MTA Adds New Bus Lines

A rapid bus line will run on Western Avenue starting Sunday, and on Monday a new freeway express bus will speed riders between El Monte and Long Beach in less than an hour, according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

On Western Avenue, one of the most traffic-choked streets in the county, Metro Rapid Line 757 will replace an existing limited-stop bus from Hollywood to South Los Angeles. Along the 13-mile route, city traffic engineers have installed a signal priority system so that the buses will encounter more green lights.

The MTA plans to use 60-foot buses with an accordion-like middle on the line.

On the other new line, on the 605 Freeway, free rides will be offered Monday and Tuesday.

The 28-mile route, known as Metro Express Line 577X, will start at the El Monte Transit Center, a hub that connects with 27 other bus lines, and will include only three stops: at the Norwalk Metro Green Line light-rail station, the VA Medical Center in Long Beach and Cal State Long Beach.

Because 577X will run mostly in a carpool lane on the 605, an end-to-end run should take only about 50 minutes, compared with 1 1/2 hours for a solo driver in regular freeway traffic, according to the MTA. There are 2,000 free parking spaces at the El Monte transit hub and 1,700 free spaces at the Norwalk rail station.

Express buses will run every 20 minutes during weekday morning and evening rush hours, and every 30 minutes to an hour until 11 p.m.

The MTA, which reevaluates its bus service every six months, also plans to bolster, modify or cut service on more than 40 other routes around the county.

For more information on schedules, routes, fares and service changes, go to www.metro.net.