Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MARCH 18, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: K LINE NORTHERN EXTENSION (KNE) - LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE (LPA)
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment evaluated in the 2024 Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the K Line Northern Extension (KNE) Project contingent upon the formation of an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) by the City of West Hollywood in coordination with Los Angeles County to provide additional local sources of funding (at least 25% of the capital cost estimate) per the Early Project Delivery Strategy with:
A. an initial operating segment (IOS) from the Expo/Crenshaw Station at the E/K Line to Wilshire/Fairfax at the D Line;
B. an adjusted tunnel alignment in Mid-City to continue to maximize use of public rights-of-way (ROW) to reduce subsurface easements, described as Crenshaw ROW: Option 2 in the Mid-City Additional Alignment Analysis Report (2025);
C. a commitment to work with the owner of the Midtown Crossing Shopping Center to preserve the opportunity to relocate the supermarket at an alternate location on acquired property adjacent to the construction site, prior to the start of construction; and
D. a terminus station at the Hollywood Bowl.
Issue
ISSUE
The KNE is a Measure M project with a groundbreaking date of FY2041 and project completion date in FY2047. Metro published a Draft EIR under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the KNE Project that was released in July 2024. The preparation of the Draft EIR was authorized by the Board in August 2020 <https://boardagendas.metro.net/board-report/2020-0174/> in accordance with Metro’s Early Project Delivery Guidelines <https://www.metro.net/about/early-project-delivery/> to position the project for additional funding and/or financing opportunities for potential acceleration prior to 2041 when funds become available for construction per the Measure M Expenditure Plan. The Board action to approve a LPA is a necessary step in the planning process initiated under the Early Project Delivery framework for future planning, funding, and coordination purposes, while acknowledging that further planning, design and construction remain subject to Board approval related to formal acceleration. Selection of an LPA is not approval of the project.
Background
BACKGROUND
By closing a gap in the regional rail network, the entire K Line would serve dozens of communities between the South Bay and Hollywood, transforming the way people could travel across LA County. The project would deliver significant regional and local benefits in the future, including:
• Attracting between 47,200 to 59,700 daily project trips.
• Increasing overall ridership on the entire K Line with between 85,200 to 98,000 boardings per day between Torrance and Hollywood.
• Attracting between 11,400 to 15,100 new daily trips.
• Reducing between 127,500 to 135,500 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) daily, which reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollution, and regional energy use to meet climate goals.
• Improving access for people living in Equity Focus Communities (EFCs), with 67% of trips projected to be made by low-income riders.
Project History
Transit feasibility studies for a north-south transit corridor connecting South Bay Cities, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and central Los Angeles County date back to the 1990s and have evolved over the years from the 2001 Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor Major Investment Study, followed by the 2009 Wilshire/La Brea Light Rail Study, and more recent alternatives analysis studies through 2020 for a northern extension of the K (Crenshaw) Line, summarized in Appendix 2-A of the Draft EIR. In 2022, the K Line opened for operation. This was followed by the opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Connector (MTC) station in 2025 and modification of operations to provide service between the Redondo Beach Station and the E Line. In January 2026, the Metro Board approved the K Line South to Torrance project which will extend the K Line south to the Cities of Lawndale, Redondo Beach and Torrance as funding becomes available. On the northern end, the K Line currently terminates at the Expo/Crenshaw E Line Station in an underground configuration. Previous studies included extending the line north and included at-grade, underground, and aerial configurations to connect to the current D Line. In lieu of a direct connection to the D Line at Crenshaw and Wilshire Boulevards due to the decision not to build an additional D Line station at that location because of the close proximity to the Wilshire/Western Station, lack of activity centers, and lower residential density, alternatives extending north between the E Line and D Line were required to be in an underground configuration to connect to the D Line at La Brea or Fairfax Avenues. Aerial and at-grade configurations between the E Line and Venice Boulevard were deemed infeasible due to the community impacts associated with insufficient width of public right-of-way in some segments and related property acquisitions and traffic circulation impacts.
The Measure M Expenditure Plan allocated $2.24 billion (in 2015 dollars) to the project and identified 2041 as the ground-breaking year when project funds would be available for construction, with the goal of opening between 2047-2049. Local jurisdictions have been exploring additional funding and financing strategies to accelerate project delivery through Metro's Early Project Delivery Strategy <https://www.metro.net/about/early-project-delivery/>. Any acceleration of the project timeline would require Metro Board approval and cannot negatively impact the schedules and funding allocated to other Measure M projects.
