Partnership aimed at increasing regional attendance at events, while reducing gridlock
Los Angeles - Metrolink is partnering with AEG, owners of STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and developers of Farmers Field, to develop a comprehensive five- county transportation plan to encourage Southern Californians to take public transportation when they attend events at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. The plan will consist of incentives that include bundling transit passes with event tickets and other amenities for riders coming to events such as the X Games in July.
Additionally, AEG has committed to creating specific ticketing plans for the company-owned Los Angeles Kings hockey team incorporating discount tickets for fans who take advantage of public transportation options when attending games at STAPLES Center. Efforts will be made to develop similar plans for fans attending Los Angeles Clippers games as well as other sporting events, concerts and special events in AEG-operated venues such as STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Club Nokia.
"This partnership represents public agencies and private companies working together to offer solutions to the congestion, air quality and economic issues facing Southern Californians," said Metrolink Chairman Richard Katz. "Metrolink offers affordable transportation options to the region, while taking cars off the road and allowing passengers to save money that would've been spent on gas and parking."
With plans now underway for the development of Farmers Field, the 72,000-seat football stadium and event center adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center, Metrolink and AEG have also committed to launch a comprehensive study to determine ways to encourage and incentivize riders to use Metrolink and other public transportation systems to attend events held at Farmers Field including NFL games, concerts and citywide conventions.
"We wholeheartedly support the efforts of Metrolink to encourage customers and event attendees to utilize the region's extensive transportation network including Metro, Amtrak and Dash to access downtown Los Angeles and events at L.A. LIVE and Farmers Field," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG. "This partnership reinforces our environmental commitments, as outlined in our AEG 1EARTH program, in order to ensure that L.A. LIVE and Farmers Field become one of the most sustainable urban infill developments in the country."
ABOUT AEG:
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in theworld. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over100 facilities such as STAPLES Center, Best Buy Theater (Times Square, NY), Sprint Center, (Kansas City), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Acer Arena (Sydney, Australia), The Globe arena (Stockholm, Sweden), O2 World arena(Berlin, Germany) and The O2 arena and district (London, England); sportsfranchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL) and two MLS franchises in addition tooverseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers(NBA). AEG has created L.A. LIVE, a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, & entertainment district featuring Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE and Club Nokia, a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination (featuring The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and JW Marriott L.A. LIVE hotels and 224 luxury condominiums - The Ritz Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE - all in a single tower), Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14, "broadcast" facilities for ESPN, along with entertainment, residential, restaurant and office space and developed The Home Depot Center in Carson, California designated as an "Official U.S.Olympic Training Site" by the United States Olympic Committee thatincludes major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling and othersports. AEG Live, the company's live-entertainment division, is the world's second largest concert promotion and touring companies and is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions with fifteen regional offices.
ABOUT METROLINK
Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 19th year of operations. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network.
