The federal government will provide $100 million for Los Angeles' Regional Connector rail project and an additional $200 million to extend the Westside Purple Line this year.
"The announcement that $300 million in federal transportation dollars will be headed to Los Angeles will ensure that Metro can bring more mobility to serve commuters in L.A. County," said Phillip Washington, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA).
The Regional Connector, which is currently under construction, extends from the Gold Line Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station in downtown Los Angeles, allowing passengers to transfer to Blue, Expo, Red and Purple Lines, bypassing Union Station. The 1.9-mile alignment will serve Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Civic Center, The Historic Core, Broadway, Grand Av, Bunker Hill, Flower Street and the Financial District. This new rail extension will also provide a one-seat ride for travel across Los Angeles County. From the Gold Line, passengers will be able to travel from Azusa to Long Beach and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica without transferring lines.
The Westside Purple Line Extension transit project, which is also currently under construction, is a rail project that will provide a high-capacity, high-speed traveling option for commuters to go between downtown Los Angeles and Westwood in less than 30 minutes. The project, which will be built in three phases, will continue from the current station at Wilshire/Western extending westward for about nine miles along Wilshire Boulevard with seven new stations.
