A major milestone for the Purple Line subway station took place Feb. 23, with the groundbreaking ceremony of the second phase of the extension.
Scheduled to open in 2025, Section 2 will run 2.6 miles from Wilshire/La Cienega to Century City/Constellation, with one stop in between at Wilshire/Rodeo in Beverly Hills.
The groundbreaking for the $1.37 billion section of the subway was attended by a slew of local, state and federal officials as well as Metro officials.
“Angelenos deserve a world-class transportation system that takes the burden off their commutes, connects people with our countless sights and attractions and makes Los Angeles a more accessible and sustainable City,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who also serves as Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) board chair. “Today’s groundbreaking is a clear indication that this project to link downtown L.A. to our region’s second-largest job center is on time and on budget.”
Major construction on Section 2 is slated to being in the spring, when a tunnel boring machine will be lowered at the planned Century City/Constellation station, alongside the new Westfield Century City mall.
Work has already begun to relocate underground water, gas, power and telecommunications lines, while work on the Wilshire/Rodeo station is slated to begin at the end of 2018 or early 2019.
The final section of the line from Century City to Westwood/VA hospital is slated to open by 2026, in time for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Section 1 which runs four miles between Wilshire/Western in Koreatown and Wilshire/La Cienega in Beverly Hills is already 30 percent complete and scheduled to open by 2023.
According to Metro, when complete, the Purple Line extension is expected to serve nearly 50,000 daily riders at its seven stations.
