The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) received word that they have been awarded $231 million by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program for its Southeast Gateway Line.

The Southeast Gateway Line is a light rail line stretching 14.5 miles from the Slauson/A (Blue) Line Station to the City of Artesia providing a dependable alternative to driving for 2 million people in southeast LA County.

Making Connections

The Southeast Gateway Line will include nine stations extending from the Saluson A Line station located in the City of Los Angeles/Florence-Firestone unincorporated area of Los Angeles County to its southern terminus at the Pioneer Station located in the City of Artesia. 

The line will pass through the cities of Bell, Bellflower, Cerritos, Cudahy, Downey, Florence-Firestone, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, Paramount, South Gate, and Vernon. The line will also include the new C Line station at the I-105 freeway.

The area is currently home to over 600,000 jobs, which is projected to increase to over 700,000 jobs by 2042.

There are also high projected population and employment densities in the area that are five times higher than LA County, with 44% of the population below the poverty line and 18% of households that do not own a car.

The area has several Environmental Justice Communities populated by a majority-minority community with 65% minority residents, with Hispanic/Latino groups alone accounting for 51%.

Access to the Regional Network

The project will provide direct connection to the Metro C Line (Green), Metro A Line (Blue), and LA County’s broader regional transit network.

Connecting this area to Metro’s rail network provides alternatives to driving and improves accessibility to jobs and job-related opportunities, as well as medical facilities, institutions of higher education, and other places of interest.

“Metro would like to thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to funding projects that will help California reach its climate goals and CalSTA Secretary Omishakin for his leadership on transportation and transit investments,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “For too long, Angelenos in southeast LA County have been disconnected from Metro’s rail system, but with these additional funds, we move closer to giving Southeast LA and Gateway City residents a world-class light rail line to serve this growing area of our County.”