[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]etro Blue Line riders will have to find alternate ways of getting to work next year or face massive delays. The southern half – from Compton to Long Beach – of the Blue Line will shut down for about four months beginning at the end of January, and the northern half – from Compton to downtown L.A. – will be closed for repairs July to September.
Metro on Monday officially confirmed that it will halt rail service between downtown Long Beach and the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station starting January 26 until an unspecified date in May. Buses will replace train cars as the agency overhauls its oldest rail line.
This means the 62,000 daily riders on the Blue Line — also L.A.’s longest — will now have to disembark from trains halfway to downtown, tap a card to get on a shuttle, and then re-board at 103rd St/Watts Towers Station.
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