Subway Stops Report High Ridership
Three weeks after two San Fernando Valley subway stations opened, both Red Line stops are reporting large ridership numbers--with the Universal City stop emerging as the fifth-busiest in the 16-station system.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the Universal City stop averages 19,488 daily boardings and arrivals. The North Hollywood station, the end of the Red Line, had 15,902 average daily boardings and arrivals and is the seventh most used stop in the system.
The busiest subway stop is 7th Street/Metro with 41,712 average boardings and arrivals, followed by Union Station with 23,772; and the third most heavily used is Wilshire Boulevard/Vermont Avenue with 23,526.
MTA spokesman Gary Wosk said the high ridership at Universal City is largely due to tourists visiting CityWalk and Universal Studios.
In January, the MTA will begin a comprehensive survey of passengers, Wosk said, to determine who is using the subway. The last such study was done five years ago. Most riders were thought to be using the subway to travel to and from work.
The MTA is also meeting with the city Department of Transportation next week to address parking shortages at its North Hollywood and Universal City Red Line parking lots, which have been full by midday.
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