“We are in the middle of trying to bring rail service to the City of West Hollywood… We need to make sure the new route serves all of West Hollywood.”
That was Mayor John Heilman two weeks ago when he was sworn in for his ninth and final term as mayor. Heilman’s been pushing for Metro rail in West Hollywood for over a decade, and he made a point to flag that Metro’s decision is coming soon.
This past Thursday, LA Metro’s Board proved it can make those decisions when they greenlighted the biggest subway project in the region’s history—a $25 billion underground line connecting the San Fernando Valley to the Westside.
The West Hollywood K Line Northern Extension that would bring Metro rail to West Hollywood? Still waiting for Metro to pick a route.
The Metro Board approved the Sepulveda Transit Corridor unanimously. The project will run nearly 13 miles of heavy rail from Van Nuys to the Expo Line in 20 minutes, running deep underground through the Santa Monica Mountains and bypassing the 405.
Metro staff said they’d make a route recommendation for the West Hollywood K Line in “Winter 2025/26,” and we’re there now, but there’s been no announcement yet. As such, I thought it might be a good time to look back to see where we’ve been and where we hope to be headed.
Heilman’s Been Fighting This for Decades
Heilman’s been at this since at least 2014, when he and then Council member Jeffrey Prang proposed hiring a lobbyist to push for Metro rail in West Hollywood. Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had assured West Hollywood representatives they’d be “next in line.”
Between 2015 and 2018, West Hollywood dropped at least $2 million on lobbyists and consultants trying to move a rail line through the City up Metro’s priority list.
“I’ve been fighting to bring a Metro line to West Hollywood for a long time,” Heilman said in December when an economic study came out showing the project’s benefits. “The best alternative [is] the one north to Santa Monica and San Vicente and heads toward Hollywood. It serves the most riders and will provide an economic boost and a tremendous transportation option for our community.”
The City backs the San Vicente-Fairfax route, which puts multiple stations in West Hollywood.
When Metro opened public comments back in 2021, 201 people wanted San Vicente-Fairfax, while Fairfax-only got 11 supporters and La Brea grabbed 29.
LA County Supervisor and former West Hollywood councilmember, Lindsey Horvath sits on the Metro Board and has been championing the K Line extension.
“Even before I joined the Metro board, this project has been a leading priority because it will be the busiest light rail line in the nation, with nearly 100,000 daily riders,” Horvath said in August 2024.
She said in September 2023: “The K Line, which connects West Hollywood to our entire region, will be transformational and will result in the highest ridership light rail line in the entire country.”
Getting the Money to Work
West Hollywood got behind state legislation last year that stretched Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District terms from 45 years out to 75. The longer timeline helps the money math work so construction could start decades sooner.
Horvath supported the bill when it passed. “AB 761 extends the period of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts from 45 to 75 years for passenger rail projects,” she said. “As the K Line Northern Extension moves through the public process and we work to expedite project completion, having extended terms for EIFDs… will be invaluable.”
Former Mayor John Erickson also supported the bill. “This bill allows us to access federal monies to not only be able to secure loan financing to further invest in the expansion of the K Line to West Hollywood, but this bill is essential to Metro coming to West Hollywood in a future fastened timeline,” he said in September 2024.
But Metro has to pick a route first, and the City needs enough partner agencies signed on to the EIFD to make the numbers work.
Three Routes Still on the Table
The K Line runs from Expo/Crenshaw down to LAX now, and the Northern Extension would push it north through Mid-City, maybe West Hollywood, and up to Hollywood. Metro dropped a draft environmental impact report in July 2024 with three routes.
San Vicente-Fairfax puts multiple stations on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood—one at Santa Monica/San Vicente near the Pacific Design Center, one at La Cienega/Beverly, another at Santa Monica/Fairfax and Santa Monica/La Brea. It’s almost 10 miles with nine stations, running from Expo/Crenshaw to Hollywood in 19 minutes.
“That would then bring more access to the Metro, to people exactly where they live… [people] being able to walk down their streets to the iconic Santa Monica Boulevard and getting on a train and no longer needing a car,” Erickson said when he was mayor in August 2024.
Heilman pointed out back in June that “the facts show that the alignment serving West Hollywood will outperform existing lines and provide an important north south connection.”
The numbers back him up. San Vicente-Fairfax serves six times more residents than the shortest La Brea route and three times more jobs. Metro projects 59,700 daily trips just on the northern piece, and when you add the southern K Line down to Torrance you hit 98,000 riders a day. The route connects Cedars-Sinai, the Beverly Center, the Farmers Market, and West Hollywood’s Rainbow District.
