How to Plan a Transit Network for the Future

[@acakeyboi4345]

Holy shit, A MONTH? We have been blessed!

[@aaleta47]

...and a ramp up to a few videos out? Christmas has come early this year! Keep doing your thing @nandert. It's worth the wait.

[@maxjohkna]

the only thing better than a new nandert video: a new nandert video that starts out by telling you it’s the first in a series

[@dddaddy]

Same. Although, somehow, they still get some shit done.

[@maxwellszymanski]

I don't think you realise how much of a blessing you are to (transit-loving) humanity Nandert

[@stevebolandca]

Nick, just want to say thanks, as someone who's been in planning for awhile, for sharing your understanding of *process*. It's something that's not talked about enough on the urbanist internet.

[@gwtietz]

This is the only channel that is worthy of turning notifications on.

[@guthreleonard4164]

idk how you crank these out bro. legendary editing and pristine information

[@alvaroprieto2092]

bro cranks hard

[@chrismunson8363]

Bro was a clock winder before cranking out KZbin videos

[@scpatl4now]

I don't even live in LA and this annoys and frustrates me.

[@danielmattson8811]

Me too

[@illiiilli24601]

The best KZbin channel on LA bar none.

[@btomimatsucunard]

0:19 OH HEY THAT'S MY MAP! Thanks for usin' it Nandert!!

[@ZombiePorridge]

Any day with a new nandert video drop is a good day

[@alanthefisher]

fantastic video, and ugh I really gotta finish that hydrogen grift video script. Why are commuter rail agencies like this....

[@DavidJamesHenry]

Hi, Alan!

[@stickynorth]

My hometown of Edmonton has the same problem with multiple visions of transit all competing for each other for attention and dollars.. High floor German-style LRT, Low-floor trams-style LRT, now BRT and soon to be some sort of airport express/commuter rail line that the province is keeping under wraps for some reason. If we just stuck with the one tech, i.e. high floor LRT we could do almost everything with it but no... The lack of a complete unified vision document speaks volumes about how user unfriendly the system is in a city where transit usage should be WAY higher especially compared to our version of Shelbyville, Calgary...

[@illiiilli24601]

@@stickynorth I guess that's one good thing about my home town is Perth, the Labor Party only builds heavy rail, all to the same standard (25 kV 1067 mm, aiming for 130 kph track speeds), and the Liberal party never gets anything to do with public transport built (only thing they've done is one underground station, half a new heavy rail line, and bus network reform)

[@tz7245]

I’m a simple guy.. i see a nandert video, i watch it, i like it, and then I impatiently wait for the next one 😃

[@Simon-dk3et]

I don’t usually comment on KZbin videos, but your videos make me feel hopeful, thank you sir

[@AtomicSaunders]

Metro should have a transit planner as ceo. All.these projects being studied in isolation is so not a wholistic strategy.

[@osamabendolphin765]

Saw the upload immediately called out of work time to enjoy 🎉

[@NickCronDeVico]

We don't deserve Nandert. Los Angeles is truly blessed.

[@griffinnelsonaudiovisuals2362]

I've been living in LA for about a year now and I've grown obsessed with the issues facing our public transit. I'm originally from a smaller midwestern town that has a free bus system, but I never used it because everything was no more than 10-15 minutes away during low traffic hours. Here, I've enjoyed the Metro many times since moving. It has saved me hundred of dollars on Uber's by skipping the painful car ride from Hollywood to LAX. Metro still has its issues for sure. But, I think that the more we inform people about Metro and it's plans, the better it becomes. More people using public transit will inherently make it safer as well. Your videos have been super entertaining for me, and I've even got some of my friends into your stuff. Never stop posting, this is super important information. Thank you!

[@californiaporg]

Something that really annoys me is Metrolink's disobediance to electrifying the lines that they own, mainly (LAUS - Vista Canyon), (LAUS - San Bernardino) (LAUS - Irvine / Anaheim) because it could seriously increase transit ridership along with creating better frequencies and shorter travel times, (Caltrain eliminated nearly 30 minutes of travel time by electrifying) + creating a electric right-of-way for Brightline West to L.A. and CASHR to Anaheim, before those HSR lines get to those termini. Much better end results than trying hydrogen technology that has barely just emerged in rail transit.

