The Westside subway extension, which would bring Metro's Purple Line from its current Wilshire/Western terminus to Westwood, got what some are hailing as a "major step" closer to some big federal funding. California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer made a joint announcement today, urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to okay a $641 million federal loan for the project. more ›

Tonight marks the next step in Metro's plans for a subway to the sea, as they hold public meetings to inform stakeholders and the general public about progress on the purple line extension. In the works is a proposed expansion of the line from its current stopping point at Wilshire and Western, to the Veteran's Hospital in West LA, reports KPCC. more ›

There's waiting for the train, and then there's waiting for the train line to be built. The wait for the "Subway to the Sea" line connecting Downtown to the Westside may have been shortened yesterday after the Federal Transit Administration granted Los Angeles "approval for preliminary engineering work," on the light rail line, according to an AP report published by Bloomberg. more ›

It's hard to call the Westside Subway Extension project the "Subway to the Sea" if it's only slated to go as far as Westwood. With the expensive, massive, long-term project being funded and built in increments, we're already going to have to wait until 2036 (quick, do the math, add 25 years to your current age) to be able to get off the train at the VA. more ›

Yesterday's vote approving a route for the 9 1/2 mile Westside Subway Extension was historic, but there's still a lot of work to do and a few questions to be answered. Following the news, Metro put together this map (above) detailing the route and portions where decisions still have to be made. more ›

It's been on and off, delayed, banned and fought over for decades, but it has finally happened. The Metro Board of Directors this morning unanimously approved extending the Purple Line 9.5 miles to just past the 405 Freeway. It was one of five alternatives to choose from -- others included a West Hollywood spur and taking the subway all the way to Santa Monica. more ›

Today is a big day for Los Angeles. The Metro Board will vote on two key decisions about public transit in Los Angeles. One is about the Regional Connector in downtown -- a 1.9 mile light-rail route in downtown that will connect the Expo Line to Eastside Gold Line Extension and the Gold and Blue lines -- and the Westside Subway. more ›

Transit planners at Metro today released their recommendations (.pdf) for the Westside Subway extension, and for many, the preferred alternative is no surprise. A nine-mile route from Koreatown to the Veteran's Administration, just west of the 405 Freeway, was chosen, but preference for some hotly debated sections, such as tunneling under Beverly Hills, were carried forward for further study. Ultimately, the decision will be in the hands of Metro's Board of Directors, who are expected to decide upon the issue at their October 28th meeting. more ›

TRANSIT FIGHT!!!! In this corner, MTA's Subway-To-The-Sea, a proposed Westside expansion offering future options for future drives to opt out of their autos and into a 25 minute train trip from Union Station to UCLA. In the other corner, LA Weekly and their $9 billion rip off story... more ›

Just as Metro did for the regional connector, Metro today released the draft environmental report for the Westside Subway Extension, the proposed project that would extend the Purple Line down Wilshire Boulevard and possibly add a spur in West Hollywood. more ›

There's still a long way to go on these projects, but they took a big step this week. The Federal Transit Administration last week signed off on Metro's draft environmental documents for the Westside Subway Extension and downtown's Regional Connector. more ›

For the past few weeks, Metro has been "unscientifically gauging" the public on where a few key stations should be located for the Westside Subway. The latest poll focuses on a Westwood Station, which will likely be the busiest station in the system with some 14,300 boardings a day. more ›

More details are coming out about Tuesday's Westside Subway Extension meeting in Beverly Hills. Well over one hundred residents came out, many of them in opposition of a proposed route that would connect a Rodeo Drive station to the middle of Century City. Although residents support the subway, there are fears of what tunneling under homes and schools would do, such as earthquake danger, vibration, noise and other issues. more ›

A Westside Subway Extension proposal to put a station in the middle of Century City has made some Beverly Hills homeowners irate. It's not about having a station two-tenths of a mile further away than originally proposed -- it was to place a station at the edge of Century City -- but about how that station would mean digging underneath their homes. more ›

Tonight, residents of homes and condominiums in Westwood and Century City who may be affected by construction for the Westside's "Subway to the Sea" will have an opportunity to hear "how homes, businesses, water lines and other structures will be protected" during the course of the drilling for the project, according to the Daily News. more ›

Curbed LA attended Wednesday night's scoping meeting about adding an additional stop to plans for the Westside Subway Extension. Public comments ranged the gamut, from it's absolutely needed to hell no. Curbed's conclusion seems right on: "If we were betting bloggers, we'd have to say Metro will skip a Crenshaw staton. The ridership isn't quite there, the density can't be changed, it's cheaper to build the line without it, and you have wealthy homeowners adamantly against the stop." more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaragisoa sat before a Senate committee this morning in Washington D.C. and laid out his case to bring billions to Los Angeles in transportation money. And it's not free money he's looking for, it's a loan of up to $40 billion that would be paid back over the next 30 years from Measure R, the 2008 voter-approved sales tax increase. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is in Washington D.C. and spent yesterday lobbying the feds and congress about the "Subway to the Sea." He wants it built in 10 years, but local funding could not support that timeline. However, in about 30 years, thanks to half-cent sales tax generated by Measure R, the funding will be there. more ›

