LA Metro Rail safety

[Pharm_L]

I'm new to posting so please forgive my lack of posting etiquette. We will be flying into LAX in October and I have booked the pre-night hotel in Long Beach close to a metro stop. I just wanted some advice about the safety of taking the metro rail. I know the route we need to take but seeing as we have luggage with us and obviously travellers are there safety issues? I've been in the London Tube before with luggage but I know LA is a different story. I'm all for saving money but if it's not safe then I'll book a shuttle. We have no time restrictions. Thanks.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Think of the Metro rail system as a local busline. It's not really made for people transporting luggage around (we were considering this a few years ago for getting from here to an Amtrak station with our luggage...called them and were told this).

 

Definitely consider a shuttle or taxi for transportation between the airport and your hotel.

 

My mil is a big fan of the Metrolink system and takes it constantly between locales in "The Valley" and between the Valley and downtown Los Angeles. But then she's lived here for over fifty years so she knows what areas are safe and which to avoid (I hope). If you do decide to sightsee using the bus system, ask the conciege at your hotel for detailed info and a good map.

[critterchick]

I'm new to posting so please forgive my lack of posting etiquette. We will be flying into LAX in October and I have booked the pre-night hotel in Long Beach close to a metro stop. I just wanted some advice about the safety of taking the metro rail. I know the route we need to take but seeing as we have luggage with us and obviously travellers are there safety issues? I've been in the London Tube before with luggage but I know LA is a different story. I'm all for saving money but if it's not safe then I'll book a shuttle. We have no time restrictions. Thanks.

 

Are you thinking of taking the Metro from LAX to your hotel? If so, you should (and may already) be aware that the Metro does not go to the airport. In caving in to the taxi & limo lobby, LA decided to have the Metro stop about a mile away. I remember reading a quote from a planner who said, "we don't think of this as a service for travellers from out of town, just for commuters." *****????

 

So I think (haven't done it) that you have to take a shuttle bus just to get there. And you'll have to transfer from the Green to the Blue Line to get to Long Beach. With a lot of luggage that could be a PITA, but if you've done it on the Tube, I should think our Metro would be a piece of cake.

 

As for personal safey I think it would be fine. I haven't heard any reports of serious crime on the lines, and I think that would be pretty public knowledge. I do think it would be a hassle for you, but you'd be helping to keep our smog at bay, so I thank you!:D

 

I'd book with Prime Time shuttle or take a cab, myself...:o

 

And welcome to Cruise Critic!

[skandls]

Take a shuttle. Los Angeles is not a transit friendly city. We live in So Cal and we take some type of shuttle to and from the airport. Our bus and tram systems are not easy to navigate.

 

And there are some higher crime areas around LAX so its not an area you want to get lost.

[Splinter]

Public transportation (jokingly called "rapid transit") in the LA area is a joke. I would not consider it. You would have to 1) take a shuttle bus (loading your own luggage) to 2) the Green Line Metrolink station, then take that (again loading your own luggage) to the City of Commerce station (a bad part of LA), then 3) transfer to the Blue line south, which does go through some dicey areas, to get to Long Beach, and then most likely would need to cab to your hotel. Since the trip planner on the Metrolink website is down (again, symptomatic of how poorly the system works), I can't tell you for sure, but I would plan on at least 2 hours for this trip.

 

Take a cab or shuttle from the airport to your hotel. It will cost you more, but as tired as I imagine you will be after an international flight and messing with Customs, etc. at LAX, it will be worth the money.

 

Many people use shuttles. The largest company is http://www.supershuttle.com which you can book on-line.

[briangl]

I agree that taking public transit in L.A. might not be best because it is slow and hard with luggage. As far as safety any form of public transit (even a bus ride thru south L.A.) is far safer than riding in a car on an L.A. freeway. People drive like maniacs. Our cab driver was going at least 80mph and he was being passed! I could not believe peoples total disregard for safety.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

For me personally...

Agreeing with most of everyone here, but more of my specifics...

MetroRail in LA is currently very "safe", but again really just set up for local commuters...

Unless you are a local, or just doing a "general" vacation (not a cruise) to specific parts of LA - where the local transit can be convenient; it's just not worth saving those few bucks for the "difficulty" factor of getting on and off all of the transfers with luggage for a cruise.

Just take a shuttle, here's some info of different ones on this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=427529

It's definitely worth it for a time and convenience factor...

