Orange Line to Chatsworth?

NORTH HOLLYWOOD " Joining in a celebration on Saturday to launch the new Metro Orange Line, Congressman Brad Sherman said extending the line to Chatsworth may be the next logical step in improving mass transit in the San Fernando Valley.

œThe opening of the Orange Line is great news for the Valley, Sherman said. œWe have a lot to celebrate, but we also have an opportunity to build on this success story. We should plan for a future when efficient and convenient mass transit is a reality for more and more riders.

Sherman secured more than $4.2 million in federal funds for Orange Line projects. He won $1.9 million for bike paths along the route. Another $1 million helped construct the Warner Center transit hub. An additional $836,000 has been set aside to build an Orange Line extension and bus shelter at Pierce College. And $500,000 was earmarked for park-and-ride facilities along the route.

Assessing future transportation needs for the Valley, Sherman said the top priority is to find state and local resources to take advantage of $135 million in federal funds already approved for a new, northbound car-pool lane on the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass. Extending the Orange Line to Chatsworth, he said, has the potential to be another major transportation priority for the Valley.

A Chatsworth extension hinges, he cautioned, on the success of the Woodland Hills to North Hollywood busway that is opening this weekend.

Transit planners have envisioned extending the Orange Line from Woodland Hills to the Chatsworth Metrolink station. The route would be along a 4.5-mile stretch of the same Southern Pacific Railroad line that the new Orange Line route follows. The Metropolitan Transit Authority already owns the railroad right of way.