G Line (Los Angeles Metro)

G Line (Los Angeles Metro)
	File:LA Metro G Line icon.svg G Line icon
Company type	Public transit route
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	October 29, 2005; 21 years ago
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Area served	San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
Owner	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
Website	www.metro.net/riding/guide-lines/g-line/

The G Line—previously known as the Orange Line—is a bus rapid transit route managed by Los Angeles Metro in Los Angeles, California. This line extends between and stations, serving the San Fernando Valley area. Operating on an exclusive dedicated right of way, the G Line features 17 stations spaced approximately 1 mile apart. To streamline boarding, passengers pay fares using TAP cards at vending machines located at each station prior to boarding. It is one of two lines within the Los Angeles Metro Busway network and stands as the sole line entirely contained within the City of Los Angeles, without reaching Downtown Los Angeles.

Inaugurated on October 29, 2005, the G Line traces part of the former Southern Pacific Burbank Branch Line corridor, which offered passenger rail service from 1904 until 1920 and was subsequently utilized by Pacific Electric streetcars until 1952. At its eastern terminus, North Hollywood station, riders can transfer to the B Line subway, providing access to Downtown Los Angeles through Hollywood. Alongside the transit route runs the adjacent G Line Bikeway, promoting alternative transportation options for commuters.

As part of a comprehensive system rebranding in 2020, Metro renamed the Orange Line to the G Line but preserved its distinctive orange color in the line’s iconography.

Service description

Metro categorizes the G Line within its light and heavy rail transit network, highlighting its unique operational model compared to conventional bus services. The vehicles display Metro Rail’s signature silver and gray color scheme. Although officially designated as route number 901, this numeric identifier is seldom used in public-facing materials.

The line’s orange icon and previous "Orange Line" designation pay homage to the historic citrus groves that once dominated the San Fernando Valley landscape. Initially launched as the San Fernando Valley East-West Transitway, it was later referred to as the Metro Rapidway.

Operation

G Line services operate around the clock every day. During peak periods (6 am–7 pm eastbound and 5 am–6 pm westbound), every alternate bus runs a shortened route shuttling between North Hollywood and Canoga station.

Station list

Presented below is a comprehensive list of all stations along the G Line from west to east, all situated within Los Angeles city boundaries.

Stations	Date Opened	Neighborhood	Major connections and notes
Template:LAMs	June 30, 2012	Chatsworth	Template:Rint Template:Lnl Template:Rint Template:Rcb Park and ride: 609 spaces
Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Los Angeles Metro Busway stations" does not exist.		Chatsworth
Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Los Angeles Metro Busway stations" does not exist.		Canoga Park
Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Los Angeles Metro Busway stations" does not exist.			Park and ride: 207 spaces
Template:LAMs	December 27, 2006		Canoga Park	Park and ride: 246 spaces
Template:LAMs	October 29, 2005	Winnetka
Template:LAMs		Winnetka	Park and ride: 392 spaces
Template:LAMs		Tarzana
Template:LAMs		Tarzana	Park and ride: 442 spaces
Template:LAMs		Lake Balboa	Park and ride: 273 spaces
Template:LAMs		Van Nuys
Template:LAMs			Park and ride: 260 spaces Future connection to Sepulveda Transit Corridor
~~Template:LAMs~~			Station closed until 2027 for construction; temporary street stop on Oxnard St Future connection to East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project (2031)
Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Los Angeles Metro Busway stations" does not exist.		Valley Glen
Template:LAMs		Valley Glen
Lua error: expandTemplate: template "Los Angeles Metro Busway stations" does not exist.		Valley Village
Template:LAMs		North Hollywood	Metro B Line connection Park and ride: 1,085 spaces

Ridership

Annual ridership figures
Year	Ridership	%±
2009	6,825,390	—
2010	7,087,074	Template:Change
2011	7,522,082	Template:Change
2012	8,528,167	Template:Change
2013	9,164,407	Template:Change
2014	8,742,210	Template:Change
2015	8,422,122	Template:Change
2016	7,754,858	Template:Change
2017	7,373,450	Template:Change
2018	7,008,626	Template:Change
2019	6,714,108	Template:Change
2020	3,523,695	Template:Change
2021	3,358,303	Template:Change
2022	4,162,794	Template:Change
2023	4,406,310	Template:Change
2024	4,433,252	Template:Change
Source: Metro

History

The G Line runs predominantly along the former Southern Pacific Railroad Burbank Branch corridor, which was once served by Pacific Electric Red Car trains until passenger service ended in 1952. Metro took ownership of this corridor in 1991, originally intending to extend the Metro Red Line subway to North Hollywood station. Nevertheless, community resistance resulted in legislation passed that year mandating any transit line in this area be constructed as a deep-bore tunnel, and a subsequent 1998 voter-approved measure barred the use of county sales tax funds for subway tunneling projects.

Unable to proceed with rail construction, Metro introduced its inaugural bus rapid transit (BRT) service along this route, launching on October 29, 2005, at an expense of $324 million (equivalent to $23 million per mile when adjusted for inflation). This initiative drew inspiration from Curitiba’s BRT model, as highlighted by then-County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

On June 23, 2009, work commenced on a four-mile extension stretching from Canoga station to the Chatsworth Metrolink station, following the Southern Pacific railroad alignment. This expansion, authorized in 2006 and finished in 2012 at a cost of $215 million (inflation-adjusted), introduced two western branches beyond Canoga—one continuing via city streets to Warner Center. In 2018, the Warner Center branch was discontinued and replaced with a frequent local shuttle service, thereby consolidating the Orange Line entirely on exclusive right-of-way corridors.

