USA: The Federal Transit Administration has issued a letter of intent to allocate funding for first phase of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor light rail line.
The planned 10·7 km line would provide a north – south connection between Van Nuys/San Fernando and Van Nuys/MOL in the northwest of the conurbation. There would be 11 stops, including interchanges with the G (Orange) bus rapid transit route and Metrolink commuter rail services on the Ventura County Line.
Metro anticipates starting utility relocation works in late 2022, with major construction to follow; opening is envisaged for 2028.
A second phase would extend the route north by 4·0 km to Sylmar/San Fernando station on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line, adding three more stops.
The line is the second project to be considered as part of the Department of Transportation’s Expedited Project Delivery pilot programme. DOT has set out several conditions that LACMTA must meet in the next two years to allow the project to be considered for a full funding grant agreement. The federal share of the funding would be limited to the lower of $908·75m or 25% of the final net capital project cost.
‘The eastern San Fernando Valley Corridor is one of the busiest transit corridors in the nation’, said DOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg when the letter of intent was issued on May 10. ‘This announcement is a big step toward creating more transit options, a better commute and cleaner air for residents in the San Fernando Valley and all of Los Angeles.’
