Metro Begins Construction on 6.7-Mile East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Line

Metro officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to start construction on the East San Fernando Valley light rail line, a 6.7-mile route in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard. The line will link the G Line's Van Nuys Station with the Metrolink right-of-way in Pacoima and serve 11 stops. It would be the first light rail service in the Valley since the Pacific Electric railway ended in the 1950s.

Local officials framed the project as a major investment for working-class communities in the eastern Valley. Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who also sits on the Metro board, said rail would return to the boulevard after more than seven decades.

The first segment is scheduled for completion in 2032. A later phase, once planned as a northwest extension toward Sylmar and the City of San Fernando, is now expected to take the form of a new infill stop on Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line at Van Nuys Boulevard. Construction overlaps with a more than $660-million grade separation and crossing upgrade on the G Line busway. The article cites a nearly $4-billion cost for the East San Fernando Valley Line. A planned Sepulveda Pass heavy rail subway could eventually connect with the new line.

For developers and lenders, the practical implication is that parcels along Van Nuys Boulevard and near the planned stations may see shifting land values and transit-oriented development interest as the 2032 opening approaches.