In a moment of rare public transit fanfare, Los Angeles on Friday celebrated the long-awaited opening of a major subway extension along Wilshire Boulevard that connects Beverly Hills to downtown.
Three new Metro stops opening Friday – Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega – mark the first phase of a long-awaited rail line running beneath L.A.’s most iconic and bustling boulevard, long considered vital to the city’s public transportation. New stations provide easy rail access to many destinations like L.A. Newly Reimagined Los Angeles County Museum of Art and is only a few blocks from the Academy Museum, and the Grove and Beverly Center.
“This is a milestone for the future of LA,” said Fernando Dutra, chair of the LA Metro Board of Directors. “I am extremely proud of the restart of Los Angeles public transportation.”
Despite the celebratory feeling surrounding the Friday morning inauguration, Dutra acknowledged how long it took to complete the project.
More than six decades ago, California leaders began working toward a rail line that would run beneath Wilshire, but major funding shortfalls, political battles, neighborhood opposition, and engineering concerns hampered efforts to gain momentum.
Maybe that’s why Friday felt so memorable.
“Today we celebrate progress, partnerships and something Angelenos deserve: a city that is easy to navigate and easy to connect with, and built for the future,” Mayor Karen Bass said at the ceremony Friday morning. “It makes our very large city seem much smaller and more connected.”
three new stages of d line extension The $9.7 billion project will span approximately 4 miles, eventually running nine miles west and ending in Westwood near the UCLA campus. The next two phases of the project, which include a total of four new stops, are scheduled to be completed in 2027.
It is part of the larger Southern California Rail Expansion, which aims to create a viable grid of public transit that connects LA’s vast communities, with the goal of serving visitors to Los Angeles in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
While transit experts expect the high-density areas and ultra-popular destinations along the D Line extension to immediately attract riders, it still remains to be seen whether large numbers of Angelenos will be willing to give up their cars for a ride on the subway.
Metro officials estimate that rail will generally be faster than driving, with the trip from Union Station to Wilshire/La Cienega taking 21 minutes, while driving would typically take about 45 minutes.
Several potential riders who spoke with the Times this week said they were excited to try the new line, but often mentioned feeling cautious about potentially long waits at night and ongoing concerns about public safety among other reservations. Metro has worked to improve policing across its network, and has prioritized additional security measures such as its Ambassador program, with some real success.
According to Metro officials, D Line trains are scheduled to run from 4 a.m. to about 12:30 a.m. each day, arriving every 10 minutes during most of the day, and every 20 minutes during late nights, starting around 9 p.m.
Staff writer Jenny Jarvi contributed to this report.
