J Line (Los Angeles Metro)

J Line (Los Angeles Metro)
	File:LA Metro J Line icon.svg J Line logo
Company type	Public transit service
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	December 13, 2009; 16 years ago
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Area served	Los Angeles County, California
Products	Bus rapid transit service
Owner	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
Website	www.metro.net/riding/silver-line/

The J Line—previously known as the Silver Line and designated as lines 910 and 950—is a bus rapid transit service managed by Los Angeles Metro within Los Angeles County, California. This route links El Monte, California, Downtown Los Angeles, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center, with certain trips extending further to San Pedro, Los Angeles. It represents one of the two corridors operating under the Los Angeles Metro Busway network.

Predominantly, the J Line utilizes two exclusive bus corridors: the El Monte Busway and the Harbor Transitway, which are grade-separated pathways incorporated into Southern California’s freeway system. Service commenced on December 13, 2009, transitioning these lanes from high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) use to high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes as part of the Metro ExpressLanes initiative. The toll fees collected contribute to funding both operations and upkeep of stations along the route.

Stations are positioned either directly on or adjacent to these busways. A gap exists between the western section of the El Monte Busway and the northern portion of the Harbor Transitway through downtown Los Angeles; this segment is traversed via surface streets with limited stop locations. Prominent transit centers served include El Monte station, Los Angeles Union Station, 7th Street/Metro Center station, Harbor Freeway station, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

In 2020, Metro rebranded the line from Silver Line to J Line while preserving its route numbers and silver-themed iconography as part of a broader system-wide update.

Services

The J Line operates two distinct service patterns:

Line 910 runs continuously throughout the day and night, connecting El Monte station, downtown Los Angeles, and Harbor Gateway Transit Center.
Line 950 operates daily along the entire corridor from El Monte station through downtown Los Angeles to San Pedro.

Route description

On its eastern end, the J Line travels along the El Monte Busway between El Monte station and Los Angeles Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The southern portion follows the Harbor Transitway from 37th Street/USC station down to Harbor Gateway Transit Center. Between these two dedicated corridors, buses navigate approximately on surface streets within downtown Los Angeles, stopping near key employment zones, tourist attractions, and connecting with several Los Angeles Metro Rail stations. This segment includes about of bus-only lanes designed to enhance travel speed.

Line 950 continues southward beyond Harbor Gateway Transit Center along the Harbor Freeway toward San Pedro, operating in general-purpose freeway lanes with two stops situated near freeway on-ramps. Upon reaching San Pedro, service transitions to surface streets serving locations such as the Harbor Beacon Park & Ride and multiple stops along Pacific Avenue.

Hours and frequency


Time	5-9A	10-2P	3-5P	6-7P	8-11P	12-1A	2-4A	Ref.
Weekdays	4–10	10	4–10	10–20	20	40–60	60	^[1]
Weekends/holidays	15				20	40–60	60	^[1]

Fare Structure

The J Line operates under a proof-of-payment framework, permitting passengers to board through any door. Electronic fare verification occurs via TAP card readers installed onboard. To maintain fare compliance, random inspections are conducted. This approach of pre-paying fares combined with all-door entry helps minimize the time buses spend at stops.

Most stations, excluding Carson and Pacific Coast Highway, as well as street stops in downtown, are equipped with TAP vending machines. Additionally, riders have the option to buy or reload TAP cards while onboard, a feature unique to the Metro Rail and Busway network.

A mutual fare agreement exists between Metro and Foothill Transit, enabling pass holders to travel on either the J Line or the Silver Streak services connecting downtown Los Angeles and El Monte station.

