The South Bay is one step closer to getting a Metro light rail extension that will connect the community to the rest of Los Angeles County with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Metro C Line Extension project. Metro is extending light rail service from Redondo Beach Station to the Torrance Transit Center, adding 4.5 miles of new track and projected to serve 11,500 daily riders by 2042. This extension will also now operate as the southern continuation of the K Line from Redondo Beach (formerly C Line).

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The FEIR released on September 12 and is available for the public to read on the project website along with updated cost estimates, report about the real estate acquisitions for the project, an FAQ, and a short video to help the public review the report and understand the next steps. The FEIR reflects input from the more than 2,000 public comments and includes design corrections, clarifications, and refinements.

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Metro addressed community concerns by creating a “Locally Preferred Alternative,” which, if approved, would extend the C Line, formerly known as the Green Line, about 4.5 miles from the Redondo Beach Station to the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center in Torrance, with an estimated completion year between 2030 and 2033.

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However, the LPA will not be the only option on the table for this project. There will be three other design that were already outlined in the draft EIR that LA Metro Board of Directors will be able to review. The original project proposed by LA Metro was an elevated/at-grade alignment that would follow the current Metro right-of-way (ROW)in the area. It would create an elevated station adjacent to the Redondo Beach Transit Center with an elevated segment followed by an at-grade segment. The LPA, in contrast, would extend the Metro light rail the full 4.5 miles along the Metro ROW similar to the original proposal, but would place the light rail tracks below grade at 170th and 182nd streets.

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The other designs include the “Trench Option” and the “Hawthorne Option.” The Trench Option would also follow the Metro ROW, but would have a below-grade trench segment between Inglewood Avenue and 170th Street, followed by at-grade segments with a short trench to cross under 182nd Street. The Hawthorne Option would leave the Metro ROW into an elevated guideway along 405 Freeway, turning onto Hawthorne Boulevard near 162nd Street and traveling in the center median of Hawthorne before rejoining the Metro ROW south of 190th Street. This would also create an elevated station in the median of Hawthorne Boulevard adjacent to the South Bay Galleria.

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Compared to the initial proposed project, the LPA would eliminate the need to shift the existing freight track closer to residential areas, including Breakwater Village, which was one of the biggest concerns for the communities in Redondo Beach. The LPA was created to address the concerns of those opposed to the Elevated/At-Grade option along the ROW, without having to default to the Hawthorne Option, which would increase both cost and time. Torrance, however, has supported the initial proposed project from the beginning because of the low-cost and timeliness, as it is simpler than the other options and may have a shot at being constructed in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

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There is much for the LA Metro Board of Directors to consider before approving on a plan. A date for plan approval has not been set, but is expected to take place this fall.

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Metro will continue collecting comments on the project and will compile all feedback to share with the Metro Board before any action is taken on the project. The public can email comments to greenlineextension@metro.net; mail them to LA Metro, One Gateway Plaza, MS 99-22-3, Los Angeles, CA 90012; or leave a voicemail at 213-922-4004.