Metro Purple line to get federal funding (Twitpic/Kitty Felde)

On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti will be joining U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Washington, D.C. to accept a $1.25 billion federal grant that will help fund first phase in the westward expansion of the Metro Purple Line. An additional  $856-million loan from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program will bring the total federal funding for the project to $2.1 billion. 

The line which currently runs from Union Station to Korea Town will soon connect with seven more stations, brining the subway through Mid-City, Beverly Hills, and Westwood. 

When complete, the controversial “Subway to the Sea” will allow passengers to travel from downtown to Westwood in 25 minutes, according to Metro officials, serving about 49,000 riders each week by Metro estimates.  

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