To the editor: Whereas it’s encouraging to see Caltrans working with all of the haste to restore the ten Freeway part close to downtown Los Angeles following the pallet hearth, it’s also disheartening to see that repairs to the monitor utilized by Amtrak’s Surfliner haven’t been addressed to the identical extent of urgency.
Given how insufficient Caltrans has been in repairing the Surfliner’s route — which has seen repeated closures and reopenings lately as a result of landslides and coastal erosion — one may very well be forgiven for not realizing that it is the busiest Amtrak hall on west coast and the system’s third busiest nationally.
I can solely hope that Caltrans takes the teachings realized from repairing the ten Freeway and applies it to sustaining the rail infrastructure that tens of millions use day by day.
Elizabeth Smith, Anaheim
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To the editor: The catastrophic closure of a portion of the ten Freeway additionally presents a serious alternative for Los Angeles.
There’s an inflow of commuters attempting the Metro, Metrolink and different public transport choices for the primary time in a very long time. Ideally, this expertise will convert many to long-term transit customers.
Metropolis and county leaders ought to seize this chance to not solely restore companies that have been minimize through the pandemic, but in addition to additional enhance them. A few of the actually horrible situations seen in 2021-22 have improved, with a lot much less violence, filth and drug use.
What remains to be lacking? Data screens that precisely predict when the subsequent trains will arrive. Trains that run each 5 or eight minutes throughout peak hours. Way more frequent Metrolink and Amtrak service.
At present, if a rider touring to LA’s Union Station from Orange County late within the day misses the Metrolink practice at 16.47, they’ve to attend nearly an hour for the subsequent service. That is throughout rush hour!
Catherine Brennan, Los Angeles
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To the editor: The extremely disruptive hearth beneath the ten Freeway might have been began by an arsonist, nevertheless it was Caltrans that allowed hundreds of wood pallets to be saved beneath the roadway.
A big pallet yard hearth in downtown LA final December confirmed how troublesome it’s to regulate such fires. That hazard is well-known.
Caltrans needs to be held accountable no matter whether or not an arsonist is caught or not.
Gary Blasi, Los Angeles
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To the editor: I am curious how a lot cash Caltrans receives yearly from renting space for storing beneath the ten Freeway. Does it even come near the tens of millions of {dollars} it should value to restore the ten after the hearth?
Jim Jordan, Sherman Oaks