L.A. Metro, SFMTA to open new light-rail lines soon

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) yesterday announced the new light-rail K Line will open for service Oct. 7.

The transit agency will offer free rides on the entire system, including rail, bus and bike share services, Oct. 7-9 to mark the grand opening, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release.

Formerly called the Crenshaw/LAX Line, the K Line will run from the E Line at Expo/Crenshaw Station to Aviation/LAX Station, where it merges with the C Line, connecting the Crenshaw Corridor, Inglewood and El Segundo neighborhoods. These communities have not been served by rail transit since the Los Angeles Railway shut down service there in the 1950s, L.A. Metro officials said.

Upon opening, the line will feature seven stations, with the eighth — Aviation/Century Station — to open in late 2023, providing access to Los Angeles International Airport. A ninth station at LAX/Metro Transit Center Station is slated to open in late 2024.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced this week an opening "soft launch" schedule for the Central Subway project, which will start service Nov. 19.

The subway line will open with dedicated shuttle service on weekends in certain locations, allowing riders to make transfers to Bay Area Rapid Transit and the SFMTA-owned Market Street subway, SFMTA officials said in a press release. The transit agency will offer free service on the Central Subway in November and December.

Beginning in 2023, the Central Subway will provide daily service connecting directly to the rest of the Muni Metro T-Third Line. SFMTA expects the subway service to create better transit access in some of the city's densest neighborhoods and cut 20 minutes from travel time to Mission Bay.

To mark the soft launch, SFMTA will host community station activation events in October and early November at 4th and Brannan, Yerba Buena/Moscone, Union Square/Market Street and Chinatown/Rose Pak stations.