In Nov. 2016, Metro’s Measure M was approved by 71.15% of Los Angeles County voters, far exceeding the two-thirds approval needed.
It’s been more than six decades since it was possible to travel by rail from downtown Los Angeles to the beachfront of Santa Monica, Calif.
An in-depth look at the recently completed Kansas City Streetcar, Denver RTD’s first commuter rail line and L.A. Metro’s $1 billion Gold Line extension, as well as Metra’s implementation of a federal program to improve safety.
The findings are part of a report that shows dramatic improvements in the quality of life for the region between 2008 — when Los Angeles County voters approved Measure R — and 2015.
Transit projects, including construction of rail lines, subway extensions and building bus rapid transit lanes, will generate $40.1 billion in total combined labor income and business revenues for the Southern California regional economy.
The potential ballot measure would ask voters to increase the countywide sales tax by a half-cent for 40 years and to continue an existing tax (Measure R) for an extra 18 years, meaning both would potentially run through 2057.
The extension includes six new rail stations, providing access to locations such as City of Hope hospital, Azusa Pacific University, Citrus College and Santa Anita Racetrack.
The rail extension was built by the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, an independent transportation planning and construction agency. The line took approximately five years to build, with major construction completed in September 2015.
Funding is expected to cover repair and operational costs for the streetcar for three decades. The vote was a victory for the project’s advocates, who emphasized the trolley's potential to create economic growth in the downtown area.
The action is an important prerequisite for Metro to begin final design of the nearly two-mile underground light rail line in Downtown L.A. and for the agency to seek federal funding to help build it.
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