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    1. Rail
    2. Infrastructure

    L.A. Metro receives interest from five qualified contract teams to help develop major transit line

    Jan. 14, 2020
    The selected team will help develop a high-speed, high-capacity train line directly connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside and ultimately LAX.
    Related To: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)

    Five teams have been cleared by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to compete for the chance to help develop the agency’s Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, a mega-project that will build a high-speed, high-capacity train line directly connecting the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, and ultimately, the Los Angeles International Airport.

    The following developer teams have submitted for and met L.A. Metro’s initial qualifications for submitting a Predevelopment Agreement (PDA) proposal to assist with project planning and design, with the potential opportunity to enter into an Implementation Agreement for the project after completion of the PDA work:

    • ACS Infrastructure Development
    • LA SkyRail Express
    • Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners (Bechtel)
    • Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners (Fengate)
    • Tutor Perini, Parsons & Plenary

    The eligibility of five major potential project partner teams completes the first phase of L.A. Metro’s Request for Proposals process and is a demonstration of the market interest to get in on the ground floor and help develop the project.  

    “I’m pleased that there has been such strong early private-sector interest in this game-changing transit project,” said Inglewood Mayor and Metro Board Chair James Butts. “These firms have a substantial breadth of expertise in the United States and abroad.”   

    A PDA with one or more of these firms would enable early contractor involvement in the project, allowing for innovations in design, construction approach, financing and operating approach. A private project developer would participate in defining and designing the project concept together with L.A. Metro and community stakeholders. Up to two private project developer teams will be awarded a PDA to provide design and engineering to support development of the project, constructability reviews and cost estimates.

    Once project development is complete, the remaining private project developer will then have an opportunity to offer to build, operate and maintain the line, potentially accelerating construction, improving project performance and mitigating key project challenges.  

    “Metro continues to push the envelope in the pursuit of public/private partnerships for projects of regional and national significance,” said L.A. Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “We’re pursuing this innovative project delivery approach because it can be mutually beneficial in sharing critically needed skills, assets, risks and rewards to potentially deliver this project sooner for L.A. County taxpayers.”  

    The Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project is funded in part by Measure M, the transportation sales tax approved by Los Angeles County voters in 2016. The total project will receive $9.5 billion in funding from Measure M and other local, state and federal sources. The first phase of the transit line between the Valley and the Westside is scheduled to open in 2033, and the second phase to LAX is scheduled to open in 2057 under the current Measure M schedule. However, staff is working aggressively to accelerate the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project schedule.