East San Fernando Valley light rail line gets underway — five years behind schedule. – Los Angeles Times

East San Fernando Valley light rail line gets underway — five years behind schedule.  Los Angeles Times

The San Fernando Valley is getting closer to its first commuter rail service in more than 70 years. Construction is set to begin this week on a 6.7-mile rail line linking Van Nuys and Pacoima. The nearly $4-billion project, which will run along Van Nuys Boulevard, will include 11 street-level stations and is projected to open in 2032, according to L.A. Metro, the Los Angeles County transit agency. The project is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over its initial estimated budget. Approved in 2018, construction was originally slated to start in 2021, with the line opening in 2027. The cost was projected at $1.3 billion. Metro officials, who broke ground on the project with Metro chair and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday, didn't have an immediate response to questions about why the project had been delayed so long.

The Metro board approved a budget increase in May as estimated construction costs rose, according to a board report. In a news release, the agency said funding sources for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project included Measures R and M, two local sales tax measures for transit, and an $893-million grant from the federal government. Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who represents the eastern San Fernando Valley, said the project was a “long-overdue …