The Vermont Transit Corridor is a proposed bus rapid transit line in the

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

Busway network in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with plans to convert it to

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

in the future. It is planned to operate on a north-to-south route on

Vermont Avenue Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of , is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length be ...

between the B Line's

Vermont/Sunset station Vermont/Sunset station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line (Los Angeles Metro), B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Vermont Avenue at its intersection with Sunset Boulev ...

and the C Line's

Vermont/Athens station Vermont/Athens station is a below-grade light rail station on the C Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is situated in the median of Interstate 105 (Century Freeway) and named after Vermont Avenue and the Athens community where it i ...

on the

Los Angeles Metro Rail The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transit system serving Los Angeles County, California, United States, consisting of six lines: four light rail lines (the A, C, E and K lines) and two rapid transit lines (the B and D lines), ...

system. The project feasibility study was released in February 2019 with a proposed completion date of 2028 for BRT and after 2067 for rail. It is part of Metro's '' Twenty-eight by '28'' initiative and is partially funded by

Measure M Measure R was a ballot measure during the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County, California, that proposed a half-cent sales taxes increase on each dollar of taxable sales (originating in or made from Los Angeles County) for thirty years ...

. The route will have signal priority at traffic lights and will have a dedicated right of way. Metro reports the initial cost is $425 million.

Recent Developments

In early 2025, LA Metro released a strategic three-phase plan for implementing dedicated bus lanes along Vermont Avenue. The plan details near-term, mid-term, and long-term improvements aimed at enhancing bus service, including the installation of curbside bus lanes, signal priority measures, and upgraded station infrastructure. Subsequently, on March 19, 2025, Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee approved a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for the Vermont Transit Corridor project. This approval allows the project to move forward into the environmental review phase, representing a key milestone in the planning process. On March 27, 2025, the Metro Board approved the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Vermont Transit Corridor project, selecting a 12.4-mile side-running Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line with 26 stations at 13 major intersections. The project was determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Senate Bill 922, which facilitates the approval of sustainable transit initiatives. With this designation, Metro is now proceeding with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and advancing into Preliminary Engineering to further develop the project design.

History

Until 1963, Vermont Avenue was served by several

Los Angeles Railway The Los Angeles Railway (also known as Yellow Cars, LARy and later Los Angeles Transit Lines) was a system of streetcars that operated in Central Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods between 1895 and 1963. The system provided frequent loc ...

Yellow Car

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

lines: the F, K, R, S, U, and V. After streetcars ceased running under the

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (sometimes referred to as LAMTA or MTA I) was a public agency formed in 1951. Originally tasked with planning for rapid transit in Los Angeles, California, the agency would come to operate the vesti ...

, tracks were torn up, and buses replaced service. Vermont is the second busiest bus corridor in ridership, with 45,000 boarding per work day. Metro estimates this BRT will have 75,000-weekday boardings once completed. For that reason, light rail and subway options are also being developed. Metro is looking for ways to accelerate the option. Rail-based options are not scheduled to receive

Measure R Measure R was a ballot measure during the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County, California, that proposed a half-cent sales taxes increase on each dollar of taxable sales (originating in or made from Los Angeles County) for thirty years ...

funds until after 2067.

Initial Alternative Analysis

Two alternative analyses were developed.

Bus rapid transit

Metro currently plans to construct bus rapid transit with various stations along its route. Each will be spaced about apart. Metro will study three options for BRT: *"side running" *"side-center running" *A technical study will also look at an entirely "center-running" option. These feasibility options were sent to formal environmental review status. Metro plans to commence the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) with the choices by 2019. Metro's planned budget for BRT is $425 million.

Rail

For rail, concepts have been published in the feasibility study. Measure M funds for rail are expected to become available after 2067. The following concepts were published: *A light rail concept would cost $2.7 to 3.2 billion. Underground sections are required between

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard ( wɪɫ.ʃɚ is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica), Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica, California, Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue (Lo ...

and

Gage Avenue Gage Avenue is a Lower City arterial road in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It starts off at Lawrence Road at the base of the Niagara Escarpment (mountain) at the south end of Gage Park. It is a two-way arterial road that extends north through the cit ...

. *A heavy rail concept would cost $3.7 to 4.4 billion with five new underground stations. A new junction and platform under Wilshire/Vermont station would make the line a continuation of the B Line. This would feature a one-seat underground ride from North Hollywood to South Los Angeles.

Route

The corridor includes Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 120th Street. Destinations along the route include Exposition Park and its museums

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a museum founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. Once completed, the museum will hold all forms of visual storytelling, including painting, photography, sculpture, illus ...

, the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...

and the

California Science Center The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and science museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern Cali ...

. Also, local sports stadiums, the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

and

BMO Stadium BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

is along the route. It would also connect with E Line at

Expo/Vermont station Expo/Vermont station is an at-grade light rail station on the E Line (Los Angeles Metro), E Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located in the center median of Exposition Boulevard at its intersection with Vermont Avenue, ...

. The following table shows potential BRT metro stations, per feasibility study from north to south. Also listed are existing light rail and subway stations.

South Bay Extension

Metro is also conducting a BRT, LRT, and HRT feasibility study to extend the route a further past 120th Street south along Vermont Avenue to

Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, commonly Harbor Park, is a Los Angeles municipal park featuring a golf course and Machado Lake and freshwater Delta wetland.Woodward, S. (1995, Feb 02). Storm debris threatens harbor wetland pollution: Foam cups ...

terminating at

Pacific Coast Highway Pacific Coast Highway may refer to: Roads * Pacific Coast Highway or PCH, segments of California State Route 1 * Pacific Coast Highway, parts of New Zealand State Highway 2 and all of New Zealand State Highway 25 and New Zealand State Highway 35. ...

. Nearby destinations would include

Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a Public college, public community college in Wilmington, California. It is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay, Los Angeles, South Bay region of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. LAHC s ...

Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente (; KP) is an American integrated delivery system, integrated managed care consortium headquartered in Oakland, California. Founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield, Sidney R. Garfield, the ...

South Bay Medical Center, and

Pacific Coast Highway station (J Line) Pacific Coast Highway station is a elevated busway station on the J Line of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system. The station is located on the shoulder of Interstate 110 at its intersection with Pacific Coast Highway, after which the station ...

. A feasibility study was conducted and released in 2023. Metro staff recommended no further study be conducted. Incremental BRT and rail service was recommended once BRT or Rail service has begun on the full corridor.

References

External links

Project site
{{Los Angeles Metro Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro Rapid

Metro Rapid Metro Rapid is a bus service in Los Angeles County, California, operated as part of the Los Angeles Metro Bus system. Metro Rapid service was introduced in the early 2000s to provide faster service on major corridors in Los Angeles, with stops sp ...

Proposed railway lines in California Transportation in Los Angeles Los Angeles Metro Busway projects Proposed tunnels in the United States