LA Metro and elected officials celebrated an $893 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant that will go toward the cost of building the East San Fernando Valley Light-Rail project, Metro announced on Friday, Sept. 6.
The grant will go toward building the first phase of a light-rail line that will be built in two phases over the next seven years.
The first phase of the $3.57-billion project would extend 6.7 miles between the G (Orange) Bus Rapid Transit Line in Van Nuys to the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road in Pacoima. A second phase — still being studied — would travel 2.5 miles alongside the Metrolink heavy rail line into San Fernando, from San Fernando Road at Van Nuys Boulevard to the Sylmar Metrolink Station.
Metro has begun preliminary construction work on the first phase involving moving utility lines to make room for the light-rail system power grid. Further 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.
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. It will be the first commuter rail service on Van Nuys Boulevard in more than 70 years, after the last Pacific Electric “San Fernando Valley” railway went down the boulevard in 1952.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Tony Cardenas lobbied for the grant dollars. The money is part of a multi-year agreement known as a Full Funding Grant Agreement, overseen by the Federal Transit Administration.
“This nearly $900 million federal investment that Representative Cárdenas and I pushed for will bring more customers and business to the San Fernando Valley, connect overlooked communities to the rest of Los Angeles County, and uplift hardworking families,” said Padilla in a prepared statement.
About 19 percent of households in this area do not have access to their own vehicle and depend on public transportation, Metro reported. This compares to 8.8% transit dependency for LA County as a whole.
“I want to thank the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation for uniting behind this project and ensuring this federal grant moved forward and for the support of the Biden-Harris Administration,” said L.A. Mayor and Metro Board Member Karen Bass.
Once built, the light-rail line will provide transit connections to other parts of the county, emphasized Los Angeles City Council President and Metro Board Member Paul Krekorian.
“With its connections to the G (Orange) and the B (Red) Lines in North Hollywood, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail will turbocharge transit usage in the San Fernando Valley and fulfill the dream of safe, efficient, sustainable transportation for everyone who calls the Valley home,” Krekorian said in a statement.
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