Metro is beginning the environmental review phase for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, which will build a heavy rail line or monorail between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. A second phase will eventually be built to LAX.
As part of the environmental review, a formal public comment period will begin today, November 30, and will run through February 11, 2022. Metro encourages the public to submit comments on the project during this time — including any thoughts on the six alternatives under study (see below) and issues that Metro should consider during the environmental review.
An online presentation on the project is here .
Here’s how to submit comments:
Online Comment Form: https://bit.ly/SepulvedaCommentForm By mail: Peter Carter, Project Manager LA Metro One Gateway Plaza, 99-22-6 Los Angeles, CA 90012 By email: sepulvedatransit@metro.net By phone: 213.922.7375
Metro will also be holding three virtual meetings in the coming weeks. Each meeting will feature the same information.
Tuesday, December 7, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k9DENFCNQq-CLFneINXb_g
Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QEfrVMtZRFKYZqPVgz26wg
Saturday, January 22, 2022, 10 a.m. to Noon Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QwXtjBgbT8qR7-gO8nghzA
Planning on the project so far has resulted in six alternatives to be studied. Below are the details on each along with a legend that explains the lines on each map:
Alternative 1: Automated monorail that would be entirely aerial along the 405 corridor and the Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks with an electric bus shuttle to UCLA.
Southern terminus: E Line’s Expo/Sepulveda Station.
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Frequency: every two minutes during peak periods.
Train length/capacity: two to eight cars with an expected six cars during peak periods. Each car could carry up to 76 to 79 passengers
Route notes: 15.3 miles along the 405 corridor and Metrolink’s Ventura County Line tracks.
Stations: Eight aerial stations — near the E Line’s Exposition/Sepulveda Station, Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd (transfer to the D Line subway), Getty Center, US-101, G Line’s Sepulveda Station, Sherman Way and the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Connection to UCLA: At Wilshire Blvd, an aerial station would be located on the west side of the 405, and an electric bus shuttle would provide service along a 1.4-mile route between the Metro D Line’s Westwood/VA Station and UCLA Gateway Plaza, with intermediate stops at Wilshire Blvd/Veteran Avenue and Westwood Blvd/Le Conte Ave. The electric bus shuttle would operate at the same frequency as the monorail.
Maintenance and storage facilities: A maintenance and storage facility (MSF) for monorail vehicles would be located above the existing parking lot at the Metro G Line Sepulveda Station. Electric buses would be maintained at the existing UCLA BruinBus facility on Veteran north of Kinross Avenue.
Alternative 2: Automated monorail with aerial alignment along the 405 corridor and Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks with an aerial automated people mover connection to UCLA.
Southern terminus: E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station.
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Frequency: Every two minutes during peak periods.
Train length/capacity: Two to eight cars with six cars in peak periods. Each car could carry up to 76 to 79 passengers.
Route: about 15.8 miles along the 405 corridor— and the Metrolink Ventura County Line tracks.
Stations: Eight aerial stations at Exposition Blvd (Metro E Line), Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd (transfer to the D Line subway), the Getty Center, US-101, Metro G Line’s Sepulveda Station, Sherman Way and the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Connection to UCLA: A pedestrian bridge would run from the monorail station on the south side of Wilshire to an aerial Automated People Mover (APM) station on the north side of Wilshire. The APM would travel on a structure primarily along Gayley Avenue to an aerial station near the west end of Bruin Walk on the UCLA campus. The people mover would operate at the same frequency as the monorail.
Maintenance and storage facilities: The facility for monorail vehicles would be located above the existing parking lot at the G Line Sepulveda Station. The facility for people mover vehicles would be located above the existing UCLA BruinBus maintenance facility on Veteran Avenue north of Kinross Avenue.
Alternative 3: Automated monorail with aerial segment along the 405 corridor, an underground segment between Wilshire and Getty Center, then entirely aerial along the 405 and Van Nuys Metrolink Line railroad tracks.
Southern terminus: E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station.
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Frequency: Every two minutes during peak periods.
Train length/capacity: would consist of two to eight cars and are expected to consist of six cars during peak periods, with each car having a capacity of 76 to 79 passengers.
Route: About 16.2 miles that would run along the 405 south of Wilshire, including a 3.3-mile underground segment to serve UCLA, then back to an aerial structure along the 405 with an aerial segment along the Metrolink Ventura County Line tracks.
Stations: Eight aerial stations at Exposition Blvd (Metro E Line), Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd (Metro D Line), the Getty Center, US-101, the G Line’s Sepulveda Station, Sherman Way and the Van Nuys Metrolink Station. An underground station would be at UCLA’s Gateway Plaza.
Connection to UCLA: underground monorail station on campus.
Maintenance and storage facility: located above the existing parking lot at the Metro G Line Sepulveda Station.
Alternative 4: Heavy rail with underground segment south of Ventura Blvd and aerial alignment generally along Sepulveda Blvd in the San Fernando Valley.
Southern terminus: E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station
Train length/capacity: three cars with each car carrying up to 170 people. Trains could be expanded to four cars.
Frequency: 2.5 minutes in peak periods.
Route: About 14 miles. The line would be underground between the E Line and a portal south of Ventura Blvd in the San Fernando Valley. North of Ventura Blvd, the route would generally be located on an aerial structure above Sepulveda Blvd and the Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks.
