Gaga for night trains

A faux Lady Gaga and a contingent of real celebs showed up to promote Metro's new ridership initiative.

Whether your taste runs more to seeing an incredibly lifelike Lady Gaga at Madame Tussauds or to swimming with sharks at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Metro has a holiday season gift for you—more frequent night trains to popular Los Angeles County destinations starting Sunday, November 13.

Metro’s board chair, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, announced today that the agency’s busiest rail lines—the Red and Purple line subways and the Blue Line light rail—will be stepping up their service between 6 p.m. and midnight. Trains will run every 10 minutes or so—double the current frequency—thanks to a trial program that involves running shorter trains more often.

If it’s successful, the program may be extended to other lines next year.

The night trains were announced at a news conference at the Music Center attended by representatives of arts, sports and entertainment venues—including a teenaged cellist and violinist from the Colburn School, a scuba-suited aquarium board member and the L.A. Kings’ mascot, along with that realistic Lady Gaga mannequin.

The new night service coincides with a series of discounts being offered at an array of participating venues. (Click here for more information.)

To make sure the trains are safe, Villaraigosa said more sheriff’s deputies have been brought in recently, and added that crime on the system overall has declined about 5%.

Patricia Wang of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach encourages night visits via the Blue Line.

Posted 11/8/11