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5/23/2023
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) yesterday announced it will open the Regional Connector light-rail service on June 16.
Begun in 2013, the complex project will enable light-rail trains to travel between Union Station and the 7th Street/Metro Center Station in downtown L.A.'s Financial District. Before the Regional Connector, it was a trip only L.A. Metro’s heavy-rail lines could make, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release.
Bridging this gap allows L.A. Metro to merge the L (Gold) Line with the A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, creating two lines where there were three.
The Regional Connector includes three new underground stations: Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway Station and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill Station. The stations will provide riders a seamless, one-seat ride from Azusa to Long Beach, and from East L.A. to Santa Monica with no transfers required.
"It’s hard to believe that what started out a decade ago with just drawings on a map is now a reality for Los Angeles County residents," said L.A. Metro Chair Ara Najarian.
L.A. Metro contracted Regional Connector Constructors, a joint venture between Skanska USA Civil West California District Inc. and Traylor Brothers Inc., to design and build the $1.8 billion Regional Connector.