Want More Transit (and Federal Funding)? Build Housing That Supports It
Too many new rail lines are opening in areas that don’t have the density to support them. A new federal bill aims to change that.
A K Line train travels in Los Angeles in October. Ridership on the Metro system’s latest light rail line has been lagging.
Photographer: Eric Thayer/BloombergAfter decades of planning (and $2.1 billion spent), Los Angeles’ newest light rail line opened in October 2022. Joined by geeky rail obsessives and chaperoned children, I rode the K Line on opening day. A blend of underground, elevated and at-grade track, it’s a route only a politician could love. Stations were lavished with public art, and when the train wasn’t stuck in traffic, it glided through the sprawl.
Yet one year later, it is Los Angeles’ least-used line, averaging just over 2,000 riders on an average weekday this fall.