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When it happens, it will be a one seat ride from Long Beach to Pasadena and Culver City (or perhaps Santa Monica) to East LA without an extra fare or timely transfer (officials say you can save up to 21 minutes on an end-to-end commute). Count eight years into the future and this could be the reality for Los Angeles, thanks to Metro's Regional Connector, a light rail link to connect the Gold, Blue and Expo Lines. Currently, the routes terminate just over a mile from each other, either at Union Station or the 7th/Metro Center Station.
As of yesterday afternoon, Metro began holding public meetings about the project to solicit input for the next step--the estimated $709 to $910 million project is about to enter an 18-month phase to jettison a few options, mainly whether the 1.2 mile track be put mostly at street level or underground, the most popular option among the public. They will also consider a no build option, something the agency must study by law. At peak hours, the regional connector will host trains passing through every two and a half minutes and bring a couple new stations to downtown.
If you can't make the meetings, Metro will soon post the Powerpoint Presentation online and you'll be able to comment via phone, e-mail or snail mail. Meeting info is below.
