The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) joined federal officials in the San Fernando Valley to celebrate the U.S. Department of Transportation’s $893 million grant that will help fund construction of Metro’s new East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project.
The transformational light rail line will create important new connections with a host of new and existing local and regional transit services in the San Fernando Valley, including Metrolink, Amtrak, Metro G Line, Metro B Line, and other planned Metro transit projects now in the works.
The New Light Rail Project
The line will be built on Van Nuys Boulevard, one of the Valley’s busiest corridors and will provide a new light rail alternative for the residents of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta, and Pacoima, many of whom are transit dependent.
It is the first local stop, commuter rail service to return to Van Nuys Boulevard in more than 70 years. The last Pacific Electric "San Fernando Valley Line" urban electric railway rolled down Van Nuys Boulevard in 1952.
The grant will be delivered through a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA), which is governed by the Federal Transit Administration’s Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. The program seeks to accelerate new fixed guideway capital projects, among others.
Road to 2031 Opening
Metro is now conducting advanced utility adjustment work for the $3.57 billion project.
Construction of utility work and minor street improvements along Van Nuys Boulevard is expected to start later this year. The 6.7-mile project will include 11 new light rail stations and is currently forecast to open in 2031.
In the nation’s first-of-its-kind, Metro has added a Cultural Competency requirement to the project contract that takes into consideration the local community’s diverse cultural heritage and backgrounds.
The comprehensive plan will consist of several targeted strategies to genuinely and respectfully engage with community stakeholders impacted by the project.
"This is the first Metro rail project that includes a Cultural Competency Plan outlining a comprehensive engagement strategy, including workforce training and business opportunities to support the diverse communities that reside along this important Valley corridor," said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board 2nd vice chair. "I’m so pleased that Metro’s contractor will be doing its part to ensure all residents, local businesses, community groups, and institutions are informed of and understand what is being built in their neighborhoods and what new opportunities and partnerships the rail line will offer them."
The 2.5-mile northern segment of the corridor is under further study that would extend rail service from Pacoima to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station.
Project Benefits
The project will deliver tangible mobility benefits to historically underserved communities within areas of persistent poverty in the eastern portion of the San Fernando Valley.
Approximately 19% of households in this area do not have access to their own car and depend on public transportation, compared to 8.8% transit dependency for LA County as a whole.
Construction and operation of the project is anticipated to create more than 18,000 direct and indirect jobs, including those now covered by new local hire rules under the federal infrastructure bill.
Metro plans to implement a Project Labor Agreement/Construction Careers Policy local hire program to ensure that residents can secure good paying jobs to build the project. Once the new rail line is completed, riders along the new rail line will be connected to 150,000 jobs.
The commuter rail line will bring service back to the Valley after more than 70 years, once again connecting one of the Valley’s busiest and most transit-dependent corridors.
"Thirty-five percent of households in the East San Fernando Valley depend on Metro for their transportation, and the East San Fernando Valley Line will give them faster and more efficient service than ever before,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “Now that this funding is in place, we look forward to breaking ground on this line in the coming months."
