LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
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.
LA Times columnist Steve Lopez takes on the topic, bemoaning the fact that it's not likely that in his lifetime he can get on a subway in Los Feliz with his beach gear and hop off in the sand, ready to take on the Pacific's waves.
Lopez points out a classic Los Angeles transit fail parallel: "We've got a train to the airport that doesn't go all the way to the airport, so why not a train to the ocean that barely makes it to the marine layer?"
What could speed things up to get Lopez and the rest of us subway enthusiastic Angelenos to a 1/2 mile from UCLA sooner? If Mayor Villaraigosa's 30/10 plan gets funded, the subway could reach the VA by 2019. That's still not getting us any closer to having an actual Subway to the Sea. While the politicians and planners plot the next steps, for those wishing to take Metro to the water's edge, you aren't completely SOL; the Metro 720 Rapid bus takes Wilshire all the way to the shore. Trust us.