Since the passage of Measure M in 2016, the City of West Hollywood has expressed strong support for the project, advocated for acceleration, and taken actions per the Early Project Delivery Strategy to identify strategies to support acceleration. In 2018, the City of West Hollywood passed Resolution No.18-5055 committing the City to transit-supportive actions including value capture, permit streamlining, and expansion of first/last mile options to support project advancement. Since then, the City has conducted funding and project delivery studies to evaluate tax increment financing through an EIFD to generate a new local source of funding to support project acceleration. The City also has advanced land use planning, rail integration, and first/last mile studies to support early station area planning around proposed KNE stations within the City of West Hollywood.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Environmental Review Process
In August 2020, the Board directed staff to begin work on environmental clearance under CEQA and prepare a Draft EIR. On April 15, 2021, Metro initiated public scoping for an environmental document with a 45-day scoping period, which ended on May 28, 2021. Following public scoping, Metro prepared advanced conceptual engineering (ACE) drawings for project alignments and design options including refinements and advanced environmental analysis and technical studies. On July 23, 2024, Metro released the Draft EIR for public review over a 60-day comment period that extended to September 20, 2024. In addition to the Draft EIR, Metro published several technical studies in 2023 including ridership projections, projects benefits, and preliminary cost estimates, all available on the Project website at metro.net/projects/kne. <https://www.metro.net/projects/kline-northern-extension/>
Alignments and Options Studied in Draft EIR
The Draft EIR evaluates three underground light rail alignments (Figure 1) that range from six to ten miles from the Expo/Crenshaw (E/K Line) Station to the Hollywood/Highland (B Line) Station: 1) San Vicente-Fairfax, 2) Fairfax, and 3), La Brea. All alignments could include an optional terminus station farther north to serve the Hollywood Bowl.
The Project would be constructed using pressurized tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for tunnel segments and cut and cover for station areas. Due to the scale of the project, it would be constructed in two or three sections, depending on the alignment selected, with an initial operating segment (IOS) from the K/ E Line to the D Line on Wilshire Boulevard at either Fairfax or La Brea Avenues. Each section is estimated to take eight to twelve years to construct based on Metro’s experience with similar underground rail projects. Each section would require its own TBM launch site to support tunneling activities. Connecting to the D Line for the IOS would require modifications to Metro’s Division 16, an existing maintenance and storage facility (MSF) serving the K Line. A larger expansion of the MSF would be needed for section 2/3 when the K Line operates north of Wilshire Blvd.
Figure 1. Map of Alignments Studied in the Draft EIR
Preliminary Cost Estimates
Metro’s technical team prepared preliminary capital cost estimates, which were peer reviewed in consultation with the Metro Cost Estimating Department. The cost estimates are based on early engineering (approximately 15% design) and include (1) baseline construction costs in 2023$ including labor, materials, professional services and (2) contingency (~40%) to account for known and unknown project risks based on guidance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The cost estimates range from $14.8B for San Vicente-Fairfax, $12.47B for Fairfax and $10.99B for La Brea, not including the Hollywood Bowl Design Option, which adds approximately $1.12B to the capital cost estimate for any of the alignments. As part of the cost estimating process, Metro also prepared estimates for an IOS to connect to the D Line, which ranges from $4.67B (Wilshire/Fairfax) to $4.45B (Wilshire/La Brea) in 2023$. Escalation was not included in the capital cost estimates and would be assigned based on a future funding plan and construction schedule.
Ridership Projections & Travel Benefits
With the release of the Draft EIR in 2024, Metro published a ridership and travel benefits summary report. The analysis assumed a future travel horizon of 2045 based on a regional travel model developed for Metro in coordination with the FTA using demographic data for the region from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Daily project trips are estimated to range from 47,200 (La Brea) to 59,700 (San Vicente-Fairfax). Over 50% of the estimated daily project trips (33,000) would be generated by the initial phase of operations, connecting the E Line to the D Line (either at Fairfax Avenue or La Brea Avenue). When considering the entire K Line build out from Torrance to Hollywood, the K Line would serve between 85,200 (La Brea) to 98,000 (San Vicente-Fairfax) daily trips in 2045. The ridership model focuses on daily trips during commuting hours to/from work and may not fully capture additional trips generated by cultural and entertainment districts and venues in the study area (e.g. museums, nightlife, performance venues such as the Hollywood Bowl).