Horvath talked about those benefits in December 2024: “The economic benefits of the K Line Northern Extension are clear and compelling. Communities up and down the corridor have gone without fast and reliable transit for far too long.”
The other two routes skip most of West Hollywood. Fairfax runs 8 miles with seven stations, cutting through Mid-City on Fairfax Avenue, hitting Santa Monica Boulevard, La Brea and then going to Hollywood.
La Brea is shortest at just over 6 miles with six stations, shooting straight up La Brea from Mid-City to Hollywood. West Hollywood gets one station at the eastern edge at Santa Monica/La Brea, and Metro projects 85,200 daily riders.
All three routes run underground and cost between $11 billion and $14.8 billion.
The Money Problem
Metro’s got $2.33 billion from Measure M, the 2016 voter-approved sales tax, but that covers maybe a fifth of what this costs.
Those Measure M funds don’t unlock until 2041, which is the earliest construction could start without billions more in funding.
Metro puts the K Line extension opening between 2047 and 2049—more than 20 years out.
As noted above, West Hollywood’s working with LA City and LA County on an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District with the goal to help speed things up, and earlier reports said the EIFD could pull together $22 billion if everyone joins.
“We’ve demonstrated that there will be sufficient revenue to build the line,” Heilman said in June 2024. “And West Hollywood’s preferred alignment seems to be the one that serves the most people and has the most support.”
But Metro has to pick a route first, then comes the final environmental report, and then the scramble for money.
Big Money Big Numbers
Thursday’s Sepulveda approval showed Metro will greenlight massive projects when the price hits $20 billion to $25 billion.
The Board picked what Metro calls a “Locally Preferred Alternative,” which is the same step the K Line extension needs.
LA Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky sits on the Metro Board and moved Sepulveda through, calling it “as transformative for Los Angeles as the LA Aqueduct.”
The 405 moves 379,000 vehicles daily—the busiest freeway in the country. Metro thinks the new Sepulveda subway will grab 124,000 daily riders and knock out nearly 800,000 vehicle miles every day.
The tunnels drop 500 feet through the mountains with no surface disruption. Metro rejected cheaper monorail options because heavy rail subway offers better capacity.
What’s Next
Metro said in November 2025 that staff would recommend a K Line route in “Winter 2025/26,” which runs through March. The clock is a ticking.
Once Metro staff makes the call, the Board votes on a Locally Preferred Alternative—the same thing they just did for Sepulveda.
Construction is expected to roll out in chunks over eight to 12 years per phase. Though things rarely ever go as planned. Think about the Wilshire Blvd. dig and how that’s rolled out from start to finish.
The first piece will probably connect the K Line to the Purple Line at Wilshire, with West Hollywood stations—assuming San Vicente-Fairfax wins—coming later.
My guess: we’ll either all be dead by the time this actually becomes reality, or so old we will definitely need it to get around.
West Hollywood residents can email Metro at klinenorth@metro.net or check for updates at metro.weho.org. We’ll obviously keep you updated here as well.
Neither will get built.
Yep! The fed’s need to cut off all transportation $$$’s Especially Gavin’s train to nowhere. CA is so f’d.
Trump wants to spend all our money on highways.
West Hollywood needs a highway?
The San Vicente/Fairfax Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) is the most cost-effective option of the three LPAs still under consideration by Los Angeles County Metro for the K Line Northern Extension project. The San Vicente/Fairfax LPA will produce the highest ridership, build the longest track, with the greatest number of stations, connecting the most employment and cultural centers, include West Hollywood’s Rainbow District. West Hollywood owes a debt of gratitude to our local officials who worked tirelessly to advocate for the San Vicente/Fairfax LPA. Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang, West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman,… Read more »
It’s great to be a booster for your local area, but to ignore the significance of every option that Metro is working on so West Hollywood shoppers, for some reason, can take a tram instead of a bus over a relatively short distance is odd. First, the importance of the valley to city route thru the Santa Monica Mountains is WAY beyond that of a West Hollywood tram link. It’s exactly what is missing in connecting LA mass transit routes, and if you won’t admit that you’re being silly. As for the three possible lines for the proposed city tram,… Read more »
Perfectly said. And subtract any federal funding from Trump as WeHo is a sanctuary city and the San Vicente route is just a dream.
Hopefully Trump will be dead by the time they break ground on this.
A tram? Oh bless your heart!
Lindsey loves to spend money and is apparently seething over this announcement on Friday (by LAist).
“ L.A. Metro Board of Directors, which voted Thursday to formally oppose local implementation of the (new housing) law, SB 79. The only members who declined to join in opposition were L.A. County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath.”
I thought we got rid of Horvath. Go away.