C Line Extension to Torrance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Proposed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Redondo Beach Lawndale Torrance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini |
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Website | metro.net | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Light rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Los Angeles Metro Rail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Planned opening | 2030–2033 (expected) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | Overhead line, 750 V DC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The C Line Extension to Torrance (formerly the Green Line Extension to Torrance) is a project by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to extend the K Line from its terminus in Redondo Beach to Torrance. It is expected to open for service between 2030 and 2033. [1] The project was known as the South Bay Metro Light Rail Extension in planning.
Despite its name, the project will be an extension of the K Line. The project was initially planned as an extension of the C Line, although service changes on November 3, 2024 redirected the C Line to Aviation/Century station and the K Line took over the C Line's west segment from Aviation/Century station to Redondo Beach station. The official name of the project has not changed after the service changes. [2]
Metro is currently working on the initial environmental study of a corridor extension of the K Line from its Redondo Beach terminus toward the southeast. The extension would roughly follow the Harbor Subdivision right of way into the South Bay, to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC). [3]
A study of the South Bay Extension was necessary to initiate the publication of a draft environmental impact report (DEIR). The study was expected to be completed in 2011, but the project was placed on hold in the Spring of 2012 due to uncertain funding.[ citation needed ] With the passage of Measure M in 2016, $619 million was earmarked for the Green Line Extension south and the study resumed. The environmental impact report was scheduled to be released in March 2022, [4] but was ultimately pushed back to fall/winter 2022. [5] Preparing the report led the agency to study further alternatives for grade separations along the two routes. [1] The draft environmental impact report was eventually released in January 2023. [6]
Four potential routes for the extension starting at Redondo Beach station were initially considered. The station in Lawndale was eliminated due to community opposition. [4]
Metro authorized two of four alternatives to move forward: Alternative #1 and Alternative #3. Metro staff recommended the two alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement (DEIR) status for further analysis and refinement in September 2018. The study area includes the former Harbor Subdivision right of way. The extension study consists of the Redondo Beach station to the Torrance Transit Center, a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) extension study area. [7] Metro began composing the DEIR in January 2021 [8] and released it in January 2023. [5] Both alternatives shared the same alignment south of 190th Street. [9]
The first alternative was expanded into two options, differing in whether the alignment is mainly built above grade over the existing ROW or in an open-air trench under the current ROW (with the freight ROW being rebuilt afterward). The route and stations were identical between the two options. Elements from the two options were then blended into a third "Hybrid Alternative" based on community input, which used the elevated/street level option from Redondo Beach station to 165th Street, where the alternative switched to the trench option all the way south to the Torrance Transit Center. The Hybrid Alternative also added two under-crossings at 170th Street and 182nd Street. [9]
DEIR Alternative [7] | Description | Ridership (daily) | Estimated cost (billions) |
---|---|---|---|
Alternative 1: ROW Alignment | A Light rail transit (LRT) line heading south from the Redondo Beach station on the ROW of Harbor Subdivision. A stop at the Redondo Beach Transit Center adjacent to Pacific Crest Cemetery between Grant Ave and 182nd St. On 190th St., it continues southeast along the ROW with a terminus at the Torrance Transit Center. A 7-minute ride. | 10,340 | $0.893 |
Alternative 3: Hawthorne Alignment | A LRT line heading southeast from Redondo Beach station parallel to I-405, which then heads south on Hawthorne Boulevard. Two new stations, a South Bay Galleria mall station and a station at Torrance Transit Center in Torrance along the Harbor Subdivision ROW at 465 Crenshaw Blvd. A 9-minute ride. | 10,640 | $1 to 1.2 |
The following table shows all potential Metro stations and the alternatives for which they apply:
Station Options | Alt 1 | Alt 3 | Connecting Rail/Bus Service | Community |
---|---|---|---|---|
Redondo Beach station (already built) | Redondo Beach | |||
Redondo Beach Transit Center station | – | Beach Cities Transit | Redondo Beach | |
South Bay Galleria station | – | Redondo Beach | ||
Torrance Transit Center station | Torrance Transit | Torrance | ||
On April 17, 2024, Metro staff recommended the Hybrid Alternative as their preferred LPA to Metro's board of directors. [10] On May 23, 2024, the board of directors approved the Hybrid Alternative as the LPA at a board meeting, [11] however, with the added caveats of further studying and refining the cost estimates of both alternatives, as well as the development of a refined funding plan for the project. [12]
According to the LA County Expenditure Plan (Measure M), groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 2026, with an expected opening in 2030–2033, as of 2022. [5] The timeline was previously expected to be accelerated under the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative. [13]
As of recent discussions and motions, there has been significant progress and community involvement in the planning of the C Line (Green) Extension to Torrance. The Council of Governments (COG) has played a crucial role in these developments, with a notable motion passed regarding the project's alignment and support.
