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Regional Connector
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Regional Connector
The Regional Connector Transit Project constructed a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) light rail tunnel for the Los Angeles Metro Rail system in Downtown Los Angeles. It connected the A and E lines with the former L Line. The A and E lines previously both terminated at 7th Street/Metro Center station, coming from Long Beach and Santa Monica, respectively, while the L Line ran through Little Tokyo/Arts District to either Azusa or East Los Angeles. Now the A and E lines continue together through new stations at Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill, Historic Broadway, and Little Tokyo/Arts District. From there, they diverge on the former L Line toward Azusa and East Los Angeles, respectively. The project provides a one-seat ride into the core of Downtown for passengers on those lines who previously needed to transfer, thus reducing or altogether eliminating many transfers of passengers traveling across the region via Downtown Los Angeles.
The project was implemented by Los Angeles Metro. It was given high priority by Metro in its long-range plan and had funding set aside for it in Measure R.
The draft environmental impact statement was completed in September 2010, selection of a preferred alternative was completed in late October 2010, and the Final Environmental Impact Report was certified on April 26, 2012. Pre-construction on the project began in December 2012. The contract for heavy construction on the project was signed on July 9, 2014, and its official groundbreaking was held on September 30, 2014. Originally scheduled to open in 2020, but delayed due to construction and train testing difficulties, the project opened on June 16, 2023.
The project's tunnels begin at the north end of 7th Street/Metro Center station, the previous terminal built in the early 1990s, and continue north under Flower Street. The line turns to run under 2nd Street and dives below the 2nd Street Tunnel and the B/D subway with clearances as low as 7 feet (2.1 m). In Little Tokyo, the line turns off 2nd to serve the replacement underground Little Tokyo/Arts District station before the routes split to their own surface portals, connecting to former L Line tracks.
The Regional Connector includes three stations. From northeast to southwest, the stations are:
At previous points during planning and construction, Little Tokyo/Arts District was referred to as 1st St/Central; Historic Broadway as Los Angeles City Hall or 2nd Street/Broadway; and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill as Bunker Hill or 2nd Place/Hope Street.
Metro discontinued the L Line and used parts of its route to reconfigure the A and E Lines into the following:
Due to the restructuring of service, the A Line became the longest light rail line in the world at 49.5 miles (79.7 km), surpassing the 42 miles (68 km) Coast Tram in Belgium. It became even longer upon completion of Phase 2B of the Foothill Extension when it opened in 2025.
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Regional Connector
The Regional Connector Transit Project constructed a 1.9-mile (3.1 km) light rail tunnel for the Los Angeles Metro Rail system in Downtown Los Angeles. It connected the A and E lines with the former L Line. The A and E lines previously both terminated at 7th Street/Metro Center station, coming from Long Beach and Santa Monica, respectively, while the L Line ran through Little Tokyo/Arts District to either Azusa or East Los Angeles. Now the A and E lines continue together through new stations at Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill, Historic Broadway, and Little Tokyo/Arts District. From there, they diverge on the former L Line toward Azusa and East Los Angeles, respectively. The project provides a one-seat ride into the core of Downtown for passengers on those lines who previously needed to transfer, thus reducing or altogether eliminating many transfers of passengers traveling across the region via Downtown Los Angeles.
The project was implemented by Los Angeles Metro. It was given high priority by Metro in its long-range plan and had funding set aside for it in Measure R.
The draft environmental impact statement was completed in September 2010, selection of a preferred alternative was completed in late October 2010, and the Final Environmental Impact Report was certified on April 26, 2012. Pre-construction on the project began in December 2012. The contract for heavy construction on the project was signed on July 9, 2014, and its official groundbreaking was held on September 30, 2014. Originally scheduled to open in 2020, but delayed due to construction and train testing difficulties, the project opened on June 16, 2023.
The project's tunnels begin at the north end of 7th Street/Metro Center station, the previous terminal built in the early 1990s, and continue north under Flower Street. The line turns to run under 2nd Street and dives below the 2nd Street Tunnel and the B/D subway with clearances as low as 7 feet (2.1 m). In Little Tokyo, the line turns off 2nd to serve the replacement underground Little Tokyo/Arts District station before the routes split to their own surface portals, connecting to former L Line tracks.
The Regional Connector includes three stations. From northeast to southwest, the stations are:
At previous points during planning and construction, Little Tokyo/Arts District was referred to as 1st St/Central; Historic Broadway as Los Angeles City Hall or 2nd Street/Broadway; and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill as Bunker Hill or 2nd Place/Hope Street.
Metro discontinued the L Line and used parts of its route to reconfigure the A and E Lines into the following:
Due to the restructuring of service, the A Line became the longest light rail line in the world at 49.5 miles (79.7 km), surpassing the 42 miles (68 km) Coast Tram in Belgium. It became even longer upon completion of Phase 2B of the Foothill Extension when it opened in 2025.
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