Meeting_Body
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 16, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: 2028 MOBILITY CONCEPT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the Mobility Concept Plan (MCP) Implementation Progress Report.
Issue
ISSUE
With a great deal of insight from the FIFA 2026 World Cup experience and less than two years before the opening ceremonies, Metro is entering a critical stage in the Games preparation process. For this special board meeting, staff will provide an update on key areas of progress and partnership, funding updates, and a six-month look ahead, including key milestones, for the priority workstreams driving Games preparation.
Background
BACKGROUND
Over the past four years, Metro has worked with LA28, Caltrans, Metrolink, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), the City of Los Angeles (COLA) Mayor’s Office, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), a group collectively known as the Games Mobility Executives (GME), as well as U.S. Secret Service, venue cities and Councils of Governments, to advance the 2028 Games Mobility Concept Plan approved by the Metro Board in December 2022. Following an extensive agency stakeholder outreach process, Metro and the GME identified a list of 15 priority workstreams. The GME then created subcommittees to advance the projects and programs under each workstream.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Workstream Progress
Metro staff continues to work closely with regional partners to plan and deliver a safe, successful, and seamless 2028 Games for the region. Key achievements since the last update include:
Capital (Legacy) Projects
• Released Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Games Multimodal Infrastructure Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) and A & E Lines Interlock Projects CM/GC.
• Awarded Games Multimodal Infrastructure Project Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) contract supporting key Mobility Concept Plan projects for the 2028 Games.
• Continued project development for all major capital projects including Reconnecting Communities and Mobility Concept Plan Phase II projects.
• Secured $149.9M in federal funding for the Vermont BRT project and advancing final design.
• Completed all environmental and community impact analyses, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, for all key Mobility Concept Plan capital projects, which concurrently advancing final designs. Metro will also continue to coordinate with local partners to keep all MCP projects on track for delivery before the Games.
Funding
• Programmed $89.4 million in federal appropriations for the Games - an initial instalment of the larger funding request.
• Worked with local agencies to assemble funding needs and schedules for Games Route Network, Integrated Transportation Management, and First/Last Mile projects needed as part of the initial $89.4 million in federal funds allocated to the 2028 Games.
World Cup Observations
• Implemented various World Cup pilot demonstration projects including GETS, park and ride active management, heat mitigation, first mile/last mile kit of parts, open streets, and station activations.
• Conducted a comprehensive observation program and survey of Metro riders, World Cup attendees, and staff to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) for insights to inform 2028 Games planning (findings to be presented to the Board in the Fall)
Games Enhanced Transit Service (GETS)
• Additional Games Enhanced Transit Service (GETS) commitments secured - a total of 28 transit agencies to loan or donate 1,050 buses and over 300 staff members to support the GETS, as of May 2026
• Prepared preliminary GETS plans for all LA28 Olympic and Paralympic zones and venues. GETS is continuously refined to address ongoing LA28 changes in spectator, worker, and volunteer venue demand and to introduce more efficient and effective methods of designing and delivering public transit to the Games.
Additional Updates
• Developed key program management tools to closely monitor program progress including a program risk register, master integrated schedule, and program management plan
• Advanced key accessibility initiatives, including the implementation of the Waymap mobile application to provide precise navigation guidance across 12 Metro rail stations.
• Updated the Games Living Model with updated forecast demand and capacities for all transportations modes during the Games based on new information from LA28, Metrolink, and Caltrans.
• Coordinated with Caltrans on the design of the Games Route Network on the state highway system and established interagency agreements for the Integration Transportation Management workstream.
• Supported LA28’s venue planning efforts with staffing from multiple departments.
Partnership
In May 2026, Metro hosted its fourth GME Regional Assembly at Union Station, showcasing the agency's commitment to building a seamless transportation system for the region. More than 200 participants from partner agencies across the region participated in the event, which featured updates from all GME partners, including Metro, LA28, Caltrans, LADOT, Metrolink, and SCAG. This included a report back on lessons learned from Milan, an update on the FIFA World Cup preparations, and a status update on all 15 priority workstreams. Following these updates, Metro facilitated an interactive session where Regional Assembly participants discussed key gaps, risks, and coordination needs to inform Games planning. Over the next two years leading up to the 2028 Games, Metro will continue to convene Regional Assembly meetings as a central forum for collaboration and alignment.
Legislative/Funding Updates
A successful 2028 Games requires strategic investments that help us plan, design and implement a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system. Major procurement, infrastructure, and workforce development must also be funded with enough lead time to ensure resources can be deployed with enough time to deliver results for the Games. The $94 million approved in February 2026, with $89.4 million allocated to GME partners via Metro, through the Federal FY26 Appropriations Act will help support early mobility investments. On June 3, 2026, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations reported a Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation Appropriations bill that included $875 million for 2028 Games Mobility. The bill sought to pay for this amount by rescinding funding for other passenger rail projects across the country, making it challenging for this level of Games funding to be approved by the U.S. Senate without an alternate funding source.
