Women's March creates jams on LA transit system

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Women's March creates jams, station closures on LA train system
Union Station was closed and other stops were jammed past capacity during and after the Women's March Los Angeles on Saturday.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of people were stranded on Metro platforms, unable to squeeze onto flooded trains during the Women's March Los Angeles on Saturday.

Some buses were unable to enter the downtown area, transit officials said. A Metro spokesperson refuted earlier reports that Union Station had been closed because of the crowds.

Extra trains and security had been added in preparation for the march, officials said, but crowds of over 100,000 activists proved to be too much for Metro, particularly at the North Hollywood and Universal City Red Line stations.

Rosa Parks and Unions station were also heavily impacted, leading to Metro skipping them, as well as other packed stations, due to reaching capacity. Officials shared that skipping stations is required by law under high-capacity situations.

Some travelers on the Westside were waiting hours to buy TAP cards and board the trains as Metro officials said they were doing all they could to accommodate passengers.

At about 11 a.m. Metro officials announced on Twitter additional trains would be added to the Red, Blue and Gold lines.