May 12, 2026
Big D energy hits LA
Riding the D in Los Angeles: city hopes new subway stations will be game changer
LA’s new subway is finally here — and locals are cheering, roasting, and making wild jokes
TLDR: LA has opened new subway stations for the first time in decades, cutting a brutal cross-city trip to about 21 minutes and boosting hopes before the World Cup and Olympics. Commenters are excited but split between celebrating the win, mocking the “Ride the D” slogan, and asking why the city only seemed to move fast when global events were coming.
Los Angeles just opened its first new subway stations in more than 25 years, and the internet immediately turned it into a mix of victory lap, group therapy session, and meme factory. The big promise is eye-popping for a city famous for traffic misery: riders can now get from Union Station to Beverly Hills in about 21 minutes on the D Line extension, a huge shift for the jammed Wilshire corridor. City leaders are selling it as a major step before the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, and transit fans are calling it the kind of upgrade LA has needed for generations.
But the loudest reaction wasn’t just "finally!" — it was "what took you so long?" One commenter fumed that the line was planned in the 1960s and only seemed to hit the fast lane once global sports events were on the calendar. That suspicion gave the whole celebration a deliciously cynical edge: is this a people-first transit miracle, or a last-minute glow-up for international guests?
Then came the comedy. Metro’s cheeky "Ride the D" slogan absolutely detonated in the comments, with people alternating between disbelief and admiration that this was, yes, apparently part of the official marketing. Meanwhile, not everyone was ready to crown the subway a savior. Some argued LA needs boring-but-vital bus service even more: frequent enough that people don’t have to stare at a schedule like it’s a hostage note. The mood overall? Hopeful, snarky, and very LA — thrilled that something good finally happened, but unwilling to let the city enjoy a clean win.
Key Points
- •LA Metro opened the first phase of the D Line extension, the first new subway stations in Los Angeles in more than 25 years.
- •The new four-mile section along Wilshire Boulevard reduces travel time from Union Station to Beverly Hills to 21 minutes, according to Metro.
- •The full project will add seven stations in three phases, with the first phase adding three stations and later phases planned for next year.
- •The extension serves major destinations in the Miracle Mile area and will later reach Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and the West LA Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
- •The article frames the opening as part of Los Angeles’s longer effort to expand transit ahead of the World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.