Los Angeles Increasing Metro Service Ahead Of Hectic Sports Weekend

Traffic is always a nightmare in Los Angeles -- and it's expected to be even worse with a full slate of events throughout the city this weekend ... but TMZ Sports has learned the local public transit system is taking action to mitigate as many headaches as possible.

It's a fully stuffed few days for the City of Angels -- especially Friday, with the Dodgers, Lakers and USC all in action ... as well as concerts being held at the Intuit Dome and Forum.

L.A. County Metro tells TMZ Sports the service is bracing for the big weekend by increasing service on the rails ... mainly the A, B, D, and E lines.

The runtime is also getting a bump ... with pickups happening every 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes.

For fans going to watch Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge do battle in person ... Metro says the FREE Dodger Stadium express bus from the L.A. Union Station and Harbor Gateway Transit Center in South Bay will be their best friend, as service starts three hours before the first pitch at 5:08 PM PT.

And if anyone in attendance wants to beat the rush home, Metro says buses will start operating starting in the seventh inning and will run until 45 minutes after the final out.

For people looking to catch a glimpse of LeBron and Bronny James at Crypto.com Arena ... the service encourages ticket holders to avoid the 110 freeway through DTLA -- and instead take one of the many bus and rail services that run near the venue.

"A roundtrip on Metro is just $3.50 on bus and rail, making it a more affordable option than most parking fees," Dave Sotero, L.A. Metro Communications director, said in a statement.