$8.5 Billion, 19.3-Mile Light Rail Line Approved to Connect L.A. and Surrounding Cities

Rachel Uranga reports for the Los Angeles Times:

Transportation officials gave the green light this week to a 19.3-mile light rail line that would serve largely working-class Latino communities in southeast Los Angeles County, and agreed to look for ways to speed up the project slated for completion in 2043.

The West Santa Ana Branch (WSAB) Transit Corridor, as the light rail route is currently called, would connect the city of Artesia to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, passing through the cities of Cerritos, Bellflower, Paramount, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park, and Vernon, explains Uranga. 

The current price tag for the project is estimated at $8.5 billion. "The rail line was part of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan to build 28 transit projects by the 2028 Olympics," according to Uranga, but the price tag compelled the Metro board to plan the route's construction in two phases. The first phase will break ground next year with an expected completion date ten years later. The second phase is expected for completion by 2043.

The Los Angeles Times story was picked up in its entirety by Mass Transit magazine, in case you haven't paid to access the Los Angeles Times.