The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) signed an USD 893.3 million grant agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) to support the construction of a light rail line along busy Van Nuys Boulevard in the East San Fernando Valley. The rail line, which will run 6.7 miles, received funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes historic funding for public transit.
“Traffic and air quality are two longstanding challenges that Los Angeles has been working hard to fix – and today they’re getting a big hand from the Biden-Harris administration through our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’re proud to award USD 893 million to help build a new light rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard that will reduce vehicle congestion, improve air quality, and provide residents an efficient and affordable to way to get where they need to go.”
Los Angeless light rail project
The line, phase 1 of the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, will improve mobility with a north-south connection between the communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta, and Pacoima. The project includes 11 stations, 33 light rail vehicles, and extensive street and sidewalk improvements along the route. The new light rail line will also link to LA Metro’s bus rapid transit G Line (Orange), Amtrak, and the Metrolink Ventura County Line.
As the latest light rail line in LA Metro’s growing transit network, the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Phase I will improve transit travel time and reliability and lessen congestion. In a unique arrangement, a public-private partnership will design and support a solar power system to supply approximately 70% of the power for the maintenance and storage facility using clean energy, which will help lower operating costs for LA Metro, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
“This project is significant for residents in the Valley by providing a fast and frequent rail transit option for the first time,” said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. “Adding transit service in busy downtown corridors helps reduce traffic jams and alleviates the climate impact that comes with them.”
The Los Angeless light rail project is part of LA Metro’s 28 Plan, a programme that aims to complete 28 infrastructure projects leading up to the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics to be held in Los Angeles.
The federal support for the estimated USD 3.6 billion project comes from FTA’s Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program. It is FTA’s first grant under the EPD program.
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