LA Metro OKs $5.66 billion budget for FY2017

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) board yesterday adopted a $5.66 billion budget for fiscal-year 2017, which begins July 1.

The new budget represents a 2 percent decrease from the FY2016 budget, even with the addition of new rail services, projects and programs, and rising costs, Metro officials said in a press release.

The new budget includes a full year of operation for two new rail lines — the Gold Line Foothill Extension to Azusa and the Expo Line Extension to Santa Monica.

Budget highlights include $1.57 billion allocated for bus and rail operations; $2 billion for various capital projects, including major construction activity for the Regional Connector Project, the Crenshaw/LAX Line and the Purple Line Extension subway; and $1.3 billion in funding for other transit agencies in Los Angeles County, as well as local funding for the county’s 88 cities and unincorporated areas.

The agency's state-of-good-repair program will focus on rail and bus system reliability and technology upgrades.

Other programs and projects stipulated in the budget include planning or environmental studies for the Airport Metro Connector, the Eastside Gold Line Transit Corridor Phase 2, the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor, the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor along Van Nuys Boulevard, the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension and the West Santa Ana Transit Corridor.

The budget calls for no fare changes or major service changes.