The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has received USD 1.24 billion through the American Rescue Plan Act for expenses incurred during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The resources provided to our agency through the American Rescue Plan Act will help us weather the storm, continue on our path to rebuild and grow our ridership, maintain the highest standards of service and safety, ensure no employee is laid off, and provide equitable access to transit for all Los Angeles County residents who rely on Metro buses and trains,” said Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Chair or Hilda Solis.
To keep transit capital projects on track across the U.S., the American Rescue Plan Act also included USD 1.6 billion for the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Programme to fund the construction of new transit projects in the country. The CIG Programme in the American Rescue Plan Act included over USD 275 million for 4 Metro transit capital projects, including USD 59 million for the Regional Connector Transit project, USD 66.5 million for the Westside Purple Line extension section, USD 58.5 million for the Westside Purple Line Extension Section 2, and USD 93.5 million for the Westside Purple Line Extension Section 3.
“This critical help from Congress is the reason we were able to keep most of our service running for essential trips during the pandemic and all of our workers employed,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said.
“Congress also had the foresight to provide funds so we could continue construction of capital projects that will serve our region for many decades to come. We truly appreciate this help from Congress and the White House that is making a difference for everyone in our region.”
In 2020, Metro’s approximately 11,000 workers provided 215 million trips. The awarded funds will allow Metro to continue providing reliable service, which is critical to supporting the more than 12 million residents of the Los Angeles urbanized area.
“Keeping public transport up and running is critical to ending this pandemic and allowing Californians to return to normal. LA Metro has continued operating throughout the pandemic so essential workers can get to their jobs and individuals can get to vaccine and health care appointments. This money from the American Rescue Plan will allow these operations to continue and recover as we continue to fight this pandemic,” the U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said.
This funding is part of more than USD 30 billion for public transport secured in the American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The funding comes from the USD 26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
In June, the U.S. DoT announced additional federal funding to support transit agencies to recover from pandemic.
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