[@rhysrail]

Yep it doesn’t make sense, while I do see potential in hydrogen for freight and rural passenger trains on high ridership lines all infrastructure cost benefits of hydrogon is lost

[@I_Love_LA_2016]

Let's see... Caltrain: 77.2 track miles Cost to electrify: $2.4 Billion Metrolink: 547 track miles (some of which is still owned by freight companies) Cost to electrify.... if we just prorate it out, $17 Billion. But keep in mind that some of it will require ROW purchases from freight companies, and there's the fact that it's been a few years and everything costs more now. That's probably why. Find, say, $20 billion for the project, and it would happen I'm sure. But there's a LOT we could do with $20 billion, like bring new rail to places that desperately need it, for example.

[@brayanvelez2517]

@@I_Love_LA_2016smh

[@griffin3607]

@@I_Love_LA_2016even just doing burbank to anaheim would be less than caltrain

[@mrxman581]

​@@I_Love_LA_2016That's the gist of it. It comes down to funding.

[@twhylerm]

7:11 “No couch is safe” lmaooo

[@GustavSvard]

Damn you nandert. I was going to sleep, but I just can't stop myself from watching this.

[@renaes2807]

Sometimes I wonder if anyone with leverage at LA Metro is aware and watches your videos

[@I_Love_LA_2016]

Someone is. It was in the Today's Transportation Headlines email. (*whistles and walks away*)

[@osilvers]

@@I_Love_LA_2016🎉

[@jeroenl8352]

Nandert is on fire this year! So many new videos

[@ralf4640]

"we're building for now, not later". Very wise sentence.

[@blackhatt9926]

NANDERT HAS POSTED, PRAISE BE!!!!

[@hugopitard8153]

If someone ever told me I would someday enjoy watching public transit vdeos I would not have belived it. But here I am watching 45 minute train videos...

[@weenisw]

37:00 minutes in, discussing the potential for a new high density district. This is physically impossible without adequate transit because there’s a physical limit to the number of cars that fit. So the placement of the rail transit is the metaphorical roots that enable a dense district to grow in the first place.

[@mrxman581]

Another well produced transit video with some insightful information. It highlights just how complicated it is to build public rail transit in LA County. Funding is really first and foremost in all these transit planning scenarios. Measure R expires in 2039. However, coincidentally, measure M doesn't expire and is set to increase from half cent to a full cent in 2039. Very convenient. I'm not complaining. Actually, it was smart to deal with the expiration on measure R in this way. It really does all come down to money when it comes to building infrastructure of any kind.

[@J-Bahn]

I commend your dedication for being willing to tackle these kinds of things head on and going really in depth. Thank you. The way I see it, to compete with the freeways LA needs a network of high speed metros akin to BARt and many Chinese cities

[@stickynorth]

Regional automated express trains like Montreal just built... And Paris built...

[@seanschannel3264]

Or just upgrade Metrolink to be more of a RER or S-Bahn type of service. Metrolink has soooo much potential for serving the region - eg San Fernando Valley to the Inland Empire, or as an express service from places like Santa Clarita to Union Station, then transfer to Metro for a few stops to your final destination

[@mrxman581]

Stop with the Communist China comparisons already. Not relevant.

[@mrxman581]

​@stickynorth They wouldn't be appropriate for LA because it's too large. Remember, LA Metro is responsible for the entire county, not just the city. Those other cities are tiny by comparison

[@mrxman581]

​@@seanschannel3264That's already being planned.

[@RobMay-m6f]

OMG, I love you. I am an urban planner and are constantly shocked and the lack of vision and foresight.

[@Korean_Autist_AbsoluteMF]

I don’t like when I see people idolizing the old Pacific Electric network, because the vast majority of it was slow, at-grade (more akin to streetcars than an actual metro). I wish it were upgraded instead of removed.

