LA Metro celebrates tunneling completion of Puprle (D Line) Extension to Westside

It was recently announced that the Los Angeles Metro celebrated the tunneling completion of its 9-mile D Line/Purple Line extension on April 2, 2024.

Furthermore, tunneling for the Purple Line Extension kicked off in October 2018 and was completed in October of 2023, while its first 3-station stretch is expected to be operational in 2025.

At this time, LA’s D Line, also known as Purple Line, is a 5.1-mile-long underground, operating between Downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown, while its extension is going to extend services from Koreatown to the Westside.

This is going to be done in three sections, with the first one expected to open in 2025, while the second and third ones are scheduled to include two stations each and go into service in 2027 and 2028 respectively.

Tunneling was delayed on various occasions for multiple reasons, including working accidents, and rerouting demands.

In addition to these, challenging ground conditions also played their role, with LA Metro stating that gas pockets, tar sands, and abandoned unmapped oil wells were met during tunneling.

The Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that were used in the project measured 400 feet in length and 20 feet in diameter, while they reached a maximum progress rate of 60 feet per day.

Finally, according to ENR California, the construction of Section 1 is 91% complete, while section 2 is 66% complete and section 3 is 50% complete.