File #: 2025-0931   
Type: Motion / Motion Response Status: Passed
File created: 10/16/2025 In control: Executive Management Committee
On agenda: 10/16/2025 Final action: 10/23/2025
Title: APPROVE Motion by Hahn, Dutra and Solis that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to: A. Collaborate with BNSF to explore any other alternative solutions for rail storage that may have fewer impacts, while still meeting their operational needs; B. Convene meetings with BNSF and the City of Vernon to secure written commitments, where possible, that include: 1. Limiting future rail operations to non-peak or nighttime hours; 2. Ensuring any increased train activity stays below a mutually agreed-upon threshold; 3. Capping train lengths at levels acceptable to both the City of Vernon and BNSF; C. Coordinate with BNSF and California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), as the NEPA lead agency, to consider reaching an agreement to implement and operate this mitigation measure in the City of Vernon after the elimination of tracks at the West Bank Yard; D. Continue collaboration with the City of Vernon and the Vernon Chamber of Commerce to incorporate design strategies and mitig...
Sponsors: Board of Directors - Regular Board Meeting
Indexes: Business Interruption Fund, California High Speed Rail, California High Speed Rail Authority, Commerce, Gateway Cities (Southeast LA County) Service Sector, Gateway Cities subregion, Huntington Park, Link Union Station, Los Angeles Union Station, Metro Rail A Line, Metro Rail B Line, Metro Rail D Line, Mitigation, Motion / Motion Response, Project, Southeast Gateway Line, Vernon
Related files: 2025-0805
Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 16, 2025

Preamble
Motion by:

DIRECTORS HAHN, DUTRA, AND SOLIS

Malabar Yard Mitigations and Continued Collaboration Motion

The Malabar Yard Project is a component of the broader Link Union Station expansion, which aims to upgrade Los Angeles Union Station and accommodate anticipated increases in passenger rail demand and improve rail service for communities across Los Angeles County. The full build out of the project includes the addition of eight new tracks, a wider concourse, and long-overdue platform modifications. These changes are intended to support future regional rail initiatives, such as the D Line Extension, the Southeast Gateway Line, and the California High-Speed Rail project.

To make space for these improvements, the BNSF West Bank Yard must be repurposed for passenger rail and shared infrastructure. This change will remove freight rail storage tracks at that BNSF West Bank location, and to offset that loss, Metro and the California High-Speed Rail Authority have proposed improvements at BNSF's Malabar Yard in the City of Vernon. While these improvements are necessary for the broader project, they will also bring real impacts to local businesses in Vernon. Some businesses are concerned about added rail traffic affecting circulation and operations, while others face partial or full land acquisitions. The proposal also requires City of Vernon approval of new at-grade crossings and partial acquisition of a public street. Metro has already committed to nearly $25 million in mitigation measures for traffic monitoring and mobility improvements in the City of Vernon, but Many business owners and community members who live, work, and attend school in Vernon still worry that additional train movements to and from the Los Angeles Junction Railway will compound congestion, delay emergency response, and increase air emissions and noise throughout the city.

Moreover, the Malabar Yard is located ...

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