[@Geotpf]

At the time, most passengers considered the "evil" GM buses to be an upgrade over the rough riding streetcars.

[@DanielLamando]

yea, The callout in this video was also that it should've been upgraded.

[@mrxman581]

​@@DanielLamandoYes, but what he didn't mention was thst at one point they asked voters to approve a measure to do just that and it was not approved. Imagine if LA voters had not approved the original measure R. We would still have no LA Metro system or a much smaller one.

[@NNNVVVVBB]

4:20 Love you with all my heart, nandert, but 0.71mi is not a short station spacing! The Toronto Subway where averages that and the system is seen as very useful for local services. Regional rail has 2+mi station spacings for longer trips.

[@ivanoffw]

I have noticed that a number of people have said that LA is a polycentric area. Besides Metrolink using Union Station as a hub, I am wondering why Metro is not decentralizing it's network. Each major population center could be major transit centers. They could build circle lines, and other lines that help people move around the metro area without having a long ride to Union Station, just to head back out to someplace a few miles away, and a short drive away. Maybe your Vermont line is a good example, a route that never travels to or through downtown LA or anywhere near Union Station.

[@Absolute_Zero7]

Because for the most part that is actually what they're doing. For the most part, LA is building a grid system, and there are many lines both in their present and future are very much orbital. The E, B, D, J, future Gateway Line, and most of the A line (except arguably the section between Pomona and Pasadena) are radial, meanwhile the C, K, G, Sepulveda, East San Fernando, Noho-Pasadena, and Lincoln are all Orbital lines that do exactly what you ask. The focus is very much on creating a sort of grid of transit services, with centralized connections to Downtown LA and Union being a minority of services.

[@aGame284]

Can LA just put you in charge for all this

[@JimVanderveen]

1:46 You are talking about transit and mobility. IN LOS ANGELES. "Sisyphian" is ALWAYS appropriate in this context.

[@gdrriley420]

Great video. BART seems to be a rare agency who thinks about extensions or infills. I expect for CAHSR they’ll move the station the AV line ROW if they insist on keeping them at Burbank airport. Really the entire LAU-Burbank segment seems poorly thought out treating the corridor as 2 double track lines instead of a quad track segment. There wouldn’t be such a coordination issue if we had all mainline rail projects being done at the state level where it’s all within 1 organization. Because of all the changes proposed for Burbank junction to Fullerton I’d actually avoid that as a first segment and work on Burbank junction to Newhall tunnel and eventually Vista canon, Burbank junction to Chatsworth and eventually moorpark finally San Bernardino line east of Baldwin Park after you double track all those segments (outside of the 2 1.4mi tunnels)

[@Geotpf]

After the E BART debacle, I would never consider BART to be a source of exceptional transit planning.

[@gdrriley420]

@@Geotpf eBart and the SFO extension was the result of insane compromises and political interference by state and federal reps. Nether was done the way Bart wanted

[@gdrriley420]

@@Geotpf that along with SFO airport were the result of political meddling not what BART wanted.

[@the4fibs832]

nandert is an LA legend

[@blores95]

The idea of having broad leverage to reshape the region to be more transit oriented is an interesting idea, basically reversing the flow of time. I've wondered what the process would even be to, for example, reclaim land of the further suburbs of street-car suburb cities and densify the historic downtown and maybe the first inner suburb ring, i.e. the pre-WW2 layout. Then slowly the land could return to its more undisturbed state with small population clusters connected by major roads and transit lines. Of course is all a complete pipe dream but it's an interesting thought exercise.

[@parvey]

I truly get excited when you make your videos. I’m not even a minute in, do we have your dream Orange County transit map yet that you hinted at in the airport series? Oh. I have to rewind and start over. 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@mrxman581]

Now that would be pure fantasy. I drove to Costa Mesa from East LA to see a friend in a local theater production and I realized, at one point, I didn't see a single bus either on the freeways or on any of the streets. Granted, it was a weekend, but I've never experienced that before in SoCal. The OC has the worst public transit in the SoCal area. It's a true public transit desert. Of course, they just opened some new toll lanes on the 10. Not surprised.