Table 1. Travel Benefits Projected in 2045 for Project Alignments in Draft EIR
Community Feedback on Draft EIR
During the public comment period for the Draft EIR, Metro received over 1,300 submissions by email, mail, and phone. The City of West Hollywood shared a survey with their residents and received over 600 comments on the Project, which they attached to their comment letter on the Draft EIR. Of the over 1,300 submissions received on the Draft EIR, 95% came from individuals, while the remaining came from public agencies, elected offices, community groups, and businesses. Metro received a high number of comments in support of the project (489), and over 570 comments in support of specific alignments and options. Metro received very few comments in opposition to the project (20). However, within the southern part of the project area, Metro received a high number of comments from residents of historic Mid-City communities, including Wellington Square and Lafayette Square, in opposition to the proposed Draft EIR tunnel alignment that would travel below homes between West Adams and Venice Boulevards. Table 2 illustrates the types of comments Metro received on the alignments and options studied and notes which came from a particular geography.
Table 2. Support & Opposition for Project Alignments, Options & Alternatives
During public meetings and in written comments during the Draft EIR comment period, residents of Mid-City historic communities (including Lafayette Square and Wellington Square) expressed concerns related to:
• tunnel safety,
• building damage to older homes in historic neighborhoods, and
• changes to property rights and values.
Mid-City community members also expressed concerns regarding a lack of notification and engagement in the development of the alignments in an area that has suffered from historic injustices in the past, specifically as part of the construction of Interstate 10.
Metro also received a large number of comments (399) sharing concerns with the proposed station at Hollywood/Highland as the Draft EIR identified significant impacts to historic resources with the demolition of two to four historic structures to stage construction to connect the K Line to the B Line. Community members opposed the loss of historic structures and requested that Metro further analyze ways to minimize impacts to historic structures and the historic district as part of the proposed new entrance for the Hollywood/Highland Station. Other key themes included comments and questions about ways to reduce project costs and support to accelerate the project to realize project benefits sooner than the Measure M schedule of operations (2047-2049). See Attachment A for summary of Draft EIR comments.
Comparison of the Alignments, Options & Alternatives Studied
The following section discusses the alignments evaluated in the Draft EIR from west to east and south to north, as well as alternatives to the project.
San Vicente-Fairfax
The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment is the longest alignment (9.7 miles) with the most stations (nine). In part due to the greater distance and multiple communities served, it generates the highest travel benefits of the alignments studied with approximately 59,700 daily project trips and 5,100 new daily riders. The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment serves the greatest number of residents and projected jobs within a half-mile of stations including major jobs centers and cultural destinations such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the West Hollywood Design District, and the Santa Monica Rainbow District. Both the City of West Hollywood and Los Angeles have approved plans for transit-supportive zoning around the proposed station areas.
Due to its length, the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment would require three sections of construction. This alignment has the highest project costs, greatest number of real estate acquisitions and subsurface (underground) easements, and highest number of significant environmental impacts. Construction of the second section would require demolition of the LA County Sheriff’s Station in West Hollywood (public facility) and the Santa Palm Carwash (historic resource) to stage construction for the TBM launch site and station entrance. Relocating the LA County Sheriff’s station (either temporarily or permanently) within the City of West Hollywood would be costly and complex to identify a suitable site in a dense, built out urban area.
Fairfax
The Fairfax alignment is 7.9 miles with seven new stations, all of which are the same as the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment except for the La Cienega/Beverly and San Vicente/Santa Monica stations. It provides strong mobility benefits with 52,900 daily project trips and attracts 12,800 new daily riders. It unlocks access to major local and regional activity centers that are not served by rail, including the Los Angeles Original Farmers Market, the Grove, CBS Studios, and the Santa Monica Blvd commercial corridor in West Hollywood between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues. The Fairfax alignment stations are located in areas with transit-supportive zoning and land-uses to accommodate future growth and leverage public transit investments for greater economic and community benefits. Unlike the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment, the Fairfax alignment would only require two phases of construction, which reduces overall construction costs, risks, and related real estate acquisitions and utility relocations.