When the Obama Administration yesterday released the list of transit projects set for federal funding, Los Angeles was missing. Hartford Connecticut and Oakland received funds for bus rapid transit. San Francisco got some dough for a subway. Other rail funding went to Hawaii, Minnesota and Colorado. Even San Bernardino and Riverside were funded for projects (see the full list here). more ›

A Chinese bank is has agreed to loan $7 billion to help build a high speed train between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, according to the Las Vegas Sun, via Curbed LA. That's great, but there are hurdles, including the fact that the line was not funded in the latest round of stimulus money, in which California received $2.25 billion. However, if it does become a reality, Las Vegas will truly become L.A.'s far flung suburb. But, hey, Chinese bankers, what about some funding for the subway to the sea? Huh? more ›

Next week, Metro will begin doing seismic tests in some Westside neighborhoods as they prepare to build the "Subway to the Sea" project, reports the agency's blog. Work will begin Monday and last for four nights. more ›

No one wants to wait 30 years for the much needed transit projects currently being planned. As voters, we've already approved Measure R, which increased our sales tax, to help pay for major transit infrastructure, but that's not enough if we want more trains now (or really soon). That's why the City Council has asked the proposed National Infrastructure Development Bank to advance money to Metro for the Westside Subway and other Measure R projects, according to the Daily News. Of course, that bank needs to become a reality first. more ›

$77.6 million from the federal government is sought by Metro and two members of congress to fund preliminary engineering for the westside subway and the regional connector. Both Rep. Diane Watson and Rep. Henry Waxman have written letters in support of Metro obtaining the money, despite a coalition of 14 others who rather see the money go elsewhere. $77.6 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the total costs of these projects, but Metro sees it as a "crucial test," as Metro puts it: "Do the projects meet the [Federal Transit Administration's] requirements for funding? And does the FTA want to find a way to get L.A. County — the nation’s most populous county — into the New Starts program?" their blog asks. more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tomorrow is expected to announce his plans in building support for something he calls the "30/10" push to accelerate Measure R transit projects--the voted in half cent sales tax increase--from being completed in 30 years to 10 years. more ›

A warning, of sorts, came from a delegation of local members of congress today. Two mainstream media headlines begin to the tell the story. From this morning, the Pasadena Star News: 14 SoCal congressional leaders call for prioritizing Gold Line And this afternoon from the LA Times: Mayor's effort to fast-track Westside subway faces challenge more ›

A series of public meetings about the Crenshaw Corridor (you know, a train from Wilshire Blvd. to LAX) have ended, but there still plenty of planning (and dreaming) to be had for public transit in the Los Angeles region. From bicycling to bus lanes to subways, here's a wrap-up of meetings that remain this month. more ›

Is this normal for life after the passage of Measure R or is Metro trying to make transit nerds go crazy? Metro today announced the sixth, yes, the sixth public meeting about transit taking place this month. Projects seeking community input include the bicycle draft master plan (this one is actually under the jurisdiction of LADOT), bus lanes on Wilshire Blvd., the Crenshaw corridor to LAX, the Harbor corridor, the Rosa Parks station and now the Westside Subway Extension. more ›

The Metro board yesterday directed staff to apply for federal grants in hopes of capturing start-up money for the a subway to UCLA and a the regional connector in downtown. more ›

A straw poll posted within a Daily News story today is asking readers if they would use the "subway to the sea" of not. So far, with only around 200 votes as of this writing, it's a split vote. Earlier today, the poll indicated losing results for subway ridership. Posting to his Facebook page, former LA Times transportation reporter Steve Hymon notes that "if most of those readers are from the Valley (perhaps a dubious presumption), it's impressive that 48% would ride." more ›

The current timetable has the first subway trains hitting the Westwood/UCLA area by 2036. Buy then, we might all be in flying cars, jet packs or just working from home instead of commuting. Frustrated with the timeline for a project that in theory could take five years if funded upfront, Villaraigosa called for the Westside Extension to be completed by the time he was 66, or 10 years from now, reports the LA Times. "I’m 56 now,” he said. “We are here today to make sure that it gets built before I am 66.” He wants local government agencies to put their aside and work together to get it expedited. He's been a staunch supporter of the Subway to the Sea concept, but that language has since been dropped. Still, he's fighting very hard to hit Westwood/UCLA in much speedier timeline than proposed. more ›