DART
The DART Board on Sept. 9 approved service cuts that will start January 2026, according to WFAA-TV, an ABC affiliate in Dallas. In addition to seven bus routes that will be discontinued, other bus and light rail routes, it said, will have reduced weekday peak service frequencies.
“A Title VI equity assessment found the $24 million service change proposal would ‘disparately affect minority communities,’ but DART staff also proposed a mitigation plan that includes making replacement services available for discontinued ones and restoring peak frequency to previous levels for certain routes as part of future service changes,” the media outlet reported.
According to DART Chief Communications officer Jeamy Molina, the approved service changes “reflect the least possible impact to our riders, ensuring that essential connections remain intact while allowing us to address the operational realities of a growing transit system,” WFAA-TC reported.
The service changes, the media outlet said, are due “in part from a new General Mobility Program approved earlier this year to return 5% of the sales tax revenue to the cities that contributed more to the [DART] agency than they received in transit services. Plano was among cities eligible for the program.”
DART Board Member Anthony Ricciardelli, who represents Plano, cited a 2023 Ernst & Young report at the Board meeting “that he said found a $65 million disparity between what Plano contributes to DART and expenditures DART makes in Plano.”
“I find that $65 million disparity between what Plano contributes to DART and what DART reinvests in Plano through services to be unsustainable,” WFAA-TV reported Ricciardelli as saying.
According to WFAA-TV, “Plano, Highland Park, Irving, Carrollton and Farmers Branch were among DART member cities last year that officially said they wanted to reduce their sales tax allocations to DART, and Plano officials had pushed for legislation to reduce DART funding.”
LACMTA
LACMTA on Sept. 11 released the FEIR for the C Line Extension to Torrance, which would expand light rail service deeper into the South Bay, from the Metro K Line’s Redondo Beach (Marine) station to the planned Torrance Transit Center station (see map above). The project is slated to provide faster and more reliable connections while giving riders a 19-minute trip from Torrance to LAX. The project is funded in part by the voter-approved Measures R and M.
Construction could start as early as 2027, and the extension is estimated to open in 2036, LACMTA reported.
The FEIR reflects input from more than 2,000 public comments and includes design refinements, clarifications, and corrections. LACMTA also released updated cost estimates and a report about the real estate acquisitions that would be required to complete the project.
All these materials are available on a website designed to make the FEIR easier to navigate, according to LACMTA. It includes frequently asked questions and a short video to help the public review the report and understand the next steps.
In May 2024, the LACMTA Board approved the proposed route, the Hybrid Alternative, also known as the Locally Preferred Alternative, to follow its existing Harbor Subdivision right-of-way. It combines elevated, at-grade (street level) and trench (below street level) sections. At key crossings, such as 170th Street and 182nd Street, the tracks will be placed below roadways in trenches to improve safety, reduce noise and avoid traffic delays for pedestrians and motorists.
LACMTA also has proposed improvements to an existing freight line, which it said would “create a safer, quieter rail corridor.” By making use of LACMTA-owned right-of-way, the route is said to minimize the impact to local property while balancing cost efficiency and community concerns.
The extension will allow riders to travel to Inglewood entertainment venues, including SoFi Stadium, the YouTube Theater, the Kia Forum, Intuit Dome, LAX and downtown Los Angeles with convenient transfers to Metro’s growing rail system serving Santa Monica, East Los Angeles and beyond. The alignment would extend the line approximately 4.5 miles from Redondo Beach (Marine) Station to the Torrance Transit Center and includes two new stations serving Redondo Beach and Torrance. Once in operation, the extension would support more than 11,500 daily trips, attract up to 1.49 million new riders annually and reduce vehicle miles traveled on local roads by nearly 19.5 million miles each year.
By 2045, jobs in the South Bay are projected to grow nearly twice as fast as the population, while congestion could increase by almost 30%, according to LACMTA. The C Line Extension to Torrance, it said, “offers a cost-effective way to add capacity, ease traffic, and strengthen the region’s economy.”
The Metro Board of Directors is expected to consider certification of the FEIR and project approval this fall. If approved, LACMTA said it will move forward with design and engineering, First/Last Mile planning with cities and preparations for construction.
