

Metro is now diving head first into its upgrade of the Blue Line, the county's oldest light rail line, which connects Long Beach to DTLA. Safety measures including upgraded pedestrian gates have been slowly added since 2007, but work is beginning on track maintenance and station refurbishments, The Source reports. The rail from the Willow Station to downtown Long Beach, corroded from sea air, will be replaced and there'll be improvements made to other lengths (the work will limit trains to every 40 minutes on Friday night). Those overhead wires that power the train are being replaced in DTLA and downtown Long Beach, and a new train control system and signals system are also on their way.

Crews are now painting the platforms and canopies at stations with epoxy paint, which is more durable than the paint used previously. New lights will be installed at stops and fresh LCD message boards will display real-time train arrival and departure times.

All this work will come in especially handy when the Regional Connector opens and the Blue Line starts running all the way from Long Beach to Azusa, picking up loads of new riders.

· A Better Blue Line: major track improvement work on Blue Line set to start [The Source]

· Blue Line Getting Massive Speed And Safety Overhaul [Curbed LA]