Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Tunneling to begin on downtown Regional Connector rail line
Listen
• 0:58
Road closures around 2nd/Hope Streets expected through 2020 as station construction continues.
(
LA MTA
)
A segment of a tunnel boring machine is lowered into the Regional Connector Transit Project in Little Tokyo on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, 2016. The project aims to reduce the need to transfer for riders and make rail trips to and through downtown Los Angeles faster and more convenient.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti takes a photo with his phone of a segment of the tunnel boring machine that will be used to dig Metro's Regional Connector Transit Project. A project ceremony was held in Little Tokyo on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, 2016.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
A segment of a tunnel boring machine is lowered into the Regional Connector Transit Project in Little Tokyo on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, 2016. The machine will dig twin, 1.1-mile rail tunnels.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
A segment of a tunnel boring machine is lowered into the Regional Connector Transit Project in Little Tokyo on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, 2016. The project will provide direct connections between Azusa and Long Beach and East Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
It’s got a clunky name, but has a major aim: the $1.6 billion Regional Connector transit project will bring four different rail lines together in downtown Los Angeles, causing street traffic tie-ups while work proceeds but eliminating many of the transfers that frustrate passengers once completed.
The project’s thousand-ton tunnel boring machine was lowered ceremoniously underground Wednesday in preparation for major construction that begins next year.
The machine, which is 21.5 feet in diameter, gets assembled underground before it begins digging twin, 1.1-mile tunnels under downtown. Named Angeli after an old mining tradition when the equipment was called by a female moniker, the boring machine will create the path for a rail line to connect three currently disconnected light rail lines.
When it opens in 2021, passengers will have a one-seat ride from Long Beach to Azusa along the Blue and Gold Lines and from East L.A. to Santa Monica along the Gold Eastside Extension and Expo Lines. There won't be a need for transfers between Union Station and 7th and Metro station. Metro estimates the connector will reduce travel times by as much as 20 minutes.
Support for LAist comes from
The Regional Connector will span 1.9 miles through downtown from 7th and Metro station to 2nd and Hope Street, adding three new stations.
“This is a major milestone toward the completion of a vital project that truly connects the region by providing a one-seat ride to downtown Los Angeles for users of the Blue, Gold and Expo lines,” said John Fasana, Metro board chair and Duarte City Council member.
Tunnel-digging begins in January and will advance at a rate of about 60 feet a day.
The project has already hit cost overruns and delays due to unexpected underground utility lines discovered during early phases of construction. Because downtown L.A. is one of the oldest and densest areas of the city, many existing utilities have never been mapped.
Metro relocated the utility lines and extended its timeline for the project at a cost of an extra $130 million. The anticipated opening date for the line has been shifted from 2020 to 2021.
Street closures around Little Tokyo have ended as construction moves underground with tunneling, but several streets will remain closed around the construction of the future 2nd Street and Hope Street station.
Road closures around 2nd/Hope Streets expected through 2020 as station construction continues.
(
LA MTA
)
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist