Latest news with #DLine
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro committee moves forward on $9.4-billion budget as Olympics funding remains uncertain
With a fiscal deficit on the horizon and billions of dollars in federal funding requests still up in the air, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee voted to move forward with a $9.4- billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year — a 2% increase of more than $180 million from the previous budget. During a public budget hearing on Thursday and in written comments, residents cited safety as a top priority for Metro after a spate of violence against bus operators in recent years, and regular reports of crime in and around Metro stations. The transit agency's proposal includes more than $390 million for public safety — a nearly 2% increase from the last fiscal year. The bulk of the budget would go to transit operations, with nearly $3 billion marked for rail and bus expansion and more than $2 billion for infrastructure planning for projects, including the Vermont Transit Corridor bus lane project and Sepulveda Corridor rail project, and construction for projects that include the D Line extension to the Westside. But future funding remains uncertain amid questions over how tariffs and inflation will affect the economy, as well as state and federal investments. 'As we look ahead to major events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, we know we'll have to make some tough decisions. But we'll always use our core values to guide us,' Metro finance, budget and audit committee chair Tim Sandoval said Thursday. The budget will be presented to the full Metro board next week. The agency is facing "a deficit of $2.3 billion through 2030," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins warned state leaders earlier this year. In a March letter to Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Wiggins said that while the transit agency is at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership numbers after a dip and has exceeded 2019 passenger numbers on Sundays, Metro still faces significant financial challenges. She advocated for the state to include a $2-billion request in its budget for transit operations equitably distributed among state agencies. Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget revision on Wednesday did not include the request, ignoring transit and safe streets activists who have warned that the absence of those funds could cause service cuts for a number of public transit agencies throughout the state, including Metrolink. 'Public transportation is vital for jobs, for the health of our economy, and our goal is to ensure that everybody is able to get to where they need to go — from work to school to play — and we believe that the state has to play a role in ensuring that,' said Eli Lipmen of Move LA. 'The operations and maintenance of our system are also critical because the No. 1 issue for transit riders is reliability.' Lipmen's organization was one of several that hung banners from freeway overpasses throughout the state this week calling on Newsom to 'fund transit.' The state recently sued the Trump administration over its policy to deny billions of dollars in transportation grants if California didn't follow the federal government's plan for immigration enforcement. Lipmen supported the action but said the suit would affect only capital programs and that the state still needs to increase funds for transit operations. The state budget proposal, which is still subject to change, did make a significant revision from January by pulling $17.6 million from the state's highway fund toward Olympics and Paralympics planning. The funding singled out Metro's Games Route Network, which would designate a series of roads for travel by athletes, media, officials, the International Olympics Committee, spectators and workers. Critical parts of Metro's Olympics plans are yet to be nailed down. The agency has yet to confirm $2 billion in funds to lease nearly 3,000 buses, which are integral to Los Angeles' transit-first goal for the Games. The financial crisis affecting the city of Los Angeles, which has a separate budget from Metro, could also jeopardize plans ahead of 2028 as several transit and infrastructure agencies face cutbacks and layoffs. The top leader for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for example, warned that cuts would affect support for major rail and bus lane projects ahead of the 2028 Olympics, in addition to parking enforcement, traffic signal updates and goals to improve traffic safety. Streets LA and the Bureau for Engineering — departments responsible for street and bridge repairs — are also facing significant cuts. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Metro committee moves forward on $9.4-billion budget as Olympics funding remains uncertain
With a fiscal deficit on the horizon and billions of dollars in federal funding requests still up in the air, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee voted to move forward with a $9.4- billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year — a 2% increase of more than $180 million from the previous budget. During a public budget hearing on Thursday and in written comments, residents cited safety as a top priority for Metro after a spate of violence against bus operators in recent years, and regular reports of crime in and around Metro stations. The transit agency's proposal includes more than $390 million for public safety — a nearly 2% increase from the last fiscal year. The bulk of the budget would go to transit operations, with nearly $3 billion marked for rail and bus expansion and more than $2 billion for infrastructure planning for projects, including the Vermont Transit Corridor bus lane project and Sepulveda Corridor rail project, and construction for projects that include the D Line extension to the Westside. But future funding remains uncertain amid questions over how tariffs and inflation will affect the economy, as well as state and federal investments. 'As we look ahead to major events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, we know we'll have to make some tough decisions. But we'll always use our core values to guide us,' Metro finance, budget and audit committee chair Tim Sandoval said Thursday. The budget will be presented to the full Metro board next week. The agency is facing 'a deficit of $2.3 billion through 2030,' Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins warned state leaders earlier this year. In a March letter to Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Wiggins said that while the transit agency is at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership numbers after a dip and has exceeded 2019 passenger numbers on Sundays, Metro still faces significant financial challenges. She advocated for the state to include a $2-billion request in its budget for transit operations equitably distributed among state agencies. Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget revision on Wednesday did not include the request, ignoring transit and safe streets activists who have warned that the absence of those funds could cause service cuts for a number of public transit agencies throughout the state, including Metrolink. 'Public transportation is vital for jobs, for the health of our economy, and our goal is to ensure that everybody is able to get to where they need to go — from work to school to play — and we believe that the state has to play a role in ensuring that,' said Eli Lipmen of Move LA. 'The operations and maintenance of our system are also critical because the No. 1 issue for transit riders is reliability.' Lipmen's organization was one of several that hung banners from freeway overpasses throughout the state this week calling on Newsom to 'fund transit.' The state recently sued the Trump administration over its policy to deny billions of dollars in transportation grants if California didn't follow the federal government's plan for immigration enforcement. Lipmen supported the action but said the suit would affect only capital programs and that the state still needs to increase funds for transit operations. The state budget proposal, which is still subject to change, did make a significant revision from January by pulling $17.6 million from the state's highway fund toward Olympics and Paralympics planning. The funding singled out Metro's Games Route Network, which would designate a series of roads for travel by athletes, media, officials, the International Olympics Committee, spectators and workers. Critical parts of Metro's Olympics plans are yet to be nailed down. The agency has yet to confirm $2 billion in funds to lease nearly 3,000 buses, which are integral to Los Angeles' transit-first goal for the Games. The financial crisis affecting the city of Los Angeles, which has a separate budget from Metro, could also jeopardize plans ahead of 2028 as several transit and infrastructure agencies face cutbacks and layoffs. The top leader for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for example, warned that cuts would affect support for major rail and bus lane projects ahead of the 2028 Olympics, in addition to parking enforcement, traffic signal updates and goals to improve traffic safety. Streets LA and the Bureau for Engineering — departments responsible for street and bridge repairs — are also facing significant cuts.
CBS News
09-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
LA Metro D Line subway to close for 2 months for expansion project
As Los Angeles Metro continues work on the D Line Subway Extension Project, the D, or Purple Line will close for a little over two months beginning May 17. The entire D Line, connecting downtown Los Angeles to the Westside, will be closed from May 17 through July 25 to connect the existing line with the new four-mile extension between Wilshire/ Western and Wilshire/ La Cienega. The project will include three new subway stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega. The extension project began in 2019, with final work expected to be completed in 2027. D Line service will be suspended at the following stations: Union Station (D Line only; all other Union Station services remain open) Civic Center/Grand Park (B Line open) Pershing Square (B Line open) 7th Street/Metro Center (B Line open) Westlake/MacArthur Park (B Line open) Wilshire/Vermont (B Line open) Wilshire/Normandie (Station closed) Wilshire/Western (Station closed) Alternate transit options between Union Station and Wilshire/ Vermont: Metro B Line Alternate transit for Wilshire/Vermont and Wilshire/Western: Metro Line 855 Shuttle, running between Wilshire/Vermont, Wilshire/Normandie, and Wilshire/Western. Line 855 will align with B Line schedules. Additional bus service is available via Metro Lines 720 and 20 along Wilshire Boulevard.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Busy Los Angeles subway line will close for more than 2 months
The Metro D Line, one of two underground subways in the LA Metro system, will be closed for more than two months as construction crews continue progress on a yearslong expansion project. LA Metro will suspend service on the D Line for 70 days beginning on the evening of May 17, with service restored by July 26. The D Line connects Los Angeles Union Station to Koreatown, with its current final destination at the Wilshire and Western Station. This upcoming closure will include the entirety of its route from K Town to downtown L.A. In the meantime, a bus bridge will connect impacted stations during the closure, and service on the B Line, L.A.'s other underground subway line that shares some of the same route, will run more frequently during peak hours. The construction is part of the ongoing D Line Subway Extension, which broke ground in 2014. The project will extend the D Line, previously known as the Purple Line, into West L.A., with seven new stations along the way in Beverly Hills, Hancock Park and Westwood. Three stations, Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, are slated to open later this year. The remaining stations are planned to open in 2026 and 2027, assuming the project avoids additional delays. Tunneling on Section 1 is completed, tracks have been laid and lighting has been installed. Crews are currently working to connect existing communication lines and power systems with the new segment. 'These aren't ordinary tunnels,' Metro wrote on its blog The Source. 'The subway is monitored by complex computer systems that regulate everything from air quality to ventilation to the emergency sprinklers.' The project is among the most crucial in LA Metro's long term plans to provide greater and more efficient transit options in the city. LA Metro plans to have the D Line extension complete in time for the 2028 Olympics, which city officials hope will be a mostly car-free event. For updates and trip planning, you can visit LA Metro's dedicated D Line closure page, or call 323-466-3876. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
