One of LA’s most anticipated new train lines will open a little later than expected.
Metro officials confirmed Thursday that the Crenshaw/LAX Line won’t start carrying riders until the summer of 2020. It had been scheduled to begin service in fall 2019.
Metro’s chief program management officer, Richard Clarke, told the agency’s construction committee in September that the contractor building the project, Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors, was running months behind schedule.
Construction of the tracks and structures supporting them is moving along, but Clarke said that electric work is taking longer than expected.
A report from staffers presented to the committee Thursday sheds a little more light on the delay. It indicates that the project is 87.5 percent complete and that the agency is working with Walsh/Shea to speed things up.
Metro spokesperson Jose Ubaldo says that construction is expected to wrap up in December 2019. After that, safety testing and training for light rail operators will take place, lasting four to six months.
Major construction on the project started in 2014.
When it does open to the public, the 8.5-mile train line will travel from the intersection of Exposition and Crenshaw boulevards down through Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, Hyde Park, and Inglewood—meeting up with the Green Line south of LAX.
Eventually, riders will be able to get on and off at a station now under construction at 96th Street, where they can transfer to or from a people mover system serving the airport.
The line is also scheduled to be extended into the West Hollywood area by 2047, though local officials are working to speed up that timeline.
- Construction on Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Line months behind schedule [Curbed LA]
- Fly through the Metro station connecting LAX to light rail [Curbed LA]
- Rail to West Hollywood inching closer to reality [Curbed LA]
Comments
Once again our government leaders have failed us! They continue to shell important projects like the Crenshaw LAX line with fewer dollars to pay more workers to hurry this onward! Why will it take ’til 2048 to get the Crenshaw Line to West Hollywood? Look at the Chinese! And India! They can build skyscrapers in a matter of weeks! They know how to prioritize money for what matters! Sitting on congested freeways, and city streets is not a good quality of life?
By KirkGaw on 11.16.18 10:38am
Geez, dude, get a grip. Ever seen Chinese or Indian construction standards? The Chinese government has the "luxury" of being obscenely corrupt and – for the purposes of constructing rail lines – issue eminent domain decrees to citizens and their homes in the way of grand construction projects. Imagine just bulldozing your new rail line without needing community input, dialogue or even a permit!
By Cleavon Little on 11.16.18 10:52am
Somewhere in between these two extremes would be great…less regulation and red tape enough to be safe but not overkill which we have now..
By Honest Bruin on 11.16.18 10:55am
"Imagine just bulldozing your new rail line without needing community input, dialogue or even a permit!"
Imagine having important projects suffer endless delays and cost increases because of unnecessary red tape and NIMBY lawsuits at every turn. Surely there’s a happy medium ’twixt the two.
By disqusted on 11.16.18 12:05pm
Just so you are aware, the delays were really caused by LADWP not relocating their power lines in a timely manner at the beginning of this project. That delayed Walsh/Shea from starting the electrical work.
So this isn’t really about a project being underfunded or not enough workers to complete it on time. It’s about a government partner not doing what they were supposed to do, which held-up the project.
By I Like Buildings on 11.16.18 11:56am
They sure found time to raise utility rates though.
By disqusted on 11.16.18 12:06pm
The supremely incompetent DWP strikes again!
By Renter's Rage on 11.16.18 4:32pm
Great info.
By wildfire1872k5 on 11.16.18 4:39pm
Chinese projects suffer setbacks too.
Even spending $50 billion dollars on the 2008 Olympics, the 3 subway lines planned for Beijing were all delayed. Line 8 only had 3 stations open for the Olympics, line 10 was less than half finished, and Line 4 didn’t open till 2009.
Not having a free press combined with your inability to read Chinese, mean you have no clue how far behind their projects get, or how over budget they become.
By RXBXUXNX on 11.20.18 2:01pm
2047, huh? Fair bet I’ll be dead by then. Wow.
By LosFeliz$ean on 11.17.18 12:25am
Weird that Metro has never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever been correct with their time lines.
On any project.
Ever.
By John Smart on 11.17.18 7:28am
They were on the Gold line segment to East L.A. I think they were even under budget and on time.
By mrxman on 11.19.18 6:01pm
Repeal measure M! Stop subsidizing Metro for the only 25% of LA that uses it. It was advertised to reduce traffic, yet traffic is getting worse and some ppl just want to build more housing near the lines which will again make traffic worse. We pay enough taxes for LA to pay for our roads and services. Extra taxes isn’t needed. Make our city leader bums work at being efficient.
By Constituents on 11.17.18 9:36am
25 percent is a really generous number too.
By LAwastheplace on 11.18.18 5:44pm
"traffic is getting worse and some ppl just want to build more housing near the lines which will again make traffic worse. "
How will housing near public transportation make traffic worse?
Also: there is no fix to traffic. There has always been traffic, there will always be traffic.
By Greyvagabond on 11.20.18 8:32am
Lets use the red line as an example. The housing being built along the red line mostly consists of expensive apartments/condos rented/bought by people who have never used metro and will never do so. All the apartments in Hollywood next to the Hollywood/Vine station are 3k+, have parking for the tenants, and have paid parking for tourists. These people never go metro. They drive or use Uber. It has made the traffic worse around the Pantages. Its the same story around Hollywood/Western as well. Unless you build low income housing with no parking traffic gets worse and ridership on the metro stays flat or goes down. This is moronic. If you can afford to fly you will take Uber. Who in their right mind is bringing their luggage and family and kids on this train? It takes hours and involves 3-4 trains and a people mover? Guarantee the people who designed and approved this have never taken metro and never will. What a waste of money.
By pwm34 on 11.20.18 9:30am
Over budget and behind schedule as usual.
But blame Nimbys
By LAwastheplace on 11.17.18 3:57pm
It’s actually still on budget
By RXBXUXNX on 11.19.18 12:57pm
A six month delay is not uncommon in big multi-year infrastructure construction.
By mrxman on 11.19.18 6:05pm
Since it’s delayed, the neighborhood could use some cleaning up and getting rid of more of the people who destroyed the neighborhood. Gentrification full force, let’s go!! Make Baldwin Hills Great Again!
By FloridianCA on 11.26.18 9:36am