[@Adrenaline_chaser]

Folks, check out how the French city of Nice builds its tramways. They've each costed a fortune to build, relative to other tramway lines in France, but they're are so aesthetically pleasing that by looking at them you almost forget the fact that that they're overpriced as fuck. They've been planned very "holistically", in the sense that they really took the tramway as a "tool" to beautify the city's streets. And it's also approved the construction of two additional lines by 2028, which are also both outrageously expensive but...the people kinda accepted them as they promise to bring a full-on Metamorphosis to the streets. But they can actually pull that off because they don't have immediate urgency to build many rail-based lines now so they can wait. I personally think that this obsession with aesthetics must be avoided in other places, especially for American cities which need large amount of transit routes built rapidly. Public Transit should be above all fast & cheap to build and secondly be decent looking.

[@maxrsiegel]

Thank you for making these videos. I’m not a transit expert, but your videos are educational, approachable, and funny as hell 😄

[@SplitScreamOFFICIAL]

An 11 minute line from San Fernando valley to DTLa would lessen traffic on both the 405 and the 5

[@Jay2646]

Hey Nandert - have you ever considered running for one of the local offices in the LA area in charge of this stuff? You'd do a great job (and I'd vote for you!)

[@SplitScreamOFFICIAL]

Waiting for the next voters guide

[@DeniSaputta]

14:30 Based on the experience of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway builder. Construction took place over 7 years. Because the government was 1 year late in obtaining the land acquisition needed to build the railway. Therefore, the government is learning to create laws to accelerate land acquisition.In order to shorten the time for purchasing land. The facts for California high-speed rail stations Even not yet Land acquisition by local government This is a fatal failure by the local government.kate Because it costs central government money. United States Government It is very strange that the central government does not Behave like the government.When the local government spends money and time on a project

[@IndustrisasiIndonesia]

7:00 If LA is the richest city in the world why can't LA finance its own metro? Many cities in China finance their own metros

[@realquadmoo]

7:12 NO COUCH IS SAFE LMAO also I spotted an error it is IVF not IFV

[@Shant91]

A new Nandert video? Yippee!

[@khaneric]

The map rotation on the Sepulveda and san Fernando lines breaks my brain...

[@kmmaloney1]

The Lrrr reference mere seconds in. Absolute chef’s kiss

[@aidenkt]

If you ran for office or to get on the Metrolink board I’d vote for you at this point Nandert, good stuff

[@jonathanwatanabe8246]

Nandert.... there is so much corruption and "tribalism" in the LA Basin, your talent is wasted on this. However, as always kudos on doing a bang-up job on another exceptional video.

[@AaronTheHarris]

Transit Christmas came early this year!

[@KadeByrand]

Amazing video. Super excited for the next one! Could someone smarter than me explain what the possible Metrolink S-Bahn line entails?

[@nandert]

I'll expand on it in later videos but it's essentially metro-like service (decently frequent) on shared mainline tracks (where metrolink, amtrak, and freight run) that stops at every station on the route (and in this case would likely involve building a number of local stations where only the s-bahn line stops).

[@mrxman581]

You can Google it. There's probably information on their website.

[@TheLIRRFrenchie...]

Dude, you are literally saying what I've been saying for over a decade. Take the E line and the K line. If it were up to me, the E line Would've been underground for just the expo/crenshaw stop to provide a seamless transfer between both. Like how it is at 7th street metro. IDK, I just feel like LA has a ton of unnecessary transfers when it comes to metro.

[@mrxman581]

I'm sure they have a solution for that once the K line is extended north. Maybe install a couple of elevators on the E line platforms that would go down to a tunnel that connects to the K line Crenshaw station.

[@PASH3227]

Regarding Little Tokyo station, LA Metro still thought the Southeast Gateway Line (then called Wedtern Santa Ana branch) would stop at 7th Metro Center. It didn't make sense to expenses a staion box or knockout panel for a line that may or may not stop there. I honestly think the Gateway Line should pass Little Tokyo to save money and speed up construction of the line. Transfers at Union Station would help passengers go west to Downtown instead.

