Locking Turnstile Tests Headed to 7th / Metro Subway Station
Eric Richardson / blogdowntown
Passengers travel through turnstiles at the 7th / Metro subway stations.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Turnstile gates installed inside the 7th / Metro subway station in 2009 will likely be locked for the first time in upcoming weeks as Metro continues to test its conversion to the TAP smart card.
The locking turnstile tests are intended to help the agency gauge how many riders are still using fares that are incompatible with the TAP system.
The transit agency recently conducted locking tests at four low-traffic stations, but a motion that goes to the Metro board on Thursday asks that six additional stations, including 7th / Metro and the North Hollywood station, be added to the process. It also asks that the new round of tests include peak-hour closures.
Union Station was originally on the list, but a revised version of the motion (PDF) by board members Zev Yaroslavsky, Pam O'Connor, Diane DuBois and Antonio Villaraigosa omits the key station. That's likely because Union Station sees a significant number of transfers by Metrolink riders, and Metro has not yet found a way to integrate TAP support with the commuter rail line's paper tickets.
Ironically, Union Station is the only stop on the subway system where a rider can purchase a TAP card from Metro. Ticket vending machines on the route still dispense paper tickets, and Metro doesn't plan to convert them to dispensing TAP-compatible fares until sometime in 2012.
[Update: As pointed out in the comments, there are a few machines throughout the rail network where you can buy TAP cards.]
Steve White (@StevenMWhite) on October 26, 2011, at 09:04PM – #1
I may be mistaken, but I believe you can purchase a tap card at 7th / Metro too. At least a month or so you could -- but only at the far left ticket vending machine. I know they've been doing some work in that area lately, but I haven't stopped to see if it was on that TVM or if they were adding another one t the left of that.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on October 26, 2011, at 10:14PM – #2
Steve: Interesting. I checked a machine at Pershing Square before posting, but I didn't inspect the machines at 7th / Metro. That would be a good step if they've got something up and running there, though it's going to be a confusing rollout as long as you can still buy a ticket that doesn't TAP. It's sad watching people trying to figure out how to TAP their paper ticket.
Dion on October 26, 2011, at 11:24PM – #3
you can buy tap cards at many stations.
Maneesh Sharma on October 26, 2011, at 11:39PM – #4
theSource blog has a list of machines where you can purchase a TAP card:
http://thesource.metro.net/2011/03/22/heres-a-list-of-ticket-machines-selling-tap-cards-and-stored-value/
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on October 27, 2011, at 08:22AM – #5
Steve: Exactly. The current tests open one gate where they are manually checking paper tickets.
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on October 27, 2011, at 09:39AM – #6
The biggest problem at night will be having to stand in line at the gates while trains arrive - and leave - EARLIER than scheduled - making it impossible for customers to catch those trains and forcing them to wait 20 minutes for the next train.
But they do seem to be addressing that problem by having a forty minute period last night with zero Union Station trains.
Allison C on October 27, 2011, at 10:02AM – #7
They are phasing out the paper EZ Passes for everyone according to the posters they put up on the trains in recent months.