
1 Westlake / McArthur Park Red Line Los Angeles A
2 Hollywood / Western Red Line Los Angeles A
3 Wilshire / Western Purple Line Los Angeles A
4 Maraichi Plaza / Boyle Heights Gold Line Los Angeles A
5 Vermont / Beverly Red Line Los Angeles A
6 Soto Gold Line Los Angeles A
7 Wilshire / Vermont Purple Line Los Angeles A
8 Wilshire / Normandie Purple Line Los Angeles A
9 Chinatown Gold Line Los Angeles A
10 Grand Blue Line Los Angeles A
11 Hollywood / Highland Red Line Los Angeles A
12 7th Street / Metro Center Red Line Los Angeles A-
13 7th Street / Metro Center Blue Line Los Angeles A-
14 Pershing Square Red Line Los Angeles A-
15 Vermont / Sunset Red Line Los Angeles A-
16 Lincoln Heights / Cypress Park Gold Line Los Angeles A-
17 Hollywood / Vine Red Line Los Angeles A-
18 Vermont / Santa Monica Red Line Los Angeles A-
19 Highland Park Gold Line Los Angeles B+
20 North Hollywood Layover Orange Line Los Angeles B+
21 San Pedro Blue Line Los Angeles B+
22 Washington Blue Line Los Angeles B+
23 Pico / Aliso Gold Line Los Angeles B+
24 Little Tokyo / Arts District Gold Line Los Angeles B
25 Vernon Blue Line Los Angeles B
26 Indiana Gold Line Los Angeles B
27 Pico Blue Line Los Angeles B
28 Union Red Line Los Angeles B
29 Union Gold Line Los Angeles B
30 North Hollywood Orange Line Los Angeles B
31 North Hollywood Red Line Los Angeles B
32 East LA Civic Center Gold Line East Los Angeles B
33 Civic Center Red Line Los Angeles B
34 PCH Blue Line Long Beach B
35 Universal City Red Line Los Angeles B
36 Hawthorne Green Line Lennox B
37 Pacific Blue Line Long Beach B
38 5th Street Blue Line Long Beach B
39 Canoga Orange Line Los Angeles B
40 1st Street Blue Line Long Beach B
41 Anaheim Blue Line Long Beach B-
42 Southwest Museum Gold Line Los Angeles B-
43 Florence Blue Line Florence-Graham B-
44 Heritage Square / Arroyo Gold Line Los Angeles B-
45 Reseda Orange Line Los Angeles B-
46 Atlantic Gold Line East Los Angeles B-
47 Slauson Blue Line Florence-Graham B-
48 Laurel Canyon Orange Line Los Angeles B-
49 Fillmore Gold Line Pasadena B-
50 Van Nuys Orange Line Los Angeles B-
51 Lake Gold Line Pasadena B-
52 Long Beach Transit Mall Blue Line Long Beach B-
53 103rd Street Blue Line Los Angeles C+
54 Compton Blue Line Compton C+
55 Maravilla Gold Line East Los Angeles C
56 Memorial Park Gold Line Pasadena C
57 Harbor Freeway Green Line Los Angeles C
58 Woodman Orange Line Los Angeles C
59 Redondo Beach Green Line Hawthorne C
60 Del Mar Gold Line Pasadena C
61 De Soto Orange Line Los Angeles C
62 Sepulveda Orange Line Los Angeles C
63 El Segundo Green Line El Segundo C
64 Warner Center Transit Hub Layover Orange Line Los Angeles C
65 Crenshaw Green Line Hawthorne C
66 Balboa Orange Line Los Angeles C
67 Mission Gold Line South Pasadena C-
68 Woodley Orange Line Los Angeles C-
69 Vermont Green Line West Athens C-
70 Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Pasadena C-
71 Pierce College Orange Line Los Angeles C-
72 Aviation Green Line Los Angeles C-
73 Mariposa Green Line El Segundo C-
74 Avalon Green Line Los Angeles D+
75 Long Beach Green Line Lynwood D+
76 Douglas Green Line El Segundo D+
77 Firestone Blue Line Florence-Graham D
78 Valley College Orange Line Los Angeles D
79 Imperial / Wilmington (Rosa Parks) Green Line Willowbrook D
80 Imperial / Wilmington (Rosa Parks) Blue Line Willowbrook D
81 Tampa Orange Line Los Angeles D
82 Lakewood Green Line Downey D
83 Allen Gold Line Pasadena D
84 Willow Blue Line Long Beach D
85 Norwalk Green Line Norwalk D
86 Artesia Blue Line Compton D
87 Del Amo Blue Line Compton D
88 Wardlow Blue Line Long Beach F

Note: The study evaluated stations on Metro’s Orange Line, a rapid bus transit system, because they included rail connections. The Expo light rail line was not analyzed. Researchers said it had recently opened at the time of the study and ridership had not had time to develop.

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Sources: Next 10 and the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at UC Berkeley