Metro's highly anticipated Regional Connector transit project will open Friday with three new stations.
The finished project will include 1.9 miles of new rail with three underground stations in Little Tokyo, Broadway at 2nd and Bunker Hill at Grand.
The project broke ground in 2014 and was designed to make the trip to downtown Los Angeles seamless by eliminating the need for passengers to transfer from one train to another. It will do so by merging the L (Gold) line with the A (Blue) and E (Expo).
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Riders of the train can now commute between East Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Long Beach and Azusa more efficiently. Both new lines will run every 10 minutes at peak hours, 12 minutes the rest of the day and 20 minutes in early mornings and later evenings.
“We are hoping that once people see the time limits… saving 20 minutes.. That we are going to see a boost in ridership that’s for sure” said LA Metro Board Chairman, Ara Najarian.
The massive project cost nearly two-billion dollars at a time when transit agencies across the state are facing a financial crisis. This is due to many past commuters working from home and problems with safety.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
A Metro survey of 12,000 riders last spring indicated widespread concerns over crime and drug use. Twenty-one people have died on the system so far this year, most from drug overdoses.
“Targeted searches that has cut down on crime… it has cut down on homelessness… cleanliness is on the upswing” said Najarian.
In celebration of the new project Metro is offering free rides across the Metro system including bikes, buses and trains starting Friday at 3 a.m. to Monday at 3 a.m..
