Construction is set to begin early next year on the first light rail project completely within the San Fernando Valley: Metro’s $4 billion East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Project connecting Van Nuys with Pacoima.
The 6.7-mile route will run at street level on Van Nuys Boulevard from the Van Nuys Metrolink station on the south, through Panorama City and Arleta to a new mobility hub at San Fernando Road in Pacoima.
The project calls for 11 new center-platform rail stations along the route and a 26-acre maintenance yard at the northeastern edge of Van Nuys that will service up to 33 trains.
In August, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro, awarded the $1.9 billion main-phase construction contract to a joint venture of Stockholm-based Skanska and Alameda-based Stacy and Witbeck Inc.
The two companies have already teamed up on design and pre-construction work, including utility relocations.
Construction is expected to take roughly five years, wrapping up at the end of 2031.
“Once completed, the project will significantly improve both the local and regional travel needs of the large transit-dependent population living in the Valley,” a Metro spokesman says in a statement. “It will connect future riders to Metrolink, Metro G Line stations, and other popular destination points along Van Nuys Boulevard.”
Finally, a rail project
The project has been a long time coming for many in the San Fernando Valley business community who have pushed for rail transit. Some were disappointed that rail did not come sooner, especially with the G Line (formerly called the Orange Line) running east-west through the Valley and connecting with the B Line (formerly the Red Line). The line was originally planned as rail, but opposition in some quarters – which resulted in a state ban on rail construction along the route – and Metro’s fiscal constraints forced a switch to a dedicated busway.
The line opened in 2005 and since then has generally met or exceeded Metro’s ridership projections. In recent years, Metro has put the conversion of the line to rail in its long-term transportation plans.
Once the Orange Line opened, Metro turned its attention to placing an at-grade rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard, one of the busiest corridors in the San Fernando Valley that also goes through neighborhoods with large transit-dependent populations. The final environmental impact report was approved in 2020. The report included an option to extend the route northwest to the Sylmar Metrolink station, but that has been set aside pending the securing of additional funds. The broader business community has been generally supportive of the project.
“When built, it will not only serve as a major north-south transit spine; it will improve travel times on one of the busiest corridors in the county,” says Coby King, transportation committee chair and board treasurer for the Valley Industry and Commerce Association.
“VICA believes that it will help transform and revitalize the Van Nuys Boulevard corridor and attract significant investment to the area,” King adds.
Business relocations, assistance
But the project has faced opposition from some businesses along the route, including some that faced relocation and others concerned about construction impacts. According to a January 2024 Business Journal article, 85% of respondents to a survey of 55 area businesses conducted by the Initiating Change in Our Neighborhoods Community Development Corp. said they believed that light rail construction would negatively impact their businesses.
Over the last four years, Metro officials have worked to assuage those fears, setting up a Business Interruption Fund to help offset negative construction impacts. As of mid-September, roughly 100 small businesses have received a total of 158 grants worth a collective $4.1 million, Metro officials say.
In addition, 69 businesses have had to relocate their operations, mostly to make way for the maintenance facility at the northeastern edge of Van Nuys.
Some have accepted Metro’s initial offers of 20% above fair market value and voluntarily relocated. Those that have not left voluntarily have faced eminent domain proceedings from Metro.
A Metro spokesman says the agency has spent nearly four years reaching out to impacted businesses along the route.
“One important lesson Metro has learned from previous rail construction projects is the importance of engaging the community early and proactively communicating construction plans, potential impacts, and available business resources,” the spokesman says in a statement. “Building on that experience, our team began outreach in 2022 – well before major construction – to establish relationships with businesses, provide advance information, and connect them with available mitigation programs before impacts occurred.”
King, of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, says that for the most part, the organization has been satisfied with Metro’s response to impacted businesses.
“All major capital projects come with disruptions, and VICA is generally satisfied with Metro’s efforts to minimize the pain and with the business interruption fund programs,” King says. “Things can always be better, but VICA finds Metro to be responsive and open to suggestions on improvements.”