Grade separation and crossing gates

During its inaugural year, the busway encountered ten collisions involving buses and other vehicles that resulted in injuries, drawing considerable media scrutiny. Metro indicated that the frequency of accidents on the busway was similar to other urban bus routes when measured per mile, and notably "less than half" the rate observed across Metro’s entire bus fleet. Comparable early incidents were also reported on the A Line.

As a countermeasure, Metro lowered bus speeds at intersections from to , and starting in December 2005, implemented red light cameras at the majority of crossings.

Following the approval of Measure M by voters in 2016, Metro has been moving forward with major enhancements to the G Line. These include installing railroad-style four-quadrant crossing gates equipped with traffic signal preemption at every at-grade intersection between North Hollywood and points east of Van Nuys stations; constructing an elevated station at Van Nuys; building overpasses across Van Nuys Boulevard, Vesper Street, and Sepulveda Boulevard; and improving traffic signal priority along other segments. These upgrades are intended to facilitate a future transition to light rail.

The initiative is designed to minimize delays caused by red lights, boost bus speeds through intersections, and reduce total travel time by 29%, with an estimated budget of $283 million.

To evaluate these improvements, Metro introduced a prototype railroad-style crossing gate system at the pedestrian crossing on Hayvenhurst Avenue in February 2022—marking the first deployment of such technology on a U.S. busway.

Preliminary work included relocating overhead power lines underground near the Sepulveda Boulevard intersection. Since February 21, 2025, Van Nuys station has been closed to allow for construction of the elevated station and associated bridges. During this period, G Line buses are rerouted via Oxnard Street with a temporary stop at Oxnard Street and Van Nuys Boulevard. This closure and detour are expected to continue until December 2027, when all improvements should be finalized.

Capacity enhancements

The G Line has frequently reached or surpassed its planned capacity during peak travel times. To address this, Metro has explored platooning—operating multiple buses in close succession akin to train carriages.

Another potential solution involves using longer buses. In 2007, Metro trialed a 65-foot prototype vehicle but did not proceed with additional orders. In 2015, California authorized the use of 82-foot bi-articulated buses on the G Line, which exceed the current maximum length of 60-foot articulated buses; however, Metro has not yet implemented this option.

Conversion to light rail

A report from Metro in 2015 projected that converting the G Line to light rail would require two to three years and an investment ranging from $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion. This estimate includes infrastructure upgrades and acquisition of rail vehicles. The study cautioned that without such improvements, the line would soon reach capacity during rush hours. The full transition to light rail is targeted for completion by 2050, with safety considerations addressing differences in braking distances between light rail transit vehicles and bus rapid transit vehicles.

Incidents

On October 27, 2005, just two days prior to the official launch, a driver with a suspended license ran a red light and struck an eastbound bus; fortunately, no injuries were reported.

During November 2005, two separate accidents resulted in injuries: a fare inspector suffered minor harm when a motorist executed an illegal right turn against a red signal near Corbin Avenue; in another case, one individual was critically injured and 14 others required hospitalization after a driver ran a red light while using a cellphone. In response to these incidents, Metro mandated that buses reduce speed at intersections and installed white strobe lights on vehicles to improve visibility, while pledging continuous enhancements to safety protocols.

In October 2006, a side collision occurred between a delivery truck and a bus, seriously injuring one passenger and causing minor injuries to sixteen others.

Fleet

The G Line utilizes a specialized fleet of articulated buses featuring 57 seats—approximately 50% more seating capacity than standard buses—and equipped with three doors to facilitate quicker boarding. The system operates under a proof-of-payment model where fares are paid prior to boarding. Maintenance of the fleet is conducted at Metro’s Division 8 facility in Chatsworth, which offers direct access to the busway.

Prior to 2021, the G Line deployed NABI 60-BRT buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). These were succeeded in 2021 by 40 New Flyer Xcelsior XE60 battery electric articulated buses. These modern vehicles include dual air conditioning units, additional hub motors on the center axle, active suspension systems, USB charging ports at every seat, onboard public Wi-Fi, and quieter operation due to the elimination of large cooling fans.

Each electric bus is equipped with a battery that delivers approximately of operational range. The charging infrastructure consists of ten slow chargers located at the depot and multiple on-route fast chargers positioned at Canoga, Chatsworth, and North Hollywood stations. Manufactured by Siemens according to the SAE J3105-1 standard, these on-route chargers provide around of additional range within seven to ten minutes. Both charger types employ overhead pantograph connections interfacing with roof-mounted contacts on the buses; depot chargers distribute 150 kW power from one unit across several pantographs.

The electrification initiative involved an investment of roughly , covering expenses for buses (costing each), charging stations, and necessary infrastructure upgrades.

Bike path

The G Line Bikeway is an active transportation bicycle path that runs parallel to the G Line busway within the same right-of-way.

Before its closure on February 21, 2025, the Bikeway passed adjacent to Van Nuys station. The 1.36-mile (2.19 km) segment between Sepulveda Boulevard and Tyrone Avenue was closed concurrently with the station. Plans call for reconstructing the Bikeway alongside the new viaduct structure; final design details are still being developed. During Phase A of construction, cyclists are detoured via Erwin Avenue, Delano Street, Calvert Street, and portions of Noble and Sylmar Avenues. Phase B will shorten this detour by reconnecting the path at Kester Avenue. The new Van Nuys station on the viaduct along with the restored Bikeway section is anticipated to open by December 2027.

External links

Official G Line information at LA Metro
LA Metro: Orange Line Extension – A 4 miles (6.4 km) expansion is underway, extending from Canoga Station northward to Chatsworth Metrolink Station (2012).
Exploring biking options along the Orange Line