Combined with the proposed $875 million included in the FY27 Appropriations bill, this funding would represent important progress toward securing the federal resources Metro needs to deliver seamless transportation for the 2028 Games but still falls short of the agency’s existing requests. Metro will continue to advocate and seek additional federal and state funding to close the remaining funding gap and evaluate more efficient and effective GETS options to deliver Games mobility.
Following the GME’s agreement to designate Metro as the direct recipient of these federal funds, in July 2026, the Board programmed the $89.4 million in FY26 appropriations. To ensure expediency and consistency in the delivery of the projects, Metro will serve as the lead agency for the entire share of federal funds and will pass through funds, on a reimbursement basis, to the GME agencies and venue cities to advance the work on critical workstreams like the Games Route Network (GRN), Integrated Transportation Management (ITM) and first/last mile improvements. Metro is working on the federal obligation process as well finalizing agreements with GME partners to provide this much needed funding.
Continued and heightened advocacy over the coming months remains critical. Metro staff has and continues to active engage with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Congressional leadership, and the California Congressional delegation on the urgency of securing federal funding before the end of this calendar year and timely federal action.
Metro and several stakeholders, including LA28, Metro’s Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation, among others, have been consistently encouraging the Administration to include the necessary funding for 2028 Games mobility via a supplemental funding request for Fiscal Year 2027. Consistent with Metro’s Board-approved 2026 Federal Legislative Program, staff has and will remain fully engaged with the USDOT, the OMB, and Congress to encourage the inclusion of federal funding for transportation needs directly tied to the Games as part of any federal Fiscal Year 2027 funding package.
Metro’s state advocacy work on the Games has also continued, following an initial presentation to and ask of the legislature in January. In March, the LA County Delegation included a $379 million request from Metro for capital improvements to light rail infrastructure, key rail stations, and integrated transportation management. The Governor then issued his May Revision to the January budget proposal in mid-May. Metro’s Games ask was not included in the proposal. Staff continued to advocate for funding to be included in budgetary language during the final month of the legislative session, which concluded on August 31, 2026.
Metro had the opportunity to present on May 13 to the Senate’s Special Committee on International Sporting Events, during a hearing on Infrastructure, Transportation, and Sustainability Goals Ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where there was an opportunity to present on Metro’s plans for the Olympics and to reiterate the need for funding in this fiscal year’s planning.
Metro Chief of Customer Experience, Jennifer Vides, had the opportunity to attend a special hearing on August 26, 2026, with members of Congress from California to urge the federal government to provide transportation funding for the 2028 Games.
2026 Look Ahead
As a result of the initial funding provided in the Federal FY2026 budget, Metro can continue to work on Games-related projects through the end of 2026. Receiving funding certainty by the end of the year remains critical to maintain project schedules and advance major Games mobility initiatives. Absent timely funding, Metro may be required to down-scope or eliminate certain projects, initiatives, or workstreams to align with available resources and delivery constraints. Critically, if Metro does not receive funding certainty for the item representing the largest financial risk (GETS operational costs), the agency’s Memorandum of Understanding with LA28 will expire, and the organizing committee will need to seek another delivery partner for spectator and workforce transportation.
Beginning in January, staff will bring a detailed look ahead at each Special Board Meeting. This helps ensure the Board remains informed of key progress, critical deadlines, and upcoming decision points as Metro continues powering transportation investments to move Los Angeles now and host the world in 2028.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Equity is a central consideration in Metro’s planning for the 2028 Games and informs the development of priority workstreams under the Mobility Concept Plan. Collectively the initiatives within the workstreams support a more accessible, resilient, and user-friendly transportation system that benefits riders and communities across LA County well beyond the Games. Improvements are intended to ensure that residents, visitors, and the Games workforce can safely and efficiently access the regional transportation network. Federal and state funding is critical to allow Metro and the GME to implement legacy improvements in advance of 2028. If funding is not received in the next few months, it will limit the projects to be implemented in time for the Games.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
Vehicles Miles Traveled (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.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
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 investments that will benefit 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.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The development of the MCP supports:
Strategic Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling.
Strategic Goal 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system.
Strategic Goal 4: Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership” by providing a roadmap and strategy to deliver permanent transit and transit-supportive projects and programs that can help serve the 2028 Games.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue the development work necessary to advance the 2028 Games Priority Workstreams that Metro is currently leading. Staff will continue to seek local, state, and federal funding opportunities and work with the Board to advocate for funding for both legacy projects and essential Games-specific projects, such as the Games Enhanced Transit Service and Games Route Network.
Staff will also continue to coordinate with LA28 to receive updated information related to competition schedules and security planning. Similarly, staff will continue to coordinate with other agencies through the GME subcommittees in order to ensure alignment on projects, identify funding opportunities, and avoid duplication of work.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Ernesto Chaves, Executive Officer, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 418-3142
Kasey Shuda, Senior Director, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 454-6479
Daniel Bernstein, Senior Manager, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 922-4135
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Seleta Reynolds, Chief, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 922-4656
