Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners, the consortium looking to build a heavy rail subway along the I-405 and Sepulveda corridor between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley, has announced a partnership with Siemens Mobility and Stadler.

Stadler, a Swiss-based manufacturer of rail cars, has been selected to design and build the rail cars which would run along the planned Metro line, while Siemens Mobility would be tasked with designing and building the driverless Metro system. They join a team that also includes Meridiam, Bechtel, and American Triple I.

“Our selection of Stadler and Siemens Mobility goes beyond our Buy America commitment. For a project with such profound impact, we wanted to make sure that we are assembling an infrastructure ‘Dream Team’ when it comes to operating swift and safe rail service that allows commuters to avoid the 405”, said Meridiam Americas chief executive officer Nicolas Rubio in the announcement. “We are committed to a project that will make life better for Angelenos and visitors by easing congestion, reducing pollution, boosting commerce and improving connections between affordable homes and good jobs.”

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners, one of two groups jockeying to build the Sepulveda Transit line, would be tasked with building Alternatives 4 and 5 now being evaluated through the project's environmental impact report. Both options call for a roughly 14-mile heavy rail line starting at the Van Nuys Metrolink Station, then proceeding south along Sepulveda Boulevard in either a fully-underground alignment or a mix of below- and above-grade tracks.

In addition to stops at Ventura Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and UCLA, Alternatives 4 and 5 would also connect to other Metro services such as the East San Fernando Valley Line, the G Line busway, the D Line's Wilshire/Westwood Station, and the E Line at Expo/Sepulveda Station. The consortium estimates that their project would reduce travel times from Ventura Boulevard to Westwood to 6.5 minutes, and to less than 20 minutes from the Valley to the Westside.

A competing proposal from LA Skyrail Express, which is also being evaluated in the environmental impact report, calls for building a monorail along the Sepulveda Corridor. The debate over the two alternatives has made headlines by involving local elected officials, wealthy homeowners in Bel-Air, and the former chief executive of Ticketmaster, although the vast majority of respondents to a Metro survey have indicated a preference for a subway over a monorail.

Stadler, the new partner set to build the heavy rail cars, had previously sought the contract to build Metro's new fleet of heavy rail vehicles, but lost out to Hyundai Rotem. Siemens Mobility was recently announced as the preferred bidder to build Brightline West's new high-speed train sets that will run between Southern California and Las Vegas.

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