Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 14, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: MASTER COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (MCA) WITH THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY (SCRRA) FOR RAIL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to negotiate the terms and enter into a Master Cooperative Agreement (MCA) with the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) for railroad support activities associated with Metro-sponsored rail improvement projects within Los Angeles County (Attachment A).
Issue
ISSUE
Metro continues to advance multiple rail improvement projects within Los Angeles County that require coordination and technical support from the SCRRA, which operates the Metrolink commuter rail system and manages railroad operations on Metro-owned rail corridors. These projects routinely require SCRRA’s expertise in railroad engineering, operations, signal and communications systems, construction coordination, and regulatory compliance. At the same time, SCRRA routinely requires Metro’s expertise in technical reviews, 3rd-party coordination, real estate support, and construction coordination.
Currently, project-specific agreements must be developed each time SCRRA support is needed by Metro, resulting in extensive administrative effort and potentially extending project delivery schedules by four to six months. Execution of a MCA will establish a streamlined standardized framework for Metro to obtain support services from SCRRA through project-specific Work Orders, improving schedule efficiency while maintaining appropriate oversight of future rail improvement projects.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro owns portions of the railroad right-of-way throughout Los Angeles County on which SCRRA operates the Metrolink commuter rail system pursuant to the SCRRA Joint Powers Agreement and related shared-use agreements. In addition to Metrolink service, these rail corridors accommodate passenger and freight railroad operations, requiring close coordination among Metro, SCRRA, freight railroads, and other operating agencies.
Metro continues to advance a variety of rail improvement projects that enhance safety, reliability, capacity, and operational performance throughout the County. These projects may include track improvements, grade separations, railroad signal and communications upgrades, station improvements, maintenance facilities, positive train control enhancements, and other rail corridor infrastructure improvements.
Because SCRRA is responsible for railroad operations and compliance with applicable federal and state railroad regulations governing the Metrolink system, its technical participation is required throughout project planning, design, construction coordination, and implementation. Establishing an MCA creates a consistent framework for Metro and SCRRA to efficiently coordinate these activities while allowing project-specific scopes, schedules, and budgets to be authorized through individual Work Orders for SCRRA support activities. The MCA framework is similar to ones SCRRA has in place with other Member agencies such as RCTC, SBCTA, etc.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The MCA would allow SCRRA to provide railroad-related planning, design, construction, operation, and management services to support the special projects undertaken by LACMTA. SCRRA may provide limited, short-notice, and time-sensitive railroad-related activities, including serving as a temporary stop-gap mechanism when a project-specific cooperative agreement with SCRRA approaches its authorized limit. It is not intended to replace or supersede project-specific cooperative agreements for major capital projects, but rather to provide flexibility and continuity for initial or interim support activities to major projects, and to facilitate support for small scale projects, studies or activities.
Each Work Order executed under the MCA will identify the specific Metro-sponsored project, SCRRA’s scope of services, schedule, budget, and reimbursement requirements. Each Work Order will establish a not-to-exceed amount for SCRRA’s support activities in accordance with the terms of the MCA.
SCRRA’s support services may include, but not limited to, railroad engineering and design review, signal and communications coordination, railroad operations coordination, construction planning, railroad flagging, field inspection, right-of-entry permit review, environmental and technical document review, work window coordination, positive train control coordination, railroad operations modeling, and other railroad support activities necessary to safely advance rail improvement projects.
Considerations
Under the MCA, Metro will continue to manage the planning and delivery of its rail improvement projects, develop project scopes, issue Work Orders, and reimburse SCRRA for eligible support activities. Each Work Order will identify the parties’ respective responsibilities, including technical support, coordination with passenger and freight railroad operators, review of project designs for compliance with railroad standards, establishment of work windows and operational requirements, monitoring of project activities, and provision of progress reporting and cost documentation.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of the proposed MCA will not, by itself, have a direct safety impact. However, the agreement establishes a coordinated framework that supports the safe planning, design, construction, and implementation of Metro-sponsored rail improvement projects by ensuring SCRRA participation in railroad operational planning, signal and communications coordination, positive train control integration, construction staging, and compliance with applicable railroad operating and safety requirements.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Execution of the MCA does not, by itself, authorize expenditures for any individual rail improvement project. Funding for SCRRA support activities will be authorized through individual Work Orders executed under the MCA. Reimbursements will be in accordance with the approved scope, schedule, and budget for each Work Order, with Metro’s payment obligation limited to $490,000 per Work Order unless otherwise authorized by the Metro Board.
Impact to Budget
Funding for individual Work Orders will be identified within the approved budget of the applicable Metro-sponsored rail improvement project. Since this agreement establishes a framework for multiple future projects, project managers, cost center managers, and the Chief Program Management Officer will be responsible for ensuring that adequate funding is available within each project’s approved budget prior to execution of individual Work Orders.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Execution of the MCA supports the efficient delivery of rail improvement projects that enhance mobility, safety, reliability, and connectivity throughout Los Angeles County. While the agreement itself does not directly construct transportation improvements, it establishes a streamlined framework for advancing projects that improve access to rail service, many of which serve Equity Focus Communities and transit-dependent populations.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT.
This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through planning activities that will establish a standardized agreement to obtain technical support, reduce repetitive administrative negotiations, and maintain consistent oversight across multiple rail improvement projects that will maintain and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports the following Vision 2028 Strategic Plan Goals:
• Goal 1.2: Improve LA County’s overall transit network and assets;
• Goal 4.1: Metro will work with partners to build trust and make decisions that support the goals of the Strategic Plan.
This action will facilitate the timely delivery of rail improvements that enhance safety, reliability, and customer mobility throughout Los Angeles County.
The agreement supports Goal 4 by strengthening collaboration between Metro and SCRRA to efficiently deliver capital improvements on shared rail corridors, and Goal 1 by establishing a consistent, transparent, and accountable framework for coordinating future rail improvement projects.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to approve staff recommendations to negotiate and execute the proposed Master Cooperative Agreement. This alternative is not recommended because Metro would then need to continue negotiating separate cooperative agreements for individual projects requiring extensive SCRRA and LACMTA participation in negotiating and executing individual project-level agreements, resulting in additional administrative effort, duplicative negotiations, and the potential for delays in advancing rail improvement projects in a timely manner. This MCA can potentially be utilized to get expedited support for fast-tracked LACMTA projects with funding deadlines, thereby ensuring timely support and initiation of SCRRA-led activities.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, Metro and SCRRA will negotiate and execute the Master Cooperative Agreement. As eligible rail improvement projects advance, Metro and SCRRA will develop and execute project-specific Work Orders identifying the scope of services, schedule, budget, and reimbursement in accordance with the terms of the MCA.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Draft MCA Agreement
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Kavita Mehta, Executive Officer Regional Rail, (213) 435-5047
Sameh Ghaly, Deputy Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 418-3369
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Timothy Lindholm, Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 922-7297
