LA Metro to open D Line subway extension to Beverly Hills in May

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) on May 8 will begin passenger service on the D Line subway extension through the Mid-Wilshire corridor into Beverly Hills, California.

The nearly 4-mile addition is first of three D Line extension sections totaling 9 miles. L.A. Metro plans to open the second and third sections in 2027, according to the project webpage. Once completed, the D Line will run from downtown Los Angeles into the Westwood neighborhood. 

The first section extends the D Line from its current terminus in Koreatown into Beverly Hills. The line runs under Wilshire Boulevard with three new underground stations near La Brea Street, Fairfax Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard. These stations provide access to popular locations such as Museum Row and Restaurant Row, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release.

With the opening of the extension, passengers will be able to travel from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills in around 20 minutes with no transfers required.

Section one was funded primarily by L.A. Metro's 2008 Measure R transportation sales tax, supplemented by Federal Transit Administration funding including $1.25 billion from full-funding grant agreements, a $66.4 million grant from the New Starts program and a $749.3 million loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, L.A. Metro officials said.

The D Line extension is also part of the transit agency's Twenty-Eight by '28 accelerated transit improvement plan ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Read more about the improvement plan in the January edition of Progressive Railroading.