Mayor Garcetti Celebrates Full Electrification of Metro G Line

 
10/14/2021

Mayor Eric Garcetti today celebrated the full electrification of the Metro G Line (Orange), marking the full phase out of Metro’s natural gas powered buses on the line and fulfilling a motion the Mayor introduced in 2016 to convert the route to all-electric buses. 

“Transportation is not just the largest source of air pollution in our state — it’s one of our greatest opportunities to realize our vision of cleaner air, lower emissions, and healthier communities,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “If we’re going to act this decade to save our planet, we need to see solutions on our streets today — and watching these zero-emission buses roll down our roads brings us one step closer to turning the tides of the climate crisis.”

Metro deployed the first zero-emission bus on the G Line in July 2020 and reached 100 percent zero-emission bus operation in summer of 2021, with 40 zero-emission, 60-foot buses manufactured by New Flyer. The buses cost $1.15 million each, and feature a whisper-quiet ride, public Wi-Fi access, and USB ports embedded in the bus seats. 

Rapid chargers installed at North Hollywood, Canoga, and Chatsworth Stations give the buses an all-day operating capability along the 18-mile corridor. Buses have roughly a 150-mile range on a single charge, even without rapid charging. The total project cost was $80 million, which includes deployment of the electric buses, associated charging equipment, and related infrastructure adaptations. 

“Five years ago, the Metro Board supported my motion for a plan to use electric buses on the Orange Line,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember and Metro Board Member Paul Krekorian. “At that time, there were still many questions about the feasibility of electrification of the fleet. The success of the transformation of the Orange Line has answered those questions. This important moment in the history of Metro brings us that much closer to achieving our goal of a 100 percent zero emission fleet by 2030.”

“Today we are working tirelessly to create a more environmentally sustainable, equitable and resilient public transportation system for all our customers,” said Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins. “Our zero-emission bus goals are an important part of our overall strategy to reduce our agency’s carbon footprint and become carbon neutral. We continue as a transit leader in our march towards a more sustainable and resilient transportation system that will benefit our customers, our industry, and our planet.”  

In June 2021, the Board approved $50 million for the J Line (Silver) Charging Infrastructure Program, a significant step forward for the greater J Line conversion project, which is expected to be fully electrified within two years. 

Mayor Garcetti has pushed Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to create and accelerate some of the most ambitious sustainability goals in the nation — including the commitment to fully electrify Metro’s bus fleet by 2030 and LADOT’s fleet by 2028. In response to this bold goal, LADOT placed the single largest electric bus order in American history with 155 total buses, and Metro has now ordered 145 electric buses.

Mayor Garcetti has also led the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to help install over 10,000 commercial electric vehicle charges throughout Los Angeles, meeting Los Angeles’ goal two years ahead of schedule and giving L.A. the most charging stations of any city in the United States.

SOURCE: https://www.lamayor.org/mayor-garcetti-celebrates-full-electrification-metro-g-line



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