Light Rail Proposal for L.A.'s San Fernando Valley Wins Key Approval

"A 9.2-mile light rail line between the Orange Line’s Van Nuys Station and the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station was approved by the Metro Board of Directors today as the 'preferred alternative' for the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor project," according to an article by Steve Hymon for Metro's website, The Source.

The new rail line would run mostly down the center of Van Nuys Boulevard and along the railroad right-of-way that is adjacent to San Fernando Road. The line would have 14 stations with an end-to-end travel time of 31 minutes. Metro staff determined that light rail was faster, offered more capacity and would better serve the community in the future than bus rapid transit (BRT), the other type of transit under study for the project.

Antonio Pacheco reported on the project earlier in the month, after Metro staff released its draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report.