Metro Purple Line Extension Coming Soon(ish)

As metro continues to work tirelessly to expand the existing railway system in Los Angeles, the much anticipated Metro Purple Line Extension is underway with a final expected completion date in 2035.  The current Purple Line (pictured below) connects downtown to the Wishire/Western intersection.  The extension, pictured above, will extend that line to Westwood, just west of UCLA and the 405.

The extension is being built in three sections.  The first section will connect the Wilshire/Western station to Wilshire/La Cienega and will add three stations to the existing line.  The expected completion date for the first section is in 2023.  The second section will connect the new Wilshire/La Cienega through Beverly Hills to Century City/Constellation, adding another two stations.  The expected completion date for the second section is in 2025.  The third and final section will connect the Century City/Constellation station to the VA Hospital in Westwood, adding two more stops, including a stop at UCLA.  The expected completion date for the third section is in 2026.  The goal is to have the Metro Purple Line Extension projected completed prior to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.  Additional information concerning the project can be found at the Metro website, linked here.

However, the extension has not been without controversy.  The city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Unified School District filed a lawsuit in 2012 to attempt to stop the project, asserting that Metro had not conducted proper environmental studies and failed to conduct proper transit hearings.  That case was dismissed, and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal in August of 2017.  In January of 2018, the Beverly Hills Unified School District filed another lawsuit, again alleging that additional environmental studies are necessary.  That lawsuit is yet to be resolved.

With plans to complete the first section rapidly approaching in 2023, and construction already underway, it appears that Los Angelenos will have yet another public transit option available to them.  Whether it has the desired impact on traffic and congestion that we are all hoping for is still an open question.

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