California awards $280 million to 10 public transit projects across Greater L.A.

California has awarded more than $690 millions to 28 new projects for public transportation in disadvantaged areas, including more than $200 million to 10 projects located in Greater Los Angeles. This is the sixth round of funding to expand transit and passenger rail services throughout the State.

Gavin Newsom made the announcements this week. The awards are part of an investment in transportation infrastructure that will last for many years and involve a multi-billion dollar investment. $2.5 billion was invested in January, followed by $3.2 billion in 2023. The selected projects will keep California on course to reach its goal to reduce air pollution by 71% and gas consumption to 94% by 2045.

The grants will be administered by California State Transportation Agency as part of Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program. They will fund 28 projects that directly benefit disadvantaged communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2 million metric tonnes -- which is the equivalent to taking over 445,000 gas powered cars off the roads.

The projects that received funding came from all parts of the state. They will lead to the purchase of new zero-emission cars statewide, as well as the development of several mobility hubs and rail project of high priority.

In February, L.A. Metro announced that the East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project received $600,000,000 and the Inglewood Transit Corridor received $407,000,000.

The following projects will receive funding in Greater Los Angeles:

L.A. Metro’s CORE Capacity & System Integration Project, which will receive $95 Million, will be used to improve the Metro K (Crenshaw/LAX) Line, and C (Green) Line, light rail transit lines. The $142 million project includes a platform extension at four stations, the addition of new traction substations, the replacement of the 30-year-old Overhead Catenary System (OCS) on the C Line and the replacement of wooden track fasteners and crossovers at stations, bridges and aerial structures.

The state will provide $35 million to L.A. Metro for Phase 2 of its Eastside Transit Corridor. This funding is needed to finish the project development of the local alignment for the L Line Eastside Corridor Extension. The $47 million project, once completed, will create a 4.6 mile extension of the Gold Line from Greenwood Avenue to Montebello.

State funding will be provided for $5 million of the $5.5 million project cost. The study, Coastal Rail Corridor Relocation Study by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), assesses the possibility of realigning a segment along the Los Angeles-San Diego San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor. OCTA will use the analysis to research previous environmental analyses and the preliminary design of the FRA Program's Environmental Impact Report.

OCTA will also receive $39million for its Central Mobility Loop project, a $75.5million project. Project components include the purchase of 33 zero-emission busses and construction of associated infrastructure in order to expand service. They also include replacing 10 gas powered paratransit buses with zero-emission paratransit vehicles in support of an existing paratransit pilot program.

Riverside County Transportation Commission will receive $15,5 million to support its Metrolink Double Track Project between Moreno Valley and Perris. The $34 million project aims at reconstructing an outdated freight track within the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line's right-of-way. This track is not suitable for passenger service. The project will build a second mainline to accommodate Metrolink trains that travel at speeds of up to 79 mph while also accommodating local freight trains.

The Transit System Legacy Project in Pasadena will receive $14 Million for the purchase and installation of 40 zero emission buses as well as associated infrastructure. The $144-million project includes service optimization improvements, fare payment validation and onboard passenger amenities.

Santa Monica’s Ridership Growth, Workforce Development, and Zero Emission Regional Connectivity Project will receive $23 Million from the State to expand frequency on 2 high-performing routes, and deliver Phases 2, 3, and 4 of Santa Monica’s bus-charging plan, which includes the implementation of a brand new vehicle charging system. The $148 million project includes utility upgrades such as construction of a charging canopies to support fleet electrification and the purchase of up to 103 zero emission buses to replace current compressed natural gas (CNG).

Simi Valley received $7 million to build a new transit facility and to purchase six zero emission buses. The project, which cost $8 million, will construct a regional transit center and transition to a zero emissions fleet. The transit center, which will include a park and ride lot, will connect city bus routes to regional routes. Six zero-emissions buses will replace the existing CNG busses, creating three zero-emissions routes.

Culver City has received $3.3 million to expand its CityBus Local Mobility Expansion Project. This is nearly the full $3.5 million budget for a new electric minibus service in underserved areas. The award will fund the purchase five zero-emission vehicles and five buses for a micro-transit system in downtown Culver.

The Southern California Regional Rail Authority will also receive funding to support its $12 million Metrolink Locomotive modernization study, pilot and implementation. The state allocated $10 million to the project. It aims to implement one or more fuel-efficiency strategies in order to reduce locomotive fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions throughout all SoCal counties. The project will not only implement cleaner strategies but also modern maintenance practices, including a shift to condition-based metrolink asset maintenance to improve safety and reliability, and reduce maintenance and operations costs.