[@Killersanchez256]

How would you like to see CEQA reformed? Like a list of what gets scrapped, changed, and what can be added to add efficiency in our time.

[@btomimatsucunard]

Tho on the topic of silo'd transit planing, the fact that HSR between LA and Burbank is (as far as I can tell from planning documents I've seen) planned as a separate line to the current 2 track main that could include Amtrak/Metrolink rather than producing a 4 track mainline from Burbank Jct to Fullerton (Anaheim preferred but I know its impossible with the ROW size there) that can fully take CAHSR, Amtrak, and Metrolink. CAHSR and Amtrak already operates as expresses on the core segment anyways so why not adopt the old PE moniker of locals and freights on the outside tracks, and expresses on the inside.

[@Illyriamars]

Have you thought about posting short segments of your videos on instagram reels or TikTok? I think this content would get a ton of traction on social media and help generate political momentum for better transit in LA. The LA times 404 videos I think are a good comp. Your transit map from a few years ago, for example, I could see totally blowing up with folks on instagram.

[@masakimendoza7577]

Babe wake up nandert posted

[@TheLiamster]

Coming from Europe, I feel like the US is at least 50 years behind other developed countries in terms of transit infrastructure

[@mrxman581]

You mean public transit because when it comes to highways/freeways and freight railroad infrastructure, the USA is number 1.

[@TheLiamster]

@@mrxman581 that’s not true. The infrastructure report card gave an overall rating of C-. Roads are at D and freight railways are B so the US is not number 1.

[@concertino58]

Ok- we know this. Why do Europeans always have to make this point. It's redundant.

[@LucianoCheng1]

Excellent use of the Lrrr Futurama quote. No notes.

[@sarahpreston4558]

we love you nandert

[@honeytgb]

Sisyphean : Hey I learned a new word if nothing else!

[@michaeldelphia1037]

I LOVE NANDERT

[@tylersinness6655]

Yippee a new nandert video!! Can’t wait to get unreasonably angry at the Byzantine maze of LA regional planning once again :-)

[@sdsd4139]

We need a junction box at Wilshire/Westwood. They're still busy digging the station. Is it too late?

[@mrxman581]

What for? The Sepulveda line will probably connect with the D line at the VA station.

[@twosenpaiforyou6598]

@@mrxman581a connection at wilshire and Westwood would be so much better

[@purplebrick131]

First off: great video, immediately subscribed. Secondly: Studying urban planning in Germany, I'm just kinda befuddled that CAHSR doesn't even announce the intention to maybe built sth. on that land in Burbank? Like over here, these things just go into State-spatial-planning plans as "Informational Transfer". And then everyone knows not to plan on a site like that. Is it just incompetence, or is it super expensive, does the state even have the powers to prohibit development on that land, I'm genuinely curious as to why this isn't done.

[@axxxonn]

I would like to see more options in the Whittier/La Mirada/Santa Fe Springs/La Habra área. But it's rill phenomenal. Irvine is gonna be the hardest sell. A LOT of NIMBYs who fear homelessness at transit stations.

[@timgerk3262]

14:21 The public underappreciates how infrastructure depreciates. Within priject delivery dates 20-50 years in the future, those streets, overpasses, and private rail ROW will have likely had major maintenance, replacement or re-engineering. The "all else equal" assumption is just bad. The dowtown tunnel itself will be due for overhaul or expansion by the end of this century. Short (5-8 years from inception to delivery) timelines, design-build corridor-level environmental clearance, and a minimum level of consistent funding are all necessary to relieve the log-jam.

[@mrxman581]

The timeliness are greatly affected by the funding scheme of sales taxes. If LA Metro could deliver a line 8 years after approval, that would be awesome. Stagger the projects so you would have a new line or extension open every 2-3 years. That could be doable.

[@deric8]

@@mrxman581 But the key to that is making sure we are delivering scalable and cost effective projects, not just building a subway for the sake of building a subway when an elevated structure could do the job.