La Brea
The La Brea alignment is the shortest alignment (6.2 miles) with the fewest stations (six) and lowest travel benefits of the alignments studied. It would serve 47,200 daily project trips and attract 11,400 new daily riders in 2045. However, it provides the most direct north/south connection between Central LA and Hollywood with a 12-minute trip from the E Line the B Line. It has the lowest construction cost of the alignments. It serves the fewest residents, jobs, and activity centers of the alignments studied and has the least transit-supportive zoning around station areas. As the shortest alignment, it has the fewest number of acquisitions and subsurface easements. Construction of the proposed La Brea/Beverly Station would impact religious institutions within the Orthodox Jewish community. Like the Fairfax Alignment, it requires two phases of construction. The La Brea alignment has the lowest construction costs and operations and maintenance costs of the alignments studied.
Hollywood Bowl Design Option
The Hollywood Bowl terminus station was studied as a design option and would extend the K Line north of the Hollywood/Highland Station approximately 0.8 miles to the Hollywood Bowl, a major cultural events venue for the region. The Hollywood Bowl has a capacity to seat approximately 17,500 people and the venue hosts around 100 events per year, attracting approximately one million visitors a year in a highly congested area. Construction would be staged on the Hollywood Bowl parking lots. The size of the parking lots and their proximity to a freeway make it an efficient site to launch the TBM for the final stage of constructed, as recommended by the Metro Tunnel Advisory Panel. The Hollywood Bowl Design Option received strong support from the public during the Draft EIR comment period including from the LA County Department of Recreation and Parks and LA Philharmonic.
High Frequency Bus Alternative (HFB)
The Draft EIR evaluated a High Frequency Bus (HFB) Alternative to consider rapid bus
service instead of light rail within the KNE project area to connect the Metro K Line to the Metro B Line in Hollywood. The HFB Alternative would travel along La Brea Avenue as the shortest, most direct route with stops spaced approximately every half-mile based on Metro bus rapid transit in urban corridors. The HFB Alternative does not have the same capacity to carry passengers as light rail, and would not be able to significantly reduce travel times in this highly congested project area, as the buses would travel along public streets. A fast, frequent, high-capacity transit alternative is needed to shift people from driving to taking transit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, and energy use, and to expand access. The HFB Alternative is not recommended as it does not have the same ability to meet the project objectives compared to any of the rail alignments studied. The primary purpose of the KNE project is to provide a fast and reliable rail option that connects multiple rail lines, closing a north/south gap in the rail network between the Metro E and B Lines. This need cannot be met with bus service.
No Project Alternative
The Draft EIR also evaluated a No Project Alternative, which would fail to meet the project objectives, realize project benefits and would also have significant and unavoidable impacts for air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, land use and planning, and transportation related to inconsistency with the regional and local plans that assume the project would be constructed and operated.
Additional Studies & Community Engagement Following Draft EIR
In an effort to provide more information to concerns raised by commenters in Mid-City residential neighborhoods around the proposed tunnel alignment, tunnel safety and property concerns, Metro prepared three technical reports: Mid-City Additional Alignment Analysis, Tunnel Safety Report, and Property Considerations Memo, published in August 2025.
Tunnel Safety and Property Considerations
Key takeaways from the Tunnel Safety Report and the Property Consideration Memo, discussed in the September 17, 2025, Board Report include:
• Modern tunnel construction practices, which include pre-construction surveys, the use of pressurized tunnel boring machines, construction monitoring, and mitigation measures have successfully built tunnels below sensitive structures, including historic buildings without damage in Los Angeles, as well as internationally.
• Tunnels are proposed at depths of 40 to 120 feet below surface within the project area and approximately 80 to 120 feet below surface in the Mid-City neighborhoods of Wellington Square and Lafayette Square. At these depths, noise and vibration are found to be well below the threshold of damage to structures above, and below levels of human perception.
• Metro has successfully tunneled in similar ground conditions (e.g. gases, high groundwater) with no measurable settlement at the surface and no damage to buildings above tunnels.
• Tunnels would not impact underground oil or mineral rights in Mid-City, which are thousands of feet below the surface, compared to proposed subway tunnels, which would be 80 to 120 feet below the surface.
• Tunnel easements would not change zoning, historic designation status, and development rights for owners.
• Tunnel easements also would not negatively impact home values, as shown in a recent study of property sale prices in Westwood, comparing homes without and without tunnel easements above the D Line Extension.
• Research in Los Angles and other American cities shows a positive correlation between home values and proximity to transit for properties within a half-mile of stations.
