Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor


The Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor is a two-phased planned heavy rail transit corridor connecting the Los Angeles Basin to the San Fernando Valley through the Sepulveda Pass in Los Angeles, California, by supplementing the existing freeway. The corridor would partly parallel I-405, and proposed alternatives include heavy rail subway and monorail connecting the Orange Line in the Valley to the Purple Line and Expo Line on the Westside, and the Crenshaw/LAX Line near Los Angeles International Airport.
The Sepulveda Pass Interstate 405 commute between Interstate 10 and US Highway 101 lies along the busiest highway corridor in the United States, serving 379,000 vehicles per day. The most popular idea has been a rail transit tunnel, as the rugged terrain of the pass makes surface and elevated alternatives almost equally expensive.

Overview

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has $10 billion in funds available for construction planned to begin in 2026. The plan included in the Measure M transportation funding measure is to build improvements in three stages: additional lanes to be used for express bus service to open by 2028, an 8.8-mile transit project between the Orange Line’s Van Nuys Station and the Purple Line Extension’s Wilshire/Westwood Station by 2035, and a planned extension to LAX with a 2059 completion date. In April 2017, Metro issued a Request for Proposals to study alternatives, and several companies sent unsolicited proposals to accelerate the project via public-private partnerships. The project's timeline is expected to be accelerated under the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative. The Metro Board of Directors in late 2019 will decide which concept routes to start the project's formal environmental studies.

Proposed routings and modes

In June 2018, Metro released its initial six alternative rail concepts for the corridor. All of the proposals provided connections between the Orange Line and the E Line, as well as to the Westside extension of the Purple Line, currently under construction, and to the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor, currently being planned. The proposals fell into four categories:
In January 2019, Metro released a refined second set of rail concepts for the corridor, eliminating light rail and rubber-tired metro technology from consideration and narrowing it down to four concepts:
In July 2019, Metro released a third refined rail concept after community input.
The feasibility study for both phases was completed and presented in November 2019, with no major refinement from the July 2019 presentation. Per study, additional research is needed on identifying relocation or maneuvering around a nine foot wide DWP water pipe, called the "Sepulveda Feeder". Additional studies on general station locations, tunnel design configuration, rider transfer patterns and identifying cost and cost reductions. Also, the study wants information on the impact of the known Santa Monica Fault near Santa Monica Boulevard. The Metro Board will commence the NEPA and CEQA scoping process.

Initial alternatives analysis

Phase One: ''Valley-Westside''

The January 2019 updated concepts released by Metro for phase one included four alternative plans to be considered. These included different alignments, but only two modes of transit: heavy rail or monorail. The new alternatives considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Report north to south routes from the Valley to Expo Line are:
DEIR AlternativeDescriptionRidership
Estimated cost
Alternative 1: HRT Van Nuys BoulevardA heavy rail transit line heading south from the Van Nuys Metrolink station under Van Nuys Blvd with stops at the current Van Nuys Orange Line station and a new stop at Ventura Boulevard, then leaving the San Fernando Valley and heading south under the Santa Monica Mountains with stops within the UCLA campus and a transfer stop on the Purple Line extension Westwood/UCLA station. A station on Santa Monica Boulevard before terminating at the Expo Line, at either Expo/Sepulveda station or Expo/Bundy Station. A 16-minute ride.128,000$10.6 to $13.5
Alternative 2: HRT SW to Sepulveda Boulevard An HRT line heading southwest from the Van Nuys Metrolink station underground to the Orange Line's Sepulveda station, then continuing under Sepulveda Boulevard to Ventura Boulevard and then heading under the Santa Monica Mountains to West LA; follows a route similar to Alternative 1 on the westside. A 17-minute ride.126,000$11.0 to $13.8
Alternative 3: HRT Aerial Sepulveda BoulevardAn HRT line similar to Alternative 2 in alignment, but with an aerial alignment in the Valley and a potential new stop at Sepulveda and Sherman Way. A 19-minute ride.137,000$9.9 to $12.2
Alternative 4: MRT Aerial Sepulveda BoulevardA monorail line similar to Alternative 3 in alignment and station placement, but with much of the route over the Santa Monica mountains in an aerial structure or at grade along the 405. A 26-minute ride.122,000$9.4 to $11.6

The following table shows all potential metro stations, and the alternatives for which they apply:
Station OptionsAlt 1Alt 2Alt 3Alt 4Connecting
rail services		Community
Amtrak & Metrolink's Van Nuys station×××× Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner & Coast Starlight
Metrolink: Line
Future station of the East San Fernando Valley LRT.		Van Nuys
Sepulveda Boulevard\Sherman Way Station--××Van Nuys
Orange Line's Van Nuys station×--- Orange Line
Future southern terminus station of the East San Fernando Valley LRT.		Van Nuys
Orange Line's Sepulveda station-××× Orange LineVan Nuys
Ventura Boulevard/Van Nuys Boulevard Station×---Sherman Oaks
Ventura Boulevard/Sepulveda Boulevard Station-×××Sherman Oaks
UCLA Station××××Westwood
Westwood/UCLA Station××××Purple LineWestwood
Santa Monica Boulevard Station××××West Los Angeles
Expo/Sepulveda station or Expo/Bundy station×××× E LineWest Los Angeles

MSF Locations

Three Maintenance and Storage Facility options are being proposed.

