Buses, Trains Added to Meet Rise in Riders on Blue Line

With the number of train riders still soaring, operators of Los Angeles’ new light rail line called in more workers, scheduled additional trains and beefed up local bus service on Tuesday to handle the continuing crush of business commuters and curious passengers on the Blue Line.

Delighted transit officials estimated that more than 32,000 people rode the 19-mile Los Angeles-Long Beach system on Tuesday--six times what had been forecast--and without a replay of the snags that snarled train traffic and delayed thousands of rail passengers the night before.

“It’s been fantastic. It far exceeds what we imagined,” said Art Leahy, director of transit operations for the Southern California Rapid Transit District.

Neil Peterson, executive director of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, called the figures remarkable but cautioned: “I don’t think those numbers reflect what our ridership will be on a regular basis. As wonderful as these numbers are, I don’t think we should draw any conclusions at this point.”

In the second day of commuter runs and the fourth day of operations, the electrified trains were jammed throughout the day with families, elderly people, business-suited commuters and casually dressed riders who took advantage of the free fares and air-conditioned comfort to ride Los Angeles County’s newest transit venture.

A hit-and-run collision Tuesday evening had threatened to disrupt the flow of rail cars. A driver, skirting a crossing gate near the Slauson Station in South Los Angeles, broadsided a southbound train carrying about 300 people. But no one was injured in the collision, authorities said, and the incident caused only a 10-minute delay.

The collision was the first between a car and a train. The incident caused an air leak and damaged several of the train’s electrical cables, officials said. The driver was later arrested after passengers gave sheriff’s deputies a license number, they said.

Transit officials had been determined to avoid a replay of Monday evening’s troubles when a train broke down a block from the Pico Station in downtown Los Angeles and stalled traffic on the northern end of the line. Hundreds of passengers were delayed for 35 minutes, and some riders on other trains waited even longer before power could be restored to the disabled vehicle and service resumed.

Dan Ibarra, the RTD operations control superintendent, said Tuesday that mechanics blamed that problem on a malfunctioning door that would not close. He said that because the accident happened near a track switch, other trains could not go around the crippled cars.

Ibarra said earlier reports that two teen-age girls had caused the problem by tampering with an emergency switch could not be confirmed.

“The people on the scene said there was no evidence of tampering,” he said, adding that the only other major mechanical problem Monday was overheated brakes on a rail car that was quickly taken out of service.

Tuesday’s crowds caused transit officials to send 40 more workers to station platforms to assist passengers, schedule two more trains during the non-rush-hour period when service is normally reduced and add 10 local buses on the Los Angeles-to-Long Beach route to handle any overflow of passengers. In an effort to make the line more convenient, RTD officials also relocated a shuttle bus stop across the street from Pico Station on Tuesday to assist riders who were unable to find the shuttles when they arrived in the downtown area.

Some passengers, however, still had complaints.

Abbas Ali stood at the Pico Station unable to find a schedule or anyone to tell him when the next train was coming.

“They should be sent to Canada to see how to run an efficient rail (system),” said Ali, a West Los Angeles resident who normally drives to work. “If someone has to go somewhere, they have to know the schedule.”

Ali said he rode the train Sunday as well but was not sure if he was going to continue. “I’ll give them a few chances. If it works out, good,” he said. “If not, I’m back to the road.”

Hector Gardea, a 14-year-old from South Gate, said that in the three days he had ridden the train, he had already begun to see the newness wear off and problems set in. “I’ve seen graffiti on the train already, on the windows,” he said, adding that he was not surprised. “The police can’t be watching all the time.”

Lt. Jim Holts of the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau said tight security will remain along the Blue Line and that the system has been largely free of vandalism. Two young men were arrested Tuesday for marking a wall outside an elevator shaft of the Slauson Station and a 14-year-old was booked after scratching a train window with a knife, Holts said.

Times staff writer Richard Simon contributed to this story.