Stops and Stations

Services		Stations and Stops		Facility Type	Opening Date	Location (Neighborhood)	Key Connections and Notes
910	950	Northbound	Southbound	Facility Type	Opening Date	Location (Neighborhood)	Key Connections and Notes
●	●	El Monte station		Station	July 14, 1973	El Monte	Park and ride: 1,287 parking spaces
●	●	Template:LAMs			February 18, 1975	Los Angeles (El Sereno)	Template:Rint Template:Rcb
●	●	Template:LAMs			February 18, 1975	Los Angeles (Boyle Heights)
●	●	Template:LAMs			November 1, 2020	Los Angeles (downtown)	Template:Show by date Template:Rint Amtrak, Template:Rint LAX FlyAway and Template:Rint Metrolink Paid parking: 3,000 spaces
●	●	Aliso/Los Angeles	Arcadia/Los Angeles	Street stop	November 1, 2020
●	●	Spring/1st			December 13, 2009
●	●	1st/Hill (Template:LAMs)					Template:LACMTA icon strip
●	●	Olive/Kosciuszko (Template:LAMs)	Grand/3rd (Template:LAMs)				Template:LACMTA icon strip
●	●	Olive/5th (Template:LAMs)	Grand/5th (Template:LAMs)				Template:LACMTA icon strip
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| 6th/Flower	align = "center" \| —
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa/7th (Template:LAMs)	align = "center" \| Flower/7th (Template:LAMs)				Template:LACMTA icon strip
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa/Olympic	align = "center" \| Flower/Olympic
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa/Pico (Template:LAMs)	align = "center" \| Flower/Pico (Template:LAMs)				Template:LACMTA icon strip
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa/Washington (Template:LAMs)	align = "center" \| Flower/Washington (Template:LAMs)				Template:LACMTA icon
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa/23rd (Template:LAMs)	align = "center" \| Flower/23rd (Template:LAMs)		April 30, 2012 (southbound) June 23, 2013 (northbound)	rowspan=2 \|Los Angeles (University Park, Los Angeles)	Template:LACMTA icon
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| Figueroa Way/Adams	align = "center" \| Flower/Adams		June 26, 2011
align = "center" \| ●	align = "center" \| ●	align = "center"; colspan=2 \|Template:LAMs	rowspan=6 Station	rowspan=6 August 1, 1996	Los Angeles (Exposition Park)
		colspan=2		rowspan=3 Los Angeles (South Los Angeles)		Park and ride: 150 spaces
		colspan=2 Template:LAMs		Park and ride: 253 spaces
		colspan=2 Template:LAMs		Template:LACMTA icon Park and ride: 253 spaces
		colspan=2 Template:LAMs		rowspan=2 Los Angeles (Harbor Gateway)		Park and ride: 202 spaces
		colspan=2 Harbor Gateway Transit Center		Park and ride: 980 spaces
		Figueroa/Victoria		Figueroa/190th		Street stop		December 13, 2015	rowspan=3 Carson, California
		colspan=2 Template:LAMs		rowspan=2 Station		rowspan=2 November 17, 2000		Park and ride: 143 spaces
		colspan=2		Park and ride: 240 spaces
		colspan=2 Harbor Beacon Park & Ride		rowspan=10 Street stop		rowspan=10 December 13, 2015		rowspan=10 Los Angeles (San Pedro, Los Angeles)	Park and ride: 180 spaces
		colspan=2 Beacon/1st
		colspan=2 Pacific/1st
		colspan=2 Pacific/3rd
		colspan=2 Pacific/7th
		colspan=2 Pacific/11th
		colspan=2 Pacific/15th
		colspan=2 Pacific/17th
		—		Pacific/19th
		colspan=2 Pacific/21st

History

The idea behind the present-day J Line dates back to 1993 when Los Angeles Metro personnel examined bus operations along the then-under-construction Harbor Transitway, which became operational in 1996. The staff proposed a dual hub-and-spoke network connecting the Harbor Transitway with the older El Monte Busway (in service since 1973) to enhance operational efficiency and cut expenses. Despite this recommendation, the Metro Board initially chose to keep separate bus routes on each corridor.

Ridership on the Harbor Transitway was significantly below expectations: while Caltrans anticipated 65,200 daily riders, after ten years, weekday usage hovered around only 3,000—substantially less than the El Monte Busway’s 32,000 daily boardings recorded in 2000.

Following the positive reception of the Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley, Metro undertook a rebranding of its other busways in 2006. The Harbor Transitway was designated bronze and the El Monte Busway silver, collectively marketed as "Combined Transitway Service." This branding effort faced criticism for its complexity and did not coincide with any operational changes.

In 2009, Metro revived the dual-hub concept by introducing a new bus rapid transit line called the Silver Line (now known as the J Line), which operated across both transitways. Funding for this service came from converting lanes into high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes under the brand Metro ExpressLanes. The Silver Line commenced service on December 13, 2009; HOT lanes became active on Harbor Transitway in November 2012 and on El Monte Busway in February 2013.

Since then, Metro has invested in upgrading facilities along both corridors: the aging El Monte station underwent reconstruction in 2012; Harbor Transitway stations were renovated with real-time arrival displays and enhanced amenities by late 2012; similar improvements were made at El Monte Busway stations by 2015. In early 2017, TAP card vending machines were installed to support all-door boarding. Additionally, a new station at Union Station on the El Monte Busway opened in November 2020.