Phase Two: '' Westside-LAX''

Early concepts for phase two from E Line to LAX/Crenshaw Line were released in 2019, with detailed connections to the under-construction LAX Automated People Mover. Metro hopes to complete the feasibility study by 2019 and begin an environmental impact review along with phase one.
There are two main modes for phase two of the corridor. There are five proposed concepts that begin at either Expo/Bundy station or Expo/Sepulveda station, contingent on the terminus of the first phase of the project. All routes terminate at the Aviation/96th Street station, which is currently under construction as part of the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project. This terminus station will offer transfers to the Green Line, Crenshaw/LAX line, and LAX Automated People Mover.
Concepts include routing south along Sepulveda Boulevard, Overland Boulevard, Centinela Boulevard and Interstate 405, with possible intermediate stops at Venice Boulevard, Culver City Transit Center, the Howard Hughes Center, and Sepulveda Boulevard at Manchester Boulevard. The Sepulveda Boulevard route option would be completed as below-grade heavy rail, while the I-405 option could be completed as either a combination of elevated and below-grade heavy rail, or a combination of elevated and below-grade monorail.
The July 2019 updated concepts released by Metro for phase two added a stop along Santa Monica Boulevard per public popular demand. They added the fifth concept, extending the east/west purple line extension terminus south towards LAX. A one-boarding HRT trip from LAX to Downtown Los Angeles along Centinela Blvd.
All north to south routes from the E Line to LAX are:
DEIR AlternativeDescriptionRidership
Estimated cost
Alternative 1: HRT or MRT I-405 routeA heavy rail transit line heading south from the Expo/Sepulveda station on the I-405 median with an aerial stop at Venice Blvd/I-405. Leaves the aerial route and continues underground with stations on Centinela/Sepulveda and Manchester/Sepulveda near LAX. The southern terminus station is at Aviation/96th Street station at LAX. A 38-minute ride.MRT: 173,000 HRT: 228,000
Alternative 2: Centinela routeA heavy rail transit line heading south underground from either Expo/Bundy station or Expo/Sepulveda station with stops at Venice/Centinela, Culver/Centinela, Jefferson/Centinela, and Manchester/Sepulveda with its southern terminus station at Aviation/96th Street station near LAX. A 31-minute ride.229,000
Alternative 3: HRT Sepulveda routeA heavy rail transit line heading south underground from the Expo/Sepulveda station along Sepulveda Boulevard with stops at Venice/Sepulveda, Jefferson/Sepulveda and Manchester/Sepulveda near LAX. The southern terminus station is at Aviation/96th Street station at LAX. A 30-minute ride.236,000
Alternative 4: HRT Overland Ave routeA heavy rail transit line heading south underground from the Expo/Sepulveda station to Overland Avenue. Stations located on Overland/Venice Blvd. and Overland/Jefferson Blvd, Jefferson/Sepulveda and Manchester/Sepulveda near LAX. The southern terminus station is at Aviation/96th Street station at LAX. A 31-minute ride.233,000
Alternative 5: Purple Line Extension routesA heavy rail transit extension south of the under construction Purple Line extension terminus station of Westwood/VA Hospital station or Westwood/UCLA station, a stop on Santa Monica Boulevard and then follow the Centinela Ave route alternative as underground HRT. The southern terminus station is at Aviation/96th Street station at LAX. A 31-minute ride.275,000

The following table shows all potential metro stations, and the alternatives for which they apply:
Station OptionsAlt:1Alt:2Alt:3Alt:4Alt:5Connecting
rail services		Community
Westwood/UCLA or Westwood/VA Hospital stations ----×Purple LineWestwood
Expo/Bundy or Expo/Sepulveda Station ××××× E LineWest Los Angeles
Venice Boulevard×××××Mar Vista
Culver Boulevard-×---Del Rey/Culver West
Jefferson Boulevard×××××Playa Vista/Fox Hills
Manchester Boulevard/Sepulveda×××××Westchester
Aviation/96th Street station ×××××LAX People Mover Green Line Westchester

Alternative 5 concept for the Westside-LAX phase of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor would extend the Purple Line subway south down Centinela Ave along the same route as the other proposed Centinela Ave concepts. This concept would provide a one-seat ride from the LAX Automated People Mover to Downtown Los Angeles, but would require passengers from the San Fernando Valley to transfer at Westwood/UCLA station to travel further south.
The second phase of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor is not due to break ground until 2048.

Advocacy

Transit advocates have proposed combining the Van Nuys Transit Corridor and Sepulveda Pass Corridor into a single study with an aim to connect Sylmar, Van Nuys, the Orange Line, Sherman Oaks, UCLA, and the future Westwood/UCLA Purple Line station. Metro studies declined the LRT merge option and stated HRT would provide faster times and more occupancy on trains. Future extension phases south to the Expo Line, LAX, South Bay, or beyond are also being advocated and proposed. Metro proposed a Centinela Avenue route to LAX or thru Sepulveda Boulevard. No studies have been allocated funds.
The project is part of Metro's Twenty Eight by '28 initiative, which aims to complete its list of expansions in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Metro is looking into a public/private partnership to accelerate the opening.

Construction

Construction has not commenced. Scheduled for 2043.