Metro released FAQs, a StoryMap <https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/74d39323fb764be38ab0a0a0f3093276> website, and presentation materials to share findings with Mid-City communities. Between spring 2025 and winter 2026, Metro hosted four small community conversations with Mid-City leadership from Wellington Square, Lafayette Square, Victoria Park Circle, 16th Place and LaFayette Road, in order to foster dialogue and to help tailor broader outreach to Mid-City community members’ specific needs. Incorporating guidance from these neighborhood representatives, Metro hosted four community meetings in Summer/Fall 2025 to share findings, gather feedback, and answer questions about the project, as well as a talk n’ ride tour to visit Metro neighborhoods along the D Line Extension where tunnels were constructed under and adjacent to homes and sensitive uses without damage or impacts to properties. Over 310 people attended these meetings. See Attachment B for a summary of community engagement in 2025.
Mid-City Additional Alignment Analysis Report Findings
Based on comments on the Draft EIR and subsequent community conversations and meetings with residents from Mid-City historic residential neighborhoods, Metro conducted a study of 12 alignment options in Mid-City between West Adams and Venice Boulevards, including analysis of the Midtown Shopping Center. These 12 alignments were a combination of previously studied alignments and routes suggested by the community during public meetings held after the Draft EIR circulation. The study’s purpose was to explore alternate routes to minimize tunneling below historic neighborhoods and minimize impacts to businesses during construction, specifically the Ralph’s supermarket at the Midtown Shopping Center, which is an important neighborhood business that is identified as a construction staging site for the TBM and a future station called Midtown Crossing. The 12 alternate alignment options were presented to the community during public meetings and small group briefings and published in reports on the Metro website in August 2025 to receive feedback.
Key findings of this study included the following:
• There were no alternatives that did not require subsurface easements under some residential properties (historic or non-historic) to get from the K/E Line terminus to the Midtown Crossing Station location.
• Many of the alternative alignments increased the total number of subsurface easements and resulted in greater tunnel distances and travel time.
• All alternative alignments required use of the Midtown Shopping Center as a TBM launch site and future station as it was the only non-residential site between the E and D Lines that had sufficient size to accommodate TBMs without requiring acquisition and demolition of residential properties in the Mid-City area. Currently there are no full residential acquisitions identified as part of the project; only commercial and industrial properties are identified for construction sites.
• While maximizing tunneling under public rights-of-way like Crenshaw Boulevard reduces the number of subsurface easements under these communities, some subsurface easements will be required. More detailed engineering would need to be undertaken to pursue further reductions in subsurface easements.
For this issue, during the public meetings and in written emails, a majority of residents favored options that would travel below public streets to minimize tunnels below residential neighborhoods, and strategies to preserve the neighborhood supermarket during construction. The alignment alternative that would best achieve these goals is the Crenshaw ROW alignment (Option 2) as described in the Report.
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
At the July 2025 Board meeting, the Board approved a methodology framework for a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) to be conducted on Metro capital projects at key milestones to support investment and funding decisions. The CBA methodology includes two related components: Weighted Benefits Analysis and Benefit-Cost Ratio. The KNE CBA, conducted in Winter 2025, found that the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment performed the best of the three alignments studied in the Draft EIR under the Weighted Benefits Analysis, which assigns 40% of the total score to mobility and accessibility benefits. The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment performed best largely due to having the highest ridership, greatest number of stations and most activity centers served. The Fairfax and La Brea alignments have a higher projected Benefit-Cost Ratio due to their high local and regional monetized benefits paired with lower capital and operational costs and shorter construction periods, which allow benefits to be delivered sooner than the San Vicente-Fairfax Alignment. The CBA results are further described in Attachment C.
Community Poll on Project Awareness and Support
In Winter 2025, Metro worked with a market research company to conduct a community poll (phone and online) with 800 residents in and around the project area to understand levels of awareness and support for the project. The poll found that approximately 36% of respondents were familiar with the project. A majority of respondents (over 90%) expressed support for the project and 69% support a connection to the Hollywood Bowl.
Staff Recommendation for Locally Preferred Alternative
The staff recommendation is based on findings from the Draft EIR and technical studies, capital cost estimates, constructability analysis, funding available, comments on the Draft EIR, stakeholder engagement, additional technical analysis and input from Mid-City communities after the Draft EIR, Metro’s Cost Benefit Analysis, and local commitments to pursue an EIFD per the Early Project Delivery Strategy. See Attachment D for map of the staff recommendation.