To reduce travel times through downtown Los Angeles, Metro partnered with LADOT starting in 2012 to implement bus priority traffic signals and added roughly of bus-only lanes per direction on surface streets, covering nearly 70% of that corridor segment.

In 2015, Metro incorporated the final express route on Harbor Transitway—the 450X to San Pedro—into the Silver Line. Initially, this express service bypassed many stations but reverted to stopping at all stations by mid-2017 due to limited speed improvements and increased passenger loads.

In 2023, fare adjustments harmonized J Line pricing with other Metro services by removing its previous $2.50 express fare.

Future developments

As part of Metro's NextGen Bus Plan, there was a proposal to discontinue route 950 of the J Line serving San Pedro to facilitate a shift toward battery-electric buses and enhance reliability between El Monte station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center. Under this plan, San Pedro service would be replaced by a new route linking San Pedro with Harbor Freeway station via I-110, including peak-hour extensions to downtown Los Angeles. However, community opposition from San Pedro residents—who advocated for continued electrified bus service and direct trips to downtown LA and El Monte—led Metro to indefinitely halt plans to terminate J Line service to San Pedro. While no public schedule exists for electrifying the J Line itself, BYD battery-electric buses are expected for delivery by 2024.

Ridership and reliability

Since its inception, the J Line has experienced consistent growth in passenger numbers. In January 2010, the daily average ridership was around 6,612, which increased to a weekday peak of nearly 16,884 by February 2016.

Annual ridership
Year	Ridership	%±
2010	2,108,032	—
2011	2,699,993	Template:Change
2012	3,374,257	Template:Change
2013	3,771,474	Template:Change
2014	4,178,964	Template:Change
2015	4,334,742	Template:Change
2016	4,509,983	Template:Change
2017	4,363,651	Template:Change
2018	4,467,409	Template:Change
2019	5,209,169	Template:Change
2020	2,598,392	Template:Change
2021	2,861,680	Template:Change
2022	3,739,247	Template:Change
2023	4,486,462	Template:Change
2024	4,949,143	Template:Change
Source: Metro

The J Line maintains an on-time arrival rate near 82.4%, which is measured by arrivals occurring less than five minutes behind schedule. While this figure is lower than Metro Rail lines at 99% and the G Line at 94%, it surpasses the average Metro bus route reliability of 80.6%. This level of punctuality is supported by the traffic control system implemented on the Metro ExpressLanes.

Incidents

On February 22, 2012, an intoxicated motorist entered the bus-exclusive zone at the Harbor Freeway station traveling at , surpassing the posted speed limit by . To avoid colliding with a bus, the driver veered abruptly, striking seven individuals on the platform—six of whom sustained critical injuries—before crashing into a pole.

In response to this event, Metro CEO Art Leahy initiated a comprehensive safety assessment focusing on station design and signage. Consequently, concrete-filled metal bollards were installed across all Harbor Transitway and El Monte Busway stations to block unauthorized vehicle access. Additional pavement markings were also introduced on approaches to these stations.

Fleet

The J Line is operated from two facilities: Division 9 located in El Monte at El Monte station, and Division 18 based in Carson, adjacent to Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

Its core fleet comprises dedicated 45-foot NABI CompoBus coaches constructed from lightweight composite materials and fueled by compressed natural gas. These vehicles are painted in a distinctive grey color scheme consistent with newer Metro Rail units and the G Line fleet.

Beginning in January 2022, battery-electric BYD K9M buses have been phased in with plans to fully replace the NABI coaches. Each 40-foot BYD K9M is equipped with long-range batteries that are recharged nightly at their assigned divisions and feature the same grey exterior design.

The transition to BYD K9M-ER models will commence in February 2024 with an initial delivery of 95 buses. Preparations for short-term charging infrastructure are underway at Division 9 ahead of extensive battery-electric system installations as part of Metro's ICT Rollout Plan. Charging facilities will also be established at Division 18 and during layovers at both El Monte Transit Center and Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

External links

Metro Silver Line timetable – current as of June 2013
Silver Line Map – comprehensive route overview
Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line guide (English)
Silver Line destinations – Metro Silver Line guide (Spanish)
Recent Metro Silver Line report
Official Metro announcement on the New Metro Silver Line Released December 9, 2009
Proposed security measures for Silver Line stations by Metro
CBS coverage of Metro Silver Line accident at Harbor Freeway Station
NBC report on Metro Silver Line incident at Harbor Freeway Station
Coordination efforts between Metro Silver Line and Foothill Silver Streak

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