Metro D Line will be closed for 70 days, starting May 17
The Metro D line, also known as the Purple Line, will soon be closed for 70 days as construction continues on the rail expansion project beneath Wilshire Boulevard.
Service on the route will be suspended at all stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Western from May 17 to July 25. B Line service — which shares stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont — will increase from North Hollywood to downtown to accommodate riders.
Shuttle service will be provided for the last leg of the line to connect riders to Koreatown from Wilshire/Vermont to Wilshire/Normandie and Wilshire/Western stations.
The project will add seven stations and expand service on the line from Koreatown to Hancock Park, Beverly Hills, Westwood and West L.A. broke ground more than a decade ago. It's faced delays over safety concerns and received pushback from some Westside residents.
Metro's goal is to finish the project by the 2028 Olympics, but hundreds of millions of dollars promised by the federal government for the project have not yet been delivered. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and recently toured the rail project, also warned that tariffs affecting the cost of materials could pose new obstacles to infrastructure projects.
The current route is one of Metro's most heavily used. Ridership numbers for the B Line and D Line, which Metro combines, were more than 1.8 million in March.
The first $3.7 billion phase of the extension under Wilshire Boulevard will include three stations — Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega. Those are expected to open by the end of 2025.
Tunneling is complete for that section, according to Metro. Tracks have been laid and lighting has been installed. The transit agency will next work on connecting communication and power systems between the existing line and new sections during the upcoming service interruption.
The next phase of the project will include Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation stations, which are expected to open in 2026. The final section to create the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations are planned for a 2027 opening.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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