[@pigeon_the_mighty]

NEW NANDERT NEW NANDERT NEW NANDEEEEEEEERRRRRRRT YEAAAAAAAAH!

[@jonathaneby1440]

Dude you should join nebula. You’d be a big draw for them.

[@Willitbl3nd]

Part one? PART ONE?

[@DrasticllyOversizedEgg]

What is this Nandert premium?

[@alexisdespland4939]

why is the no plan to get rapid transit to pico/rampu transit center in centerak western los langless

[@dropbagit]

If it interests you, can you do a short video on the crumbling LAFD fire stations?

[@mrxman581]

Yeah, because the money is going to salaries and pensions. You hear story after story of these MF not even living in CA making huge salaries and living in nearby Red states. It's a travesty. And then they shit all over California about what a hell hole it is and they're glad they're out of there. MF hypocrites.

[@kvirzi]

I love this guy and follow him but that union station part had me totally lost

[@DAK4Blizzard]

1:49 - You misspelled "Sisyphean" (as mentioned at 1:38). Concerning.

[@Mark-by6en]

Federal funding is for capital investments that address long term system planning, economic development, new growth, and life cycle cost benefit.

[@kirkrotger9208]

Babe, wake up. New Nandert just dropped.

[@honeytgb]

7:12 🤔🤔🤔

[@richardrapp9025]

All the spaghetti around Union Station just makes be again confused why we’re building duplicate arial tracks and stations alongside the A line. I really wish there was a way for the gateway line to join the A line tracks, build the tunnel down Alameda, and rejoin the A line tracks after the regional connector, and just use the A line station that already exists. And then you could also abandon the Washington portion of the A line, cleaning up the awful T junction at Washington and Flower, put an infill on the E line there, and only lose one station.

[@DavidJamesHenry]

Might i recommend "a Gordian Knot" as an alternative to "Sisyphean"

[@succerberg84]

21:20 There is a regional rail line out of Frankfurt that completely switched to hydrogen multiple units

[@lukas4112]

19:23 our government will always be “allergic” to regulating businesses. That’s why we need to nationalize our transit system and the energy industry. Regulation is not enough.

[@samul7531]

hey mate! love your vids, wondering what software you use to make these cool graphics you always have

[@JackDaloots]

Have you ever done a video about the IE? Like How San Bernardino thinks that a bus line should act like a light rail line? X is sooooo dumb...

[@DavidJamesHenry]

7:15 HEY! I'm a weirdo in the comments and I'm not one of THOSE weirdos! We do not claim them!

[@DavidJamesHenry]

0:14 Tom Scott told me it was because of the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam

[@knocturna9731]

I didn’t even know that was released. I only found out by accidentally pressing the next button.

[@theexcaliburone5933]

Everybody who can vote, vote

[@justinbchen]

Was there a lot of rerecording in this video? The voiceover seems to change a lot of times, almost to the point where you sound like multiple people lol

[@commercialcritic4676]

Sweet!!!

[@scxble]

🙌

[@alexisdespland4939]

s bahn linne from van nuys airport -loasngles union station - ontario airport ontarario centeral station

[@deebte__]

40:27 i am sorry but the seat of my pants exploded and my shit is lost

[@imtotallynathan7564]

Omg two Nandert videos that aren't in a pre-defined series upload 😮. Wake up ppl

[@AmazingCreationslego]

Fantastic and really educational video. I always appreciate the time that goes into crafting these videos. I do want to share one grievance I have though, and its the partisan political commentary towards the beginning of the video. Though everyone is entitled to their own political opinions, in this case the bashes towards the conservative side of the isle did not contribute anything to the video. I do think that you raised a great point about getting done what you can get done in the short term, however for me that great point was overshadows by the unnecessary partisan jabs.

[@ericbruun9020]

How about transit buses in CA? Diesel-electric buses will be outlawed but airlines will be free to expand and use as much kerosene as they like. The emissions from buses are negligible, the real benefit is the thousands or even millions of cars they take off the road.

[@jsn_alva]

Captain planet! LOL