Metro and the U.S. Department of Transportation have announced a $893-million grant that will allow heavy construction to finally commence on a long-awaited light rail line in the San Fernando Valley.

The East San Fernando Valley line will travel 6.7 miles within the median of Van Nuys Boulevard, spanning from Van Nuys to Pacoima. Its 11 stations will include connections to the G Line Busway, Metrolink's Ventura County Line, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.

Route of East San Fernando Valley light rail lineMetro

The project will run along the same alignment as the Pacific Electric Railway's former San Fernando Valley Line, which was discontinued in 1952. Metro will also build a new maintenance and storage facility for 33 light rail vehicles as part of the effort.

"This direct, rapid transit connection to our growing Metro system is going to make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of residents across our East San Fernando Valley communities, and it would not be possible without the federal support that Senator Padilla and Congressman Tony Cárdenas, among others, have worked so hard to secure," said Metro Board Chair and LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn in a statement. "I am thankful for their years of hard work to secure this critical funding for Metro."

Maintenance and storage facilityMetro

The federal funding - created through the Biden administration's landmark infrastructure bill - will be delivered through the Federal Transit Administration's Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. According to a USDOT press release, it is the first grant under the program, which is intended to speed the completion of fixed guideway projects, small starts projects, and upgrades to improve the capacity of existing systems.

Metro has also secured $600 million in state funding for the project, in addition to local sales tax returns.

Van Nuys Metrolink StationMetro

Full construction is expected to commence before the end of 2024, and completion of the $3.6-billion light rail line is expected in 2031. That schedule is years behind what was originally hoped for by Metro, which had once intended to begin serving passengers on Van Nuys Boulevard as early as 2028.

Delays in the project timeline have also reduced the scale of what is to be built - at least in the short term. Metro has punted on plans to extend service an additional 2.5 miles to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station, and is considering  building a new station to connect with Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line at Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road as an alternative to extending light rail service.

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