DoT National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research (METRANS)

METRANS is located in Southern California, which is home to nearly 2/3 of the state’s population and the most congested metropolitan area in the US. The region is a center for international trade: the Los Angeles/ Long Beach port complex is the largest container port in the US (trade in 2011 was $382 billion); and LAX is the 7th largest air freight center in the US. As a center of both international trade and immigration, the Los Angeles region is home to both extreme wealth and extreme poverty, and has one of the largest transit-dependent populations in the country. METRANS is committed to addressing the transportation challenges of regions such as Los Angeles.