Stations: Four underground stations at Exposition Blvd (Metro E Line), Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd (Metro D Line) and UCLA’s Gateway Plaza, and four aerial stations at Ventura Blvd, the G Line’s Sepulveda Station, Sherman Way and the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Connection to UCLA: an underground rail station would be on campus at Gateway Plaza.
Maintenance and storage facility: located west of Woodman Avenue and south of the Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks.
Alternative 5: Heavy rail with underground segment along Sepulveda Boulevard and an aerial stretch along the Metrolink Ventura County Line tracks in the San Fernando Valley.
Southern terminus: Metro E Line Expo/Sepulveda Station
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station
Train length/capacity: three cars with each car having a capacity of 170 people. Trains could be expanded to four cars.
Frequency: Planned peak hour frequencies of 2.5 minutes.
Route: About 14 miles and similar to Alternative 4 except the alignment along Sepulveda Blvd is also underground, and only aerial segment is along the Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks.
Stations: Seven underground stations at Exposition Blvd (Metro E Line), Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire Blvd (Metro D Line), UCLA’s Gateway Plaza, Ventura Blvd, the G Line’s Sepulveda Station and Sherman Way. One aerial station would be at the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Connection to UCLA: underground rail station on campus at Gateway Plaza.
Maintenance and storage facility: located west of Woodman Avenue and south of the Metrolink Ventura County Line railroad tracks.
Alternative 6: Heavy rail that would be entirely underground including along Van Nuys Blvd in the San Fernando Valley and with a southern terminus station on Bundy Drive next to the E Line on the Westside.
Southern terminus: E Line Expo/Bundy Station.
Northern terminus: Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Frequency: Planned peak hour frequencies of four minutes.
Train length capacity/length: would consist of two, four or six cars and are expected to consist of six cars during peak periods, with each car having a capacity of 133 passengers.
Route: about 14.6 miles with the segment on the Westside running generally northeast between the E Line Expo/Bundy Station and the UCLA campus. The segment in the San Fernando Valley would follow Van Nuys Blvd.
Stations: Seven underground stations at Olympic Bl (Metro E Line), Santa Monica Blvd (West LA Civic Center), Wilshire Blvd (Metro D Line), UCLA’s Gateway Plaza, Ventura Blvd, the G Line’s Van Nuys Station and the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
Connection to UCLA: an underground rail station on campus at Gateway Plaza.
Maintenance/storage facility: located east of Van Nuys Blvd and north of the Van Nuys Metrolink Station.
In March, the Metro Board awarded contracts to a two teams to do pre-development (PDA) work on two different potential types of transit the project. LA SkyRail Express is developing the proposed monorail alternatives 1 through 3 listed above while Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners (STCP) is developing alternatives 4 and 5.
Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation and other agency departments developed the PDA approach that is engaging two firms to develop multiple transit solutions for a complex and congested corridor. The PDA allows Metro to explore the possibility of the private sector investing in the project and taking responsibility for its success – while possibly lowering its cost and helping deliver a better overall project.
We also know that many of your have questions about other aspects of the project, including costs, property acquisitions and when key decisions will be made by the Metro Board of Directors. Please see this extensive Frequently Asked Questions.
The project is funded in part by Measure M, the transportation sales tax approved by 71 percent of L.A. County voters in 2016. The Measure M funding plan includes $5.7 billion for the Valley-Westside segment and $3.8 billion for the Westside-LAX segment.
Metro’s funding plans include assumptions of federal, state, and local revenue — including discretionary grants that Metro must secure through a competitive process. The $1-trillion Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act signed by President Biden earlier this month could potentially supply funds for this project, as could the $2.2-trillion Build Back Better bill that was approved by the House of Representatives in November and is now before the U.S. Senate.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
Tagged as: alternatives, Bechtel, Build Back Better bill, D Line, draft environmental impact report/statement, E Line, Environmental Review, Expo Line, funding, heavy rail, infrastructure bill, Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act, LA SkyRail Express, Measure M, Measure R, monorail, OEI, Office of Extraordinary Innovation, planning, predevelopment agreement, public comment, public-private partnership, Purple Line Extension, routes, San Fernando Valley, scoping, Sepulveda Transit Corridor, STCP, subway, UCLA, Van Nuys, Westside, Westwood
No to Monorail! It is inferior in every way when actually measuring apples to apples. The LA people aren’t stupid enough to get caught up in marketing tactics.
Option 6 seems the best. Lets invest in infrastructure and stop cutting corners already.
A stop at UCLA is essential for students, faculty, staff, and people who would like to work at UCLA but cannot afford to get there (equity issue solved). Also, please be sure there is sufficient and free parking for those who would not ride a bike or wait for a bus to get to the train station to get to the destination to get to a bus to get to their actual destination. Thank you
Option 6 or bust. This is the most congested stretch of highway in the country we can’t afford to cut corners
Is there an exact location for the required “UCLA Gateway Station?”
There are many needed questions on why monorail? It makes no sense as clearly posted by others. Since this is Los Angeles, with a City Hall regularly visited by the FBI, the question is who is on the fix?
The ridiculous monorail issue could easily lose supporters if the heavy rail trains were constructed to look like a monorail train like the ones in Disneyland.
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