After years of lobbying by local officials and advocates for more public transportation in the San Fernando Valley, LA Metro announced an $893 million federal grant that will help fund a new rail line for residents there.
The 6.7-mile light rail project will run along Van Nuys Boulevard and pass through Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima — communities that local officials said Friday have often been forgotten in Los Angeles transportation plans.
It will connect to local and regional bus services, including the Metro G Line express bus, as well as the Van Nuys Metrolink/Amtrak station, officials said.
“This is a region that has been overlooked,” said Veronica Vanterpool, acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, during a news conference Friday announcing the grant. “This will be the first rail line in the heart of a region that has long been in need of high-quality transportation.”
The grant, from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will be awarded to Metro during a multi-year agreement under the Federal Transit Administration's Accelerated Project Delivery Pilot Program.
The rail project, scheduled for completion in 2031, would return rail service to the Valley more than 70 years after the last Pacific Electric San Fernando Valley Line car carried passengers there in 1952.
The grant, which will supplement funding for the rail system, brought together local, state and federal dignitaries on Friday to celebrate a long-standing effort to improve public transportation in the area.
“This, for me,” said U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), “is personal.”
Padilla, originally from Pacoima, said he and his family often relied on public transportation.
Padilla would later serve on the Los Angeles City Council and in the California Senate. Trying to expand public transportation was a priority, though bringing rail service to the San Fernando Valley proved a challenge, he said.
“I heard things like, ‘The rail system is coming to the Valley,’” Padilla said. “Well, a stop at Universal [Studios Hollywood] “It may be reaching the Valley, but it’s not serving the Valley.”
The Metro G line runs from North Hollywood to Chatsworth, but Padilla noted that for decades, residents who relied on public transportation did not have a north-south system except for bus service.
For years, local advocates have complained that when it comes to public transportation, Valley cities are often overlooked.
“This is the transportation the eastern San Fernando Valley has deserved for decades, and it’s paying off,” said Los Angeles Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who represents District 7.
When completed, the line is expected to serve nearly 19,000 daily passengers who currently take the bus, Vanterpool said, cutting their commute by as much as 15 minutes.
About 35% of area residents, he said, do not own or have access to a car.
“This line will be a game-changer for the Valley for generations to come,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who also serves on Metro’s board of directors.
The total cost of the project is expected to be $3.57 billion. It is partially funded through Measure M, which was approved by voters in 2016, and other grants. In February 2023, the California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA, awarded $600 million for the project.
Metro is scheduled to begin minor street improvements and utility upgrades later this year.
The new line will include 11 stations.
In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass thanked the Metro board and the Biden-Harris administration for the funding.
“Thanks to their dedication, the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail is taking another important step toward a reality that connects the communities of the East San Fernando Valley to our growing transportation network, which means access to more opportunities, jobs and attractions throughout the region.”
Metro is still studying a 2.5-mile extension of the corridor that would extend the line farther from Pacoima to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station.