The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment provides the strongest mobility benefits of the alignments studied as it connects to the most activity centers and serves the highest numbers of jobs and residents with nine stations, including a station at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, one of the largest private employers in Los Angeles County, as well as the western edge of West Hollywood with access to the Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood Park and nightlife along Santa Monica Blvd and Sunset Blvd to the north. Similar to the Fairfax alignment, the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment serves the Museum District, Los Angeles Original Farmers Market, The Grove, and CBS Studios. These activity centers are not served by the La Brea alignment, which provides the fewest mobility benefits. The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment received significant support from community members as did the Fairfax alignment.
The San Vicente-Fairfax alignment is the only alignment studied with a local commitment to identify additional funding sources to support project costs. As discussed above, the City of West Hollywood has advocated for acceleration of the project since the passage of Measure M and invested local resources into studies to improve land use/transportation planning policies and studies to evaluate local funding and financing strategies (2019 and 2024) to generate revenues through the formation of an EIFD. The intent of the EIFD is to provide a new local source of funding to fund construction of the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment per the Early Project Delivery Strategy. The EIFD could help offset the higher cost of the San Vicente alignment compared to the Fairfax alignment, which also provides strong benefits. For these reasons, staff recommends the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment, contingent upon funding from a future EIFD as the LPA.
Within Mid-City, staff recommends an adjusted tunnel alignment, referred to as the Crenshaw ROW (Option 2) in the Mid-City Additional Alignment Analysis Report in response to the technical analysis and community input received to minimize tunneling below historic neighborhoods and provide opportunities to preserve the neighborhood supermarket at the proposed Midtown Crossing Station. The tunnels would travel below Crenshaw Blvd north of West Adams before turning northwest towards Venice Blvd and San Vicente Blvd. This route eliminates all 29 tunnel easements below Wellington Square and minimizes tunnel easements below Lafayette Square (estimated reduction from 29 to 22), a historic preservation overlay zone (HPOZ) and other neighborhoods. This alignment alternative also reduces the number of subsurface easements overall for the project. The staff recommendation also includes a commitment to work with the owner of the Midtown Crossing Shopping Center to preserve the opportunity to relocate the supermarket to an alternate location on acquired property adjacent to the Midtown Crossing construction site, prior to the start of construction. This would allow for the supermarket to continue operations during and after construction, serving nearby residential neighborhoods. Metro would continue to refine the Option 2 alignment and station plan with the intent of further reducing subsurface easements as part of further engineering, and prior to any Board approval of the project.
The Hollywood Bowl is recommended as the terminus of the LPA to connect riders to a major entertainment center in a highly congested area and provide an optimal construction staging site for the TBM as part of the final phase of construction.
Wilshire/Fairfax Initial Operating Segment (IOS)
As part of the LPA, when the project moves to the next stage of development, staff recommends including the IOS, as funding allows, which would serve 33,000 trips a day and bring riders to the heart of cultural destinations in the growing Museum District along Miracle Mile and connect people to office towers and dense residential neighborhoods along Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Avenue. While the ridership projections are the same connecting the E Line to the D Line at either Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Brea, travel projections show that more riders would use the K Line to travel from the south to the westside (via the D Line) and central parts of LA County.
Funding
The preliminary capital cost estimates range from $10.99B to $14.8B (in 2023$), which far exceed the funds identified in the Measure M Expenditure Plan ($2.24B of Measure M, other local, and state and federal funding in 2015$) and included in the Metro 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan and 2025 Short Range Transportation Plan. As such, Metro anticipates the need for additional federal, state, and local support if any of the Project alignments are pursued. Federal funding would require additional environmental clearance under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Entry into the NEPA process would not occur until after selection of an LPA, completion of the CEQA process, and direction from the Metro Board to pursue federal funding. The pursuit of additional funding will align with the Measure M schedule unless acceleration is approved by the Board at a future date, per the Early Project Delivery Strategy. Should acceleration be approved, the funding plan must not compete with the funding for other Metro projects, including the Pillar Projects, which are pursuing additional state and federal funding beyond what was assumed needed in the Measure M Expenditure Plan or 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The selection of an LPA will not impact the safety of Metro’s customers or employees.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget assigned funding to the project (No. 475558) for professional services, including support for technical analysis and community engagement in response to community concerns on the 2024 Draft EIR. Additional technical studies and community engagement, conducted between Fall 2024 to Winter 2026 have been completed. Further environmental review will be based on the Measure M schedule to begin construction in 2041, unless directed by the Board to accelerate.
