Vermont Transit Corridor

Vermont Transit Corridor

Company type	Planned transit project
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	February 2019
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	Los Angeles, California
Products	Bus rapid transit (planned), future rapid transit line
Parent	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)

The Vermont Transit Corridor represents a planned bus rapid transit (BRT) route within the Metro Busway system in Los Angeles, California, with intentions for eventual conversion into a rapid transit line. This corridor will extend along Vermont Avenue in a north-south direction, connecting the B Line at Vermont/Sunset station with the C Line at Vermont/Athens station. The feasibility study for this initiative was published in February 2019, aiming for a BRT launch by 2028 and a rail upgrade projected beyond 2067. The project is incorporated within Metro's Twenty-eight by '28 program and receives partial funding through Measure M. Features of the route include dedicated lanes and traffic signal priority to improve transit flow. Initial financial projections estimate the cost at approximately $425 million.

Recent Developments

In early 2025, LA Metro introduced a comprehensive three-stage approach to establish exclusive bus lanes along Vermont Avenue. This plan includes curbside dedicated lanes, enhanced signal priority systems, and station upgrades designed to boost operational efficiency.

On March 19, 2025, the Planning and Programming Committee of Metro granted an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the Vermont Transit Corridor project, enabling it to advance into environmental review—a key step in project development.

Following this, on March 27, 2025, the Metro Board endorsed the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), which consists of a 12.4-mile side-running BRT route featuring 26 stations situated at 13 principal intersections. The project benefited from a CEQA exemption under Senate Bill 922 to accelerate sustainable transit implementation. Currently, Metro is moving forward with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment and Preliminary Engineering phases to further refine the design.

History

Prior to 1963, multiple Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car streetcar lines—namely F, K, R, S, U, and V—served Vermont Avenue. After these streetcars were discontinued under the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority’s management, tracks were dismantled and bus services took their place.

By 2020, Vermont Avenue had become the second most heavily used bus corridor in Los Angeles, accommodating approximately 45,000 boardings on an average weekday. Metro projects that BRT implementation will increase ridership to around 75,000 daily boardings. In response, light rail and subway transit options are being explored; however, funding allocated through Measure R for rail improvements is not expected until after 2067. Metro is actively investigating strategies to expedite these rail alternatives.

Initial Alternative Analysis

Two primary options were evaluated:

Bus rapid transit

Metro intends to develop a BRT system with stops spaced roughly one mile apart. The analysis includes three configurations: "side running," "side-center running," and a technical evaluation of a fully "center-running" alignment. These scenarios have entered formal environmental review processes, with a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) targeted for release in 2019. The proposed budget for the BRT component is $425 million.

Rail

Rail alternatives examined in the feasibility study consist of:

• Light rail transit estimated between $2.7 billion and $3.2 billion, incorporating underground segments between Wilshire Boulevard and Gage Avenue.
• Heavy rail transit with costs ranging from $3.7 billion to $4.4 billion featuring five new subterranean stations and a junction beneath Wilshire/Vermont station to extend the B Line. This would provide a direct underground connection from North Hollywood to South Los Angeles without transfers.

Funding for rail development through Measure M is anticipated only after 2067.

Route

The transit corridor extends along Vermont Avenue, spanning from Hollywood Boulevard down to 120th Street. Prominent locations served include Exposition Park, home to institutions such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Natural History Museum, and California Science Center, as well as major sporting arenas like the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and BMO Stadium. The University of Southern California (USC) is also situated along this route. Additionally, the corridor links with the E Line at the Expo/Vermont station.

According to the feasibility study, potential BRT stations (listed from north to south) are as follows:

Station Options	Alt 1 BRT	Alt 2 LRT	Alt 3 HRT	Connecting services	Community	Notes
Vermont/Sunset	✓	-	✓	B Line	Little Armenia, East Hollywood	Existing subway station
Vermont/Santa Monica	✓	-	✓	B Line	Thai Town	Existing subway station
Vermont/Beverly	✓	-	✓	B Line	Wilshire Center	Existing subway station
Vermont/3rd St.	✓	-	-		Koreatown
Wilshire/Vermont	✓	✓	✓	B Line, D Line	Koreatown	Existing subway station
Vermont/Pico	✓	✓	✓		Pico-Union
Expo/Vermont	✓	✓	✓	E Line	Exposition Park, USC	Existing light rail station
Vermont/Vernon	✓	-	-
Vermont/Slauson	✓	✓	✓		South Los Angeles
Vermont/Florence	✓	✓	-
Vermont/Manchester	✓	✓	✓		Vermont Vista
Vermont/Century	✓	✓	-
Vermont/Athens	✓	✓	✓	C Line	Athens/Vermont Vista	Existing light rail station
' Vermont/120th St.	' -	' ✓	' ✓	'	' Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles Southwest College/Vermont Vista	'

South Bay Extension

Metro is currently evaluating options for extending the corridor approximately southward from 120th Street along Vermont Avenue to Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, terminating near Pacific Coast Highway. The extension alternatives under consideration include Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), and Heavy Rail Transit (HRT).

Important destinations in proximity to this proposed extension encompass Los Angeles Harbor College, Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center, and the Pacific Coast Highway station served by the J Line.

A feasibility study conducted in 2023 advised against pursuing further immediate investigation. Instead, it suggested that incremental enhancements in BRT and rail services may be implemented once full corridor operations commence.

External links

• Project site