Vermont Transit Corridor

Vermont Transit Corridor
Overview
Status	BRT under construction
Stations	13
Service
Type	Bus rapid transit Rapid transit (future)
System	Metro Busway
Technical
Line length	12.5 miles (20.1 km)
Route map Legend to North Hollywood Sunset Santa Monica US 101 / SR 2 Vermont/​Beverly 3rd Street Wilshire ‍ Pico I-10 Adams Expo Vernon Slauson Florence Manchester Century Athens I-105 120th Street (layover) All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit

The Vermont Transit Corridor is a under construction 12.5-mile (20.1 km) bus rapid transit line in the Metro Busway network in Los Angeles, California with plans to convert it to rapid transit in the future. It is planned to operate on a north-to-south route on Vermont Avenue between the B Line's Vermont/Sunset station and the C Line's Vermont/Athens station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The project feasibility study was released in February 2019 with a proposed completion date of 2028 for BRT and after 2067 for rail. It is part of Metro's Twenty-eight by '28 initiative and is partially funded by Measure M. The route will have signal priority at traffic lights and will have a dedicated right of way. Metro reports the initial cost is $425 million.

Recent developments

In early 2025, LA Metro released a strategic three-phase plan for implementing dedicated bus lanes along Vermont Avenue. The plan details near-term, mid-term, and long-term improvements aimed at enhancing bus service, including the installation of curbside bus lanes, signal priority measures, and upgraded station infrastructure.

Subsequently, on March 19, 2025, Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee approved a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for the Vermont Transit Corridor project. This approval allows the project to move forward into the environmental review phase, representing a key milestone in the planning process.

On March 27, 2025, the Metro Board approved the locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the Vermont Transit Corridor project, selecting a 12.4-mile side-running bus rapid transit (BRT) line with 26 stations at 13 major intersections. The project was determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Senate Bill 922, which facilitates the approval of sustainable transit initiatives. With this designation, Metro is now proceeding with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and advancing into preliminary engineering to further develop the project design.

In the summer of 2026, Metro secured an additional $150 million in federal funds to commence work.

On October 21, 2026, Metro broke ground on construction for the line.

History

Until 1963, Vermont Avenue was served by several Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car streetcar lines: the F, K, R, S, U, and V. After streetcars ceased running under the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, tracks were torn up, and buses replaced service.

As of 2020^[update] Vermont is the second busiest bus corridor in ridership, with 45,000 boarding per work day. Metro estimates this BRT will have 75,000-weekday boardings once completed. For that reason, light rail and subway options are also being developed. Metro is looking for ways to accelerate the option. Rail-based options are not scheduled to receive Measure R funds until after 2067.^{[non-primary source needed]}

Initial alternative analysis

Two alternative analyses were developed.

Route

The corridor includes Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 120th Street. Destinations along the route include Exposition Park and its museums Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center. Also, local sports stadiums, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and BMO Stadium. USC is along the route. It would also connect with the E Line at Expo/Vermont station.^{[non-primary source needed]}

The following table shows potential BRT metro stations, per feasibility study from north to south. Also listed are existing light rail and subway stations.

Station options	Alt 1 BRT	Alt 2 LRT	Alt 3 HRT	Connecting services	Community	Notes
Vermont/Sunset	Y	-	Y	B Line	Little Armenia, East Hollywood	Existing subway station
Vermont/Santa Monica	Y	-	Y	B Line	Little Armenia, East Hollywood	Existing subway station
Vermont/Beverly	-	-	Y	B Line	Wilshire Center	Existing subway station
Vermont/3rd Street	Y	-	-		Koreatown
Wilshire/Vermont	Y	Y	Y	B Line D Line		Existing subway station
Vermont/Pico	Y	Y	Y		Pico-Union
Vermont/Adams	Y	-	-		West Adams
Expo/Vermont	Y	Y	Y	E Line	Expo Park, USC	Existing light rail station
Vermont/Vernon	Y	-	-		South Los Angeles
Vermont/Slauson	Y	Y	Y
Vermont/Florence	Y	Y	-
Vermont/Manchester	Y	Y	Y		Vermont Vista
Vermont/Century	Y	Y	-
Vermont/Athens	Y	Y	Y	C Line	Athens/Vermont Vista	Existing light rail station
Vermont/120th Street	-	Y	Y		Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles Southwest College/Vermont Vista	Future layover for BRT

South Bay extension

Metro is also conducting a BRT, LRT, and HRT feasibility study to extend the route a further ten miles (16 km) past 120th Street south along Vermont Avenue to Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park terminating at Pacific Coast Highway.

Nearby destinations would include Los Angeles Harbor College, Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center, and Pacific Coast Highway station (J Line).

A feasibility study was conducted and released in 2023. Metro staff recommended no further study be conducted. Incremental BRT and rail service was recommended once BRT or Rail service has begun on the full corridor.

References

External links

• Project site