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12/5/2022
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) late last week broke ground on advanced utility work for the first segment of the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project.
The transit agency awarded a $9 million contract to W.A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc. for the work. The firm will relocate existing city water and power vaults and associated conduit infrastructure along Van Nuys Boulevard, where the new rail line will be concentrated.
L.A. Metro plans to award the main construction contract in early 2023, with the first line segment expected to open between 2028 and 2030. Cost estimates for the first rail project to be built in the area since 2000 range from $1.6 billion to $2 billion, L.A. Metro officials said.
The new 6.7-mile light-rail line will connect the communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima in northwest Los Angeles. A total of 14 new stations will be added to the route.
The line will also provide the first local-stop rail service in the valley in 70 years following the discontinuation of the Pacific Electric Red Cars in 1952, L.A. Metro officials said. The line will connect with the Van Nuys Metrolink/Amtrak station, expanding riders' connection options.
Another planned 2.5-mile segment will further extend the rail line from Pacoima to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station. Design options for that project are currently being studied, L.A. Metro officials said.
Meanwhile, the agency's board has approved a new fare policy that simplifies the L.A. Metro fare structure and caps fares to prevent overpaying. Riders using the TAP fare payment card will pay as they go, with the daily fare capped at $5 and weekly fare capped at $18 for unlimited rides. Those passes, plus one-day passes, will be eliminated from the fare structure once the new policy goes into effect by summer 2023.