Metro D Line rider Nicholas Caputo wears a \u201cRide the D\u201d T-shirt during the May 8 opening of the subway extension.<\/p>\n
R. Daniel Foster<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Metro D Line, which launched a notably cheeky marketing campaign, officially opened on May 8. Throngs of riders turned out for the opening of the extension<\/a>, many sporting Metro merchandise with the infamous slogan, \u201cRide the D,\u201d which carries an unmistakable double entendre. The 3.92-mile D Line extension now connects downtown Los Angeles with Beverly Hills. <\/p>\n The Subway Line That Became A \u2018Viral Sensation\u2019<\/p>\n When released on February 27, \u201cRide the D\u201d Metro shirts sold out within a day. The Los Angeles Times, which termed the buzz around the clothing drop a \u201cviral sensation,\u201d led with its own winking headline<\/a>: \u201cNew \u2018Ride the D\u2019 Metro shirts sold out almost immediately. Because of course they did.\u201d<\/p>\n USA Today also led with an arch reference<\/a> to the slogan: \u201c\u201dLA Metro’s ‘Ride the D’ shirts sell out. We wonder why.\u201d <\/p>\n Los Angeles Metro has been disinclined to address the slogan\u2019s meaning directly, but acknowledged the flurry it has caused. <\/p>\n \u201cYes, we\u2019ve seen the internet chatter,\u201d LA Metro responded in a statement after the shirts sold out. \u201cWe design for transit riders, but we can appreciate that the internet will always do what the internet does.\u201d<\/p>\n On the D Line opening day, a tenant at the Wilshire Manor apartments, adjacent to the Wilshire\/La Brea station, joined in the fun.<\/p>\n R. Daniel Foster<\/p>\n D Line rider Nicholas Caputo<\/a>, wearing a \u201cRide the D\u201d T-shirt on opening day, called the marketing campaign \u201cfunny, irreverent\u2014something that shows L.A.\u2019s attitude toward the new line.\u201d Caputo lives in Hollywood and takes the Metro about four times a week. \u201cThe D Line marketing has been fantastic, whatever it takes to get people engaged and talking about public transport,\u201d he said. Interviewed at the Wilshire\/La Brea station, Caputo is executive director of Advanced Living LA<\/a>, a civic reform group geared to improving city life for working people.<\/p>\n Moriah Granados also turned out for the line\u2019s opening with D Line Metro merchandise, available at the Metro store.<\/a> \u201cWhoever did the marketing campaign for this deserves a raise,\u201d she said in an interview at the Wilshire\/Vermont station. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen this many people so excited about public transit in a while, and I feel the merch has a lot to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n D Line rider Moriah Granados said the new subway extension will dramatically cut her travel time from downtown to West Los Angeles.<\/p>\n R. Daniel Foster<\/p>\n Before the D Line opening, Granados said it was a long bus trip to travel to West Los Angeles. \u201cWith the new D Line, the trip will take about 20 minutes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Caputo said the extension, with stellar new art at each station, shows off how well LA Metro is doing to build out its system, the largest expanding in the nation. \u201cThe neighborhoods that typically block this kind of development start to soften their tone a bit,\u201d he said. \u201cThis shifts us culturally a bit more, allowing us to connect more communities within the city.\u201d<\/p>\n The D Line Will Connect Downtown Los Angeles To Westwood<\/p>\n The D Line extension will be complete by the end of 2027, taking riders to Westwood. Pictured: the first phase with three new stops.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Metro<\/p>\n The D Line extension travels through the historic Mid-Wilshire Corridor, the most densely populated stretch west of the Mississippi. The line ferries riders west beyond Koreatown\u2019s current Wilshire\/Western station, with stops at Wilshire\/La Brea, Wilshire\/Fairfax and Wilshire\/La Cienega.<\/p>\n The D line’s Wilshire\/Fairfax station now connects Angelenos to Museum Row.<\/p>\n R. Daniel Foster<\/p>\n When built out via three phases, the D Line will travel about 14 miles, connecting downtown Los Angeles to Westwood. Two more phases will open in the spring and fall of 2027. The stops will serve numerous communities, including Koreatown, Miracle Mile (including Museum Row), Carthay Circle, Hancock Park, Beverly Hills and the Fairfax district. <\/p>\n Eamon Ore-Giron, detail of Infinite Landscape: Los \u00c1ngeles Para Siempre, 2026: Installation view at Wilshire\/La Brea Station, LA Metro.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Metro<\/p>\n The openings will be just ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Westwood\/UCLA stop will be within walking distance of the 2028 Olympic Village at UCLA. <\/p>\n Metro\u2019s Marketing Campaign Signals \u2018Peak Transit Culture\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cGive the gift of the D before opening day 5.8.2026!\u201d read an LA Metro post on X, in celebration of the line\u2019s announced opening and related merchandise. The post has received 452,000 views. <\/p>\n \u201cGonna get odd looks in public, but 100% worth,\u201d a commenter responded. Another wrote: Respectfully\u2026 y\u2019all knew what you were doing. And I support the boldness. Purple line energy.\u201d Purple refers to the line\u2019s color.<\/p>\n \u201cPeak transit culture,\u201d read another comment. <\/p>\n That comment references LA Metro\u2019s personality-driven marketing strategy. The Metro\u2019s Instagram and TikTok reels, underscored with trending music, lean heavily on pop culture references\u2014and sometimes mention the high price of gas, climbing to a national average of $4.53 a gallon, and $6.16 in California, according to AAA<\/a> tracking as of May 9.<\/p>\n Susan Silton, detail of WE, OUR, US, 2026: Installation view at Wilshire\/Fairfax Station, LA Metro.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Metro<\/p>\n Metro\u2019s social media campaign also highlights some of the hassles of driving in car-centric Los Angeles: long commutes, congestion and trying to find parking. <\/p>\n A recent Metro post touted the new 19-minute travel time when taking the D Line from Beverly Hills to downtown. Driving the span takes about 45 minutes, and over an hour during peak rush hour. \u201cCan your Uber driver do that?\u201d it read. <\/p>\n