Torrance City Council, in a March 2024 meeting, solidified its support for the Metro C Line extension, offering support for the "right-of-way option" for the project's route into the city. In response to security concerns, the Metro has pledged to collaborate closely with local entities to develop and implement comprehensive safety and security measures. [14]
On August 16, 2023, Metro conducted a survey in regards to the C Line extension, in which 67% of the voters supported the project. After releasing an Draft Environmental Impact Review (EIR) of the project on January 27, 2023, 66% of the comments prefer extending the C Line using the Metro ROW option. [15]
A motion was passed for the Council of Governments to remain neutral on the specific alignment of the C Line Extension while showing overall support for the project's continuation to Torrance. This decision reflects a collective agreement among various city representatives, indicating a strong regional backing for enhancing public transportation options. The voting outcome was as follows: [16]
The Blue Line is a rapid transit line in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, one of four rapid transit lines operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It runs from Bowdoin station in downtown Boston under Boston Harbor to East Boston and Revere on the inner North Shore, where it terminates at Wonderland. The stop at Airport Station, by way of a free shuttle bus, is one of two rapid transit connections to Logan International Airport. In 1967, during a systemwide rebranding, the line was assigned the blue color because it passes under the Boston Harbor. With an end-to-end travel time of less than twenty minutes, the Blue Line is the shortest of Boston's heavy-rail lines and the only line to have both third rail and overhead catenary sections.
The Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system, but branded as bus rapid transit (BRT) as part of the MBTA subway system. Six routes are operated as part of two disconnected corridors. As of 2023, weekday ridership on the Silver Line was 27,000.
The Harbor Subdivision is a single-track main line of the BNSF Railway which stretches 53 miles (85 km) between rail yards near downtown Los Angeles and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach across southwestern Los Angeles County. It was the primary link between two of the world's busiest harbors and the national rail network. Mostly displaced with the April 15, 2002 opening of the more direct Alameda Corridor, the Harbor Sub takes a far more circuitous route from origin to destination, owing to its growth in segments over the decades. The subdivision was built in this fashion beginning in the early 1880s to serve the ports and the various businesses that developed along it.
The C Line is a 19.3-mile (31.1 km) light rail line running between the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester and the city of Norwalk within Los Angeles County, California. It is one of six lines forming the Los Angeles Metro Rail system and opened on August 12, 1995. Along the route, the line also serves the cities of Downey, Hawthorne, and Lynwood, as well as several unincorporated communities in the South Los Angeles region including Athens, Del Aire, and Willowbrook. The fully grade-separated route runs mainly in the median strip of Interstate 105 for its latitude portion and in a mixture of viaducts, embankments, and an open trench for its western leg. A free shuttle bus to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is available at Aviation/LAX station.
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Redondo Beach station is an elevated light rail station on the K Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located over Marine Avenue in the city of Redondo Beach, California, after which the station is named. It opened with the commencement of Green Line service on August 12, 1995. The station has been served by the K Line since a restructuring in November 2024.
The K Line is a light rail line in Los Angeles County. It currently consists of two separate noncontiguous segments. The 5.9-mile (9.5 km) northern segment runs north–south between the Jefferson Park and Westchester neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, passing through various South Los Angeles neighborhoods and the city of Inglewood. The southern segment runs north–south between the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles and the city of Redondo Beach. It is one of six lines in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). The northern segment, the oldest segment of the line, opened on October 7, 2022, making it the system's newest line.
The D Line Subway Extension Project is a construction project in Los Angeles County, California, extending the rapid transit D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system from its current terminus at Wilshire/Western in Koreatown, Los Angeles, to the Westside region. The project is being supervised by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). The subway has been given high priority by Metro in its long-range plans, and funding for the project was included in two county sales tax measures, Measure R and Measure M.
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East Somerville station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.
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