L.A. MTA strike over after deal struck

Eighty percent of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) buses were back in operation Wednesday, after an agreement was reached on a contract to end the 35-day mechanics strike.

MTA mechanics overwhelmingly agreed to a 45-month contract deal, concluding more than a year of negotiations and officially ending the strike that severely disrupted the nation's third-largest public transportation system for five weeks.

According to the Los Angeles Times, limited service resumed on the Metro Red Line and Blue Line trains, but the Green and Gold lines will remain idle until the end of the week as the agency concentrates on its busiest lines.

The MTA serves more than 400,000 riders daily, and typically has about 2,000 buses on the road during rush hour.