L.A. Times reporter Steve Hymon began commuting to work via the Pasadena Gold Line nine months ago. But after watching his commute balloon from 50 minutes both ways to 100 minutes, he's switching back to his car.
The problem? The line is just too damn slow:
The Gold Line brakes for everything but its shadow. Curves, street crossings, straight sections of track are all reasons for the choo-choo to take a breather. Engineers often stop the train just before reaching station platforms, as if they fear passengers might hurl themselves en masse onto the tracks.
"Speed is not the reason you use this line," The Times quoted Metropolitan Transportation Authority Deputy Chief Executive John Catoe as saying in March. "It's about comfort. You can read the paper, relax. It's a really great line that way."
I tried to relax. But the more sluggish the train got, the more my road rage merely shifted to rail rage. Instead of screaming "Go!" at little old ladies on the freeway, I wanted to bellow "Go!" at train drivers.
An MTA spokesman admits that "compromises inevitably had to be made just to get the line finished within budget," Hymon adds.
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