Federal officials have pledged up to $1 billion for an elevated train connecting SoFi Stadium and other sites to the Crenshaw Line, marking a major milestone for a marquee project that could open before the 2028 Olympics.
The Federal Transit Administration’s commitment would finance half of the project’s $2 billion price tag.
To secure the award, the city of Inglewood and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority must overcome several more hurdles, including securing the other half of the money and making substantial progress in preparing the project for construction.
“It’s going to improve the fan experience,” said Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who has championed the project. “Fans, our residents and employees deserve affordable and efficient transportation options. This system will be good for the environment. It will create jobs again.”
Known as the Inglewood Transit Connector, the fully automated three-stop people mover will loop through downtown Inglewood and transport fans to the city’s growing list of entertainment venues, including the Kia Forum and the soon-to-be Inuit Dome. will inaugurate. It is expected to ease traffic during important events.
The city and Metro, which together form the project’s joint powers authority, say they have secured about 85% of the $2 billion total, including the federal commitment. Although that commitment is not finalized, officials say it indicates the viability of an ambitious project they intend to start before the 2028 Olympics.
“This federal support is a force multiplier for our momentum and an endorsement of all levels of government working together to benefit the public. We will take the next step,” said Lisa Trifiletti, who is overseeing the project for the authority.
And while officials hope to have the people mover up and running in 2028, Federal Transit Administration documents show it isn’t expected to open until 2030 and will cost $33 million a year to operate.
If the connector opens in time for the Olympics, Inglewood, a city of about 104,000, would be center stage, beginning with opening ceremonies at SoFi Stadium. Transit officials plan to create a car-free Olympics and have been using events in SoFi, including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, as a testing ground not only for the Olympics but also to deal with changing ridership patterns.
Supporters say the increased transportation of people and the tourists it brings will also help revitalize downtown Inglewood. But dozens of companies will be forced to relocate to make room for it. And transportation experts wonder whether people transportation, which has risen in price by more than $500 million in recent years, is worth the cost and will deliver on its promises.
On a busy weekday, hundreds of people stream through the doors of Fiesta Martin Bar & Grill at Florence Avenue and Market Street. Esaul Martin, who runs the downtown Inglewood restaurant with his sister, is among those who will be forced to move.
“We have no choice about what to do,” he said. The outdoor patio is packed on weekends and has a steady local clientele.
Although his family owns several restaurants in the city, he said, this one is the most successful.
“Most people are not happy about it,” Martin said of other nearby businesses. “The options they are giving us are not close. “Either it doesn’t have parking, it’s too small, or the rent is four times higher.”
Martín has hired a lawyer. But, he said, no relocation fee can replicate what he has created here. And he is worried about his 45 employees.
Butts said change is difficult, but the relocation packages are generous.
“This is a great step forward in the evolution of the city. “Things are not going to be the way they are,” he stated. “The benefits of this project far outweigh the distress of displacement, because everyone in Inglewood wins.”
Transit experts say the other big winners are people like Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
The $5 billion SoFi Stadium, home of the Rams and Chargers, opened in 2020. It had bypassed the lengthy environmental review process typically required in California, which would have quantified traffic, pollution and noise which would entail a 70,000-seat stadium. . Often, the developer must mitigate those impacts.
Instead, the project was approved six weeks after it was announced.
“There are definitely good reasons to argue that there should at least be some financial contribution from stadium owners,” said Jacob Wasserman, director of research projects at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies. “It will serve customers who pay money to go see events and games. “All transportation serves businesses and is a public service, but I think it is disproportionately focused on these event venues.”
Butts said providing transportation is the job of municipalities.
The authority estimates that people transportation will have 4 million boardings in 2028 and almost 8 million in 2078, which Wasserman said is probably too optimistic.
Environmental studies show that regular weekdays will be much quieter, with 414 passengers during peak hours and 11,450 passengers the hour after games.
Three prequalified teams are preparing bids for the project and the authority hopes to choose one this summer.
It’s worth it?
James Moore, founding director of the USC Transportation Engineering Program, said it probably isn’t. He pointed to the $500 million it cost to connect Oakland Airport to BART, which, he said, ended up having no measurable effect on either airport traffic or BART ridership.
“The bus was going very well,” he said. “If the goal is to connect passengers from the event generator to the rail line, this is an expensive way to do it.”
