Disclosure: former Los Angeles native here. Beats? no, the california metro systems are dwarfed by NYC. Beating a hundred year old system? absolutely. "Ford

Disclosure: former Los Angeles native here. Beats? no, the california metro systems are dwarfed by NYC. Beating a hundred year old system? absolutely. "Ford to City: Drop Dead" in 1975 was an omen for the NYC systems. local, state, and national politicians have all chosen to just ignore NYC metro in the hopes it magically gets better or starts running on time. Having visited NYC to visit my sister, I can say that what LA lacks in ridership it makes up for in overall investment. New railcars for the NYC system are slated for 2023, whereas Metro LA sees new cars on a yearly basis. The LA high speed project, for whatever political boondoggle it might be, was approved and is in construction. our single tap NFC metro cards are good not just for the LA system, but for most if not all surrounding city systems. I can use an LA TAP card on Santa monica, Culver city, and LA city buses with no penalty. I also get the equivalent of groupon deals with my tap card. Half price bulgogi or even a free coffee, just for having a metrocard. Its surely no coffin nail for the iron juggernaut of NYC, but its a perk. Most LA buses and subways all have free Wifi, with the exception of some larger express lines. LA also has sixteen new transit projects, all green-lit, some of them individually over a billion dollars. This is just the city of los angeles, not the state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Metro_Rail#Future https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Metro_Rail#Future TL;DR: When compared to an entire state, and factoring in current and future investment, the west coast is crushing NYC.