17 Miles in Just 78 Minutes! Light Rail vs. Reality in LA

Everyone loves light rail—especially if they don't actually have to rely on it for actual transportation or pay the full cost of what it takes to schlep a rider from Point A to Point B.

To get a better handle on what folks love about commuter rail, Reason.tv sent comedian Watt Smith for a train ride from Los Angeles International Airport to Burbank. During the 17-mile, 78-minute (!) journey, Watt chatted with fellow riders to find out if commuter rail is indeed better than driving or taking the bus.

And to help separate transportation myths from road realities, we've provided facts via pop-up windows that explain just how appearances can be deceiving when it comes to questions about the true costs and efficiency of rail transit versus other modes of transportation.

All of our information is taken from official sources provided by Los Angeles's Metro here and here.

About 5 minutes. Produced by Sharif Matar and Zach Weissmueller. Research by Tim Cavanaugh.

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