Route Approved for Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar

Construction on the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar could begin as soon as 2018.

1 minute read

December 6, 2016, 7:00 AM PST

By Elana Eden


L.A. Streetcar

Artist's Rendering / Los Angeles Streetcar

The environmental impact study for the Downtown Los Angeles Streetcar, as well as a preferred route, received unanimous approval from the Los Angeles City Council.

The 3.8-mile route includes stops to popular sites like historic Broadway, Grand Central Market, and Grand Park—connecting the Civic Center with the Fashion District in South Park.

Streetcars were once a dominant mode of transportation in Los Angeles; this revival of the historic transit system has been making its way to fruition since 2011. Construction is slated to begin in 2018 and be completed in 2020.

Estimated to cost $282 million, the project will receive $200 million in funding from Measure M—the sales tax approved by county voters this month—as well as funding from the previous sales tax, Measure R. The city also plans to apply for federal grants and seek public-private partnerships to manage the streetcar during construction and once it is built.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016 in Studio City Patch

Close-up of 'Red Line Subway Entry' sign with Braille below and train logo above text in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Red Line Extension Could Transform the South Side

The city’s transit agency is undertaking its biggest expansion ever to finally bring rail to the South Side.

November 24, 2023 - The Architect's Newspaper

stack of books

Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023

The world is changing, and planning with it.

November 24, 2023 - Planetizen Team

College students walking on green lawn with neoclassical red brick domed building in background on University of Illinois campus.

Why College Campuses Make Ideal Models for Cities

College campuses serve as ideal models for cities, with their integrated infrastructure, vibrant communities, sustainability initiatives, and innovation hubs inspiring urban planning and development for a brighter future.

November 16, 2023 - Devin Partida

Makeshift shelter built by unhoused people on hillside overlooking freeway in Stockton, California.

Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk

Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.

November 27 - San Francisco Chronicle

BlueLA car share car parked in Los Angeles.

Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage

Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’

November 27 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of two sports stadiums in Arlington, Texas.

The Largest U.S. City Lacking Mass Transit

Arlington, Texas has the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation with no fixed-route public transit system.

November 27 - Fort Worth Report

Assistant/Associate Professor in Indigenous Planning

University of New Mexico - School of Architecture & Planning

Principal Planner

Placer County

Coastal Program Analyst III

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.