The 405 Freeway Traffic May Be Eased By Proposed Valley To West L.A. Train

If you live long enough, you may someday tell your disbelieving grandkids of those many hours spent crawling on the 405 freeway.

That’s because the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in the early stages of a project to connect the San Fernando Valley to West L.A. with a train.

The so-called Sepulveda Transit Corridor aims to ease congestion on the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass, a notoriously congested slog for drivers.

To ease that, a fully automated rapid transit line would connect the San Fernando Valley to the Westside. The line would connect with Metro’s current and future stops, including in the heart of the UCLA campus. It would go as fast as 70 mph.

“That would connect Van Nuys all the way down to the Expo Line in 20 minutes,” said Yusef Robb, a spokesperson for Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners, speaking to KABC. “It would connect Westwood to Ventura Boulevard in six and a half minutes. We’re proposing that trains run every two and a half minutes.”

Metro says the project would be funded by Measure R and M from tax proceeds, and it’s looking to tap into federal funding.

The project is now in the hands of Metro’s environmental review team. The board could vote on the project late next year.