(Also bear in mind, I have taken luggage on the local metros in both Manhattan, New Jersey, and Chicago several times on business trips and vacations. Those are much easier - for vacation luggage factor - than the LA Metro to and from a cruise.)

Just my opinion.

CJW

[DonLou]

... I know the route we need to take but seeing as we have luggage with us and obviously travellers are there safety issues?

 

DISCLAIMER: I work for Metro.

 

I'm assuming you are thinking of taking the Metro Rail Green Line and then transitioning south onto the Blue Line. These are among the safest and cleanest public transportation systems in LA. Crime against Metro Rail passengers or their goods is very rare (but the crime of passengers riding and not paying is a little too frequent). The stations and trains are continually monitored. The time to get from LAX to the Long Beach Transit Mall is about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. There is no charge to take the G Shuttle from LAX to the Green Line Aviation station. The cost is $1.25 for the Green Line trip. You then get off at Imperial Station to take the Blue Line to Long Beach. The Blue Line cost is another $1.25. That's $2.50 versus whatever a shuttle would cost you.

 

Another mode would be to take the 232 Local bus from LAX to Long Beach. The problem is that it's nearly a two hour ride (pretty safe but not safer than Metro Rail). It goes down Pacific Coast Highway so you will see a couple of colorful beach towns along the way (Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach). And the cost would be only $1.25.

 

Good luck on your choices.

[Bruin Steve]

I'll pile on here...

...and I pretty much agree with 90% of the above...

 

DonLou is right to a great extent...MetroRail is cheap...and it is "generally" safe, so long as you are on the MetroRail...There has not been a great deal of crime reported on the train itself...

 

OTOH, it does force you to travel, between LAX and Long Beach, through a lot of the poorer, high-crime areas...You do not have to leave the train and/or stations, but a lot of the people riding with you are the residents of those areas (which does not make them criminals, of course...most people are law abiding citizens who are riding the Metro to get to or from work or wherever)...

 

But THAT is not the main reason we all usually advise against it...It's basically the inconvenience of the thing...As has been said, it is NOT designed to get YOU efficiently from LAX to your hotel...

 

YES. it is cheap...but, for most of us, "cheap" has its limits...We all like to save money...but we are willing to spend a little for our convenience and comfort...Especially while on vacation...Worth spending a little money to make things simple, easy and stress free...

 

Using Metro, you will have to make several "changes"...the shuttle from LAX to the start of the Metro Green line...a change from the Green Line to the Blue Line...and a taxi from the end of the Green Line to wherever your hotel is...You will have to deal with your luggage at each of these transitions...and while on a train not equipped to be carrying luggage...You will have to pay attention to "stops" and will have to be ever wary of crime--yes, though rare, vigilence is still required when protecting yourself and your possessions on public trains...AND, that 1 to 1.5 hour estimate is still somewhat dependant on your figuring out where you are supposed to be at each change, not getting lost, "making" your next train, etc....A misstep here or there and it could take longer...

 

OTOH, a shuttle, taxi or limo service will take you DIRECTLY from LAX to your Long Beach hotel. You won't have to deal with your luggage at all--other than bringing it to the curb at LAX...You won't have to worry about getting lost, wasting time...and certainly not about crime, bad neighborhoods or anything of the sort...Your commute will not be long at all--maybe a half an hour, depending on traffic, time of day, etc. They will pull you right up to the front door of your hotel and hand your luggage right off to the bellhop...

 

Worth paying for? I think so...

[Pharm_L]

Wow, thanks everyone for all your input. It's much more than I expected and it's been a lot of help. I think my husband and I will probably end up going the shuttle route. I think the convenience factor outweighs everything.

[jasmith52]

This thread is pretty amusing to me. :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

I have ridden the LAX green line extensively in years past and I agree that it might be a cultural shock to some cruisers. So even though you probably won't get robbed or killed ;) it probably would be a hastle with your luggage. I used to see a few people with luggage going to LAX riding the trains now and then but not very many. The trains themselves are clean and usually run on time and at fairly frequent intervals.

 

You'll see plenty of our working poor on these trains and you'll also see lots of people decked out in their urban attire. These trains, as was pointed out go through some of the poorer neighborhoods in Los Angeles where commuter trains are really needed. If that would bother you then the commuter trains are not for you.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There are plenty of workers who use the Metrolink to get to work, especially if they're coming from the Valley or farther to get to downtown (if my hubby was working more normal hours, he might have consider it; some of the guys who work for him but on the day shift do take the commuter train in). But again they aren't schlepping luggage. And they're familiar with the city.