The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved an all-underground heavy rail subway as the preferred route for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project.
LA Metro Board unanimously approved an underground heavy rail line through the Sepulveda Pass to connect the San Fernando Valley to the Westside in under 20 minutes, with a price tag between $20 billion and $25 billion.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved an all-underground heavy rail subway as the preferred route for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project.
The selected route will run from the Van Nuys area to the Metro E Line's Expo/Sepulveda Station with seven planned stops including Van Nuys Metrolink Station, Metro G Line at Van Nuys Boulevard, Ventura Boulevard, UCLA Gateway Plaza, Wilshire Boulevard connecting to Metro D Line, Santa Monica Boulevard and Metro E Line at Expo/Sepulveda Station.
The heavy rail line will be entirely underground, burrowing as deep as 500 feet beneath the Santa Monica Mountains and neighborhoods like Bel-Air and Beverly Crest.
The project carries an estimated price tag between $20 billion and $25 billion.
Metro Director Katy Yaroslavsky called the moment "important and exciting." She noted that Los Angeles had "tried widening freeways...and spent billions" on the 405 with little effect, making this rail project a fundamentally new strategy.
The corridor handles roughly 400,000 daily car trips over the Santa Monica Mountains. Metro officials hope the project will provide a fast transit alternative to the notoriously congested freeway.
The board rejected monorail alternatives, which carried lower upfront costs but would have offered lower capacity, slower travel times and less ridership potential. Some monorail options did not include an on-campus UCLA station, a major drawback for Westside connectivity.
The selected alignment addresses key concerns raised during the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Report, which drew more than 8,000 submissions. Metro adjusted the tunnel path to avoid a high-pressure Los Angeles water pipeline under Sepulveda Boulevard after residents and engineers raised safety concerns.
The project has an estimated opening date of 2033, though Metro officials cautioned that the timeline may change as design progresses.
Los Angeles City Councilmember and Metro board member Katy Yaroslavsky compared the corridor's potential impact to the transformation brought by the L.A. Aqueduct. She described the project as being as transformative for Los Angeles as the LA Aqueduct.
"We have tried widening freeways and building over mountains, and we've spent billions doing it. The approach has failed," Yaroslavsky said. "This project represents a fundamentally different strategy."
Transit advocacy groups, UCLA and labor unions supported the project, anticipating improved regional connectivity and the creation of thousands of jobs. However, some homeowners in upscale canyon communities like Bel-Air remain opposed to tunneling beneath their properties, voicing concerns about unknown impacts.
Metro pledged extensive outreach to address residents' questions as engineering progresses.
With existing local funds, the agency can continue final design and environmental clearance, but major construction will require securing new revenue streams or grants.
This article was generated with AI assistance.