East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor

The East San Fernando Light Rail Transit Project (formerly the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project) is a proposed light rail transit corridor in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley, running on a north/south route along Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road.[1] Metro selected its preferred route as light rail without tunneling, "Alternative Six". The final Environmental Impact Report is currently in progress and the light rail line is scheduled for construction in 2022 with a completion of 2028.[2]

East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor
Overview
Status	Planned
Locale	San Fernando Valley
Termini	Sylmar/San Fernando station Van Nuys station
Stations	14
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Metro
History
Planned opening	2028
Technical
Line length	9.2 mi (14.8 km)
Number of tracks	2
Character	median-running at grade
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC overhead catenary
Route map Metrolink to Lancaster Sylmar/San Fernando Maclay Pacoima Wash SR 118 Paxton Van Nuys/San Fernando Laurel Canyon I-5 Arleta Pacoima Diversion Channel Woodman Nordhoff Roscoe ( planned) Saticoy Street Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor to the E Line (planned) Pacoima Wash Sherman Way Vanowen Victory Van Nuys    Detailed diagram Metrolink to Lancaster Sylmar/San Fernando Maclay Pacoima Wash SR 118 Paxton San Fernando Road Sylmar/San Fernando Van Nuys Boulevard Laurel Canyon I-5 Arleta Pacoima Diversion Channel Woodman PE San Fernando Nordhoff ( planned) Roscoe Saticoy Street Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor to the E Line (planned) maintenance and storage yard Pacoima Wash PE Owensmouth Sherman Way Vanowen Victory Van Nuys Boulevard    Van Nuys PE Owensmouth

The project is being planned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). The line has been given high priority by Metro in its long range plan, and funding for the project is included in Measure R and Measure M.[3][4] The project's timeline was accelerated under the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.[5]

In June 2018, Metro staff recommended the corridor be built as an at-grade rail line, making it a part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system.[1] In December 2020, Metro approved the Final EIR with the option to build the rail line in segments.[6]

Overview

Rail system map included in the official 1980 Proposition A election pamphlet – the corridor is seen at the upper left

The northern end of the proposed line is Sylmar/San Fernando Station, providing a connection to the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line, and the southern end would be the G Line's Van Nuys Station.[7] An important intermdiary stop would be at the currently existing Van Nuys Metrolink and Amtrak station, where passengers could transfer to the Ventura County Line, Amtrak routes, and the proposed Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor to the Westside. The Metro staff recommendation included 14 stations for the 9.2-mile (14.8 km) line.[8]

The Pacific Electric San Fernando Line ran a north-south line between Downtown Los Angeles and San Fernando, partially on Van Nuys Avenue, from 1911 to 1952 before being dismantled and converted to bus service. The project route was portrayed in the project map included in the 1980 Proposition A documentation. Metro Rapid bus lines that serve the route as of 2020 are route 744 on Van Nuys Boulevard and route 794 on San Fernando Road, with additional Metro Local lines supplementing both. Planning for the line will take into consideration other major planned infrastructure projects, including a Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor rail link and the conversion of the G Line from bus rapid transit to light rail.

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was completed and released in September 2017,[9] and the final clearance was granted by the Federal Transit Administration in February 2021.[10]

History

Six initial alternatives were developed during the environmental review process:[9]

DEIR Alternative	Description	New trips[11]	Estimated cost (billions)[11]
Alternative 1	No build	N/A	N/A
Alternative 2	Transportation system management	N/A	N/A
Alternative 3	Curb-running bus rapid transit (BRT)	30,900	$0.294
Alternative 4	Median-running BRT	31,500	$0.402
Alternative 5	Median-running light rail transit (LRT) with low-floor vehicles	35,800	$1.3
Alternative 6	Median-running LRT with high platform stations and some underground portions	47,400	$2.79

Route Selection: Alternative Six

In June 2018, Metro staff recommended a modified version of Alternative 6, using high-floor light rail vehicles like those on other Metro Rail lines but entirely on the street and entirely at-grade. The underground section between Sherman Way and Roscoe stations was eliminated, due to high costs of tunneling.[12]

Metro approved the project with $1.3 billion in funds, initiating the final EIR. The northern terminus will be the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station. The light rail train will run southeast for two and a half miles on San Fernando Road to Van Nuys Boulevard. It then heads south on Van Nuys Boulevard for five miles (8.0 km) reaching the Van Nuys Metrolink station. Its southern terminus will be the Van Nuys G Line station near L.A.'s Van Nuys City Hall two miles (3.2 km) further south.[13]

Phase	Station	City/Neighborhood	Connecting services[14]
Phase Two	Sylmar/San Fernando	Sylmar	Metrolink: Antelope Valley
	Maclay	San Fernando
	Paxton	Pacoima
Phase One	Van Nuys/San Fernando
	Laurel Canyon
	Arleta	Arleta
	Woodman
	Nordhoff	Panorama City
	Roscoe		Possible future interchange with North San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor
	Saticoy Street Van Nuys Metrolink/Amtrak	Van Nuys	Connection to Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner & Coast Starlight, Metrolink: Ventura County Possible future terminus of the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor[15]
	Sherman Way
	Vanowen
	Victory
	Van Nuys		Connection to  G Line

Construction

The line is planned to be built in two phases: the first running from the Van Nuys G Line station to San Fernando Road with the remaining segment to be completed later.[10][16] Groundbreaking is scheduled for early 2022 with operations anticipated to begin in 2028.[2] Funds are being acquired, with $800 million coming from measure M, $200 million from SB1 gas tax, and $200 million from other state-level sources.[17]

References

1. Chiland, Elijah (28 June 2018). "Metro greenlights new light rail line in the San Fernando Valley". CurbedLA. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
2. "Public comment begins on L.A. Metro's FEIS/R for LRT project between Van Nuys and San Fernando". Mass Transit. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
3. "East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor". www.metro.net. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
4. "Draft EIS/EIR". www.metro.net. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
5. Sharp, Steven (27 November 2018). "Here are the 28 Projects that Metro Could Complete Before the 2028 Olympics". Urbanize. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
6. Sotero, Dave (2020-12-03). "Metro Board approves Final EIR for East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project". The Source. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
7. https://media.metro.net/projects_studies/east_sfv/images/deis-deir/esfv_DEIS-DEIR.pdf
8. https://metro.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=6314912&GUID=484B7881-44C3-41E1-B728-9D7CAA8B6085
9. "The East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor: Rendered". Urbanize LA. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
10. "FTA environmentally clears L.A. Metro's East San Fernando Valley light-rail transit project" (Press release). Mass Trasnit. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
11. "East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Takes Another Step Towards Reality". Urbanize LA. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
12. Hymon, Steve (16 June 2018). "Metro staff recommends building light rail between Van Nuys and Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station". metro.net. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
13. "L.A. Metro Board Approves Light Rail for East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project". www.MassTransitMag.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
14. "Bus and Rail System Map" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
15. Hymon, Steve (29 January 2019). "Here are the four new refined concepts for Sepulveda Transit Corridor". metro.net. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
16. "East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project Now Eligible For Federal Funding". MyNewsLA.com. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
17. Sharp, Steven (18 June 2018). "Metro Staff Recommends Light Rail for Van Nuys Boulevard". Urbanize LA. Retrieved 27 August 2020.

External links

• Official website