Impact to Budget
Funding for this project comes from Measure M 35% Transit Capital, which is not eligible for bus and rail operations.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The Project would close a gap in the regional rail network, providing a rapid north/south rail connection from the South Bay to Hollywood, increasing access to employment, education, housing, and regional centers. The project will improve access for people living in Equity Focus Communities (EFCs), with 67% of trips projected to be made by low-income riders. It would also serve many people living in EFCs in areas such as West Adams, Mid-City, West Hollywood and Hollywood along the K Line Northern Extension and connect to the D and B Lines. Ridership data shows that the project would attract regional riders coming from the neighborhoods south of the project area, expanding access for people living in the South Bay, Inglewood, and South LA who want to access jobs in the central part of Los Angeles via the project.
To increase awareness of the Project and engage hard to reach groups who do not typically participate in community meetings, Metro circulated materials and notices in English and Spanish and held pop-up events at community events and transit rider intercepts at bus stops in the project area. In 2025, Metro focused on additional engagement with Mid-City communities to address concerns about historic inequities. As part of future stages of project development, Metro would expand partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) to help disseminate project information, advise on outreach methods, and engage a diverse set of project stakeholders as Metro advances the Project. Metro will build upon existing relationships established with project stakeholders and neighborhood groups, including historic Mid-City communities to help shape the next stages of community engagement, encourage greater participation and increase awareness of the project and key milestones. Furthermore, Metro is committed to expanding community outreach to include additional languages spoken in EFCs and beyond, and to ensuring meaningful connections with riders of all ages and abilities, including seniors, people with disabilities, and those with mobility challenges.
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 project supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through planning activities that will improve 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.
Metro conducted a preliminary analysis to show that the net effect of this project is to decrease VMT. The Draft EIR identifies that the project would help reduce auto use by approximately 127,500 to 135,500 VMT daily. This would help the region meet climate change goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and regional energy use.
*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 Project supports the following strategic plan goals identified in Vision 2028:
• Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling,
• Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity, and
• Goal 5: Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose to defer selection of an LPA and IOS. This is not recommended as it would delay community partners in their pursuit of forming an EIFD that could potentially produce additional funding and financing sources to support the Project.
The Board could select other alignments evaluated in the 2024 Draft EIR and 2025 Mid-City Additional Alignment Analysis as the LPA, the High Frequency Bus Alternative, or the No Project Alternative. The High Frequency Bus Alternative and No Project Alternative are not recommended as they do not meet the project needs and objectives to close a north/south gap in the regional rail network between the Metro E, D, and B Lines.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board approval of an LPA, staff will hold further environmental analysis and engineering while additional project funding is pursued to avoid creating premature liability exposure and uncertainty for potentially affected property owners.
Per the Early Project Delivery Strategy, multiple actions are needed for staff to recommend that the Metro Board consider acceleration, including demonstrating that project acceleration would not negatively impact other Measure M projects. Following the formation of a tax increment financing district through an EIFD and/or the commitment of additional local funds in an amount greater than 25% of the capital cost estimate, led by the City of West Hollywood in coordination with LA County, staff would return to the Metro Board to consider a project acceleration plan and next steps for environmental clearance and engineering. Acceleration requires two-thirds of the Metro Board members to vote in support to amend the schedule of funds in the Measure M Expenditure Plan and must not delay or negatively impact other projects.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Summary of Draft EIR Comments
Attachment B - Summary of 2025 Community Engagement
Attachment C - Metro Cost Benefit Analysis
Attachment D - Map of Staff Recommendation for LPA
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Roger Martin, Senior Manager, Mobility Corridors, (213) 922-3069
Cristina Ungureanu, Senior Manager, Mobility Corridors, (213)- 922-2507
Georgia Sheridan, Senior Director, Mobility Corridors, (213) 547-4255
Craig Hoshijima, Executive Officer, Strategic Financial Planning, (213) 547-4290
Dolores Roybal, Deputy Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development, (213) 922-3024
Allison Yoh, Senior Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development, (213) 922-4812
David Mieger, Senior Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development, (213) 922-3040
Mary Kohav, Manager, Community Relations, (213) 435-7982
Mark Dierking, Director, Community Relations, (213)922-2426
Anthony Crump, Executive Officer, Community Relations, (213) 418-3292
Reviewed_By
Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
