Metro considering rapid bus line in northern San Fernando Valley

Los Angeles’s network of train and rapid bus lines has expanded immensely since the Blue Line opened in 1990. But there’s still one area the growing transit network has scarcely touched: the northern part of the San Fernando Valley. But that could soon change, as Metro’s Board of Directors considers a possible rapid bus line stretching east to west through Northridge and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The possible new route was first proposed in June of last year in a motion that stipulated that environmental review of the project should begin no later than six months after the passage of Measure M. If all goes according to schedule, the new line could open by 2023, though it’s not at all clear yet what its route will look like.

The main focus of the project is serving the California State University Northridge campus, which generates over 200,000 weekly car trips, according to the motion. With the popular Orange Line rapid bus transforming transit in the southern part of the Valley, the project would also bring new commuting options to an area lacking in high-capacity service.

Meanwhile, a transit project in the eastern part of the valley is one of many scheduled to be funded by Measure M in the coming years. The corridor will be served by either rapid bus or light rail and will run north to south, connecting the Orange Line station in Van Nuys with the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station. The project is slated for completion in 2027.

• Here are the “shovel ready” projects Measure M will fund first [Curbed LA]
• Streetcar Out, Light Rail or Busway In for Van Nuys Boulevard [Curbed LA]
• Measure M: Angelenos vote to tax themselves for better public transit [Curbed LA]
• An ode to the Valley before it changes [Curbed LA]