Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Solar - October 1, 2024
Los Angeles Light Rail Receives Federal Grant
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) signed an $893.3 million grant agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) to support the construction of a light rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard in the East San Fernando Valley.
The rail line will run 6.7 miles and received funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes funding for public transit. In a unique arrangement, a public-private partnership will design and support a solar power system to supply approximately 70% of the power for the maintenance and storage facility using clean energy, which will help lower operating costs for LA Metro, reduce GHG emissions and improve air quality.
"Traffic and air quality are two long standing challenges that Los Angeles has been working hard to fix – and today they're getting a big hand from the Biden-Harris administration through our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. "We're proud to award $893 million to help build a new light rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard that will reduce vehicle congestion, improve air quality, and provide residents an efficient and affordable to way to get where they need to go."
The line, phase 1 of the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, will improve mobility with a north-south connection between the communities of Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima. The project includes 11 stations, 33 light rail vehicles, and extensive street and sidewalk improvements along the route. The new light rail line will also link to LA Metro’s bus rapid transit G Line (Orange), Amtrak and the Metrolink Ventura County Line.
As the latest light rail line in LA Metro's growing transit network, the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Phase I will improve transit travel time and reliability and lessen congestion.
The federal support for the estimated $3.6 billion project comes from FTA's Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program.
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