Congressman Brad Sherman welcomes the completion of Metro’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor Project

SHERMAN OAKS, CA – Today, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) welcomed the completion of Metro’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor Project. 

“Providing rail service through the Sepulveda Pass is Metro's most important infrastructure project and the best way to decrease traffic on the 405 freeway and in L.A. County,” said Congressman Sherman. 

Congressman Sherman has been fighting for rail through the Sepulveda Pass since coming to Congress. In 1998, Sherman helped to secure federal funding to study how best to alleviate the extreme congestion through the Sepulveda Pass, inviting the then-U.S. Secretary of Transportation to stand at the top of what is now the Courtyard Marriott Hotel at the 101/405 interchange to see first-hand the critical need for alternative transit options. Congressman Sherman has testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee seeking federal funds for mass transit through the Sepulveda Pass, securing $10,000,000 for the project in the 2021 Surface Transportation Bill.

Today’s report provides new details on the five remaining transit alignments (alternative #2 was withdrawn last year) under consideration by the Metro Board, including projections of their relative costs and timetables for construction.

Congressman Sherman has pledged to fight for the significant additional federal funding this critical transportation project will require, regardless of which alternative is selected by the Metro Board.   

For the next sixty days, Metro will be soliciting feedback from the community before selecting an alignment in early 2026. 

The five alternatives under Metro’s consideration are as follows:

Alternative 1: Automated Monorail - Entirely aerial along the 405.

Preliminary Cost Estimate: $15.4 billion

Preliminary Project Timetable: 12 years

Forecasted Boardings: 64,798 boardings      

Travel Time (from Van Nuys Metrolink to E Line): 28 min

Alternative 3: Automated Monorail - Aerial along the 405 with an underground segment between Wilshire and Getty Center. 

Preliminary Cost Estimate: $20.8 billion

Preliminary Project Timetable: 14 years

Forecasted Boardings: 86,013 boardings    

Travel Time (from Van Nuys Metrolink to E Line): 32 min

Alternative 4: Heavy Rail - Underground south of Ventura Blvd and aerial along Sepulveda Blvd in the San Fernando Valley.  

Preliminary Cost Estimate: $20 billion

Preliminary Project Timetable: 14 years

Forecasted Boardings: 120,546 boardings  

Travel Time (from Van Nuys Metrolink to E Line): 20 min

Alternative 5: Heavy Rail - Underground along Sepulveda Boulevard with an aerial stretch along the Metrolink tracks in the San Fernando Valley. 

Preliminary Cost Estimate: $24.2 billion

Preliminary Project Timetable: 14 years

Forecasted Boardings: 121,624 boardings

Travel Time (from Van Nuys Metrolink to E Line): 19 min

Alternative 6: Heavy Rail - Entirely underground along Van Nuys Blvd in the San Fernando Valley. 

Preliminary Cost Estimate: $24.4 Billion

Preliminary Project Timetable: 15 Years

Forecasted Boardings: 107,096 boardings

Travel Time (from Van Nuys Metrolink to E Line): 18 min

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