LA Metro: $8B FY22 Budget Proposed

The Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has released an $8 billion budget proposal for FY 2022 that prioritizes service restoration to pre-pandemic levels; the Board will consider it later this month.

The proposed FY22 budget (download below), which covers the July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 period, is “balanced and focuses on recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through an equity lens,” Metro reported. It represents a 14.4% increase over FY21—primarily due to $682.5 million in additional funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, the agency said.

Here are the highlights:

• $442 million for State of Good Repair. This includes bus purchases ($59 million); light and heavy railcar purchases for replacement and expansion ($92 million); modernization of P2000 light rail vehicles and AG50 heavy railcars ($90 million); wayside systems ($77 million); and facilities and bus maintenance, technology and other programs ($124 million).

• $2.5 billion for the Transit Infrastructure Program. This includes transit construction projects, such as Crenshaw/LAX and Regional Connector, both of which are slated to begin pre-revenue operations and testing, as well as the D Line (Purple) Subway extension, the L Line (Gold) Foothill Extension, the Airport Metro Connector, and Interstate-5 North Capacity Enhancements. Among the projects on the transit planning side are: predevelopment work to explore monorail and heavy rail for the Sepulveda Corridor; continuing environmental review for the North San Fernando Valley BRT; and continuing the draft environmental process for the C Line (Green) Extension.

• $480 million for the Highway Program, which includes major projects in construction and design.

• $109.6 million for Regional Rail. This includes completion of right-of-way acquisition and construction for such projects as Link Union Station and Rosecrans and Marquardt grade separations; and work on the High Desert Corridor Rail Service Study.

• $2.0 billion for Transit Operations and Maintenance. This includes restoring rail service to pre-pandemic levels with adaptive headways; 7 million revenue service bus hours by September 2021; full implementation of the NextGen Bus Plan to enhance the current network and to reallocate underutilized services to high-ridership lines; plus customer experience and new system security initiatives.

• $104.7 million for Congestion Management.

• $172 million for Other Mobility Initiatives. This includes active transportation, community development, art and sustainability, and other projects.

• $1.38 billion for Regional Subsidy Funding.

• $582.6 million for Oversight/Administration and Debt.

“As the nation gradually recovers from the unexpected economic downturn caused by COVID-19, Metro approaches FY22 well-equipped to transport the Los Angeles County region into a forward-looking post-pandemic future,” wrote Phillip A. Washington in the budget proposal’s CEO message. “Thanks to the accelerated roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations and anticipated economic recovery, as well as the continuation of federal stimulus for public transportation via the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, the $8.0 billion FY22 Proposed Budget gives an optimistic outlook for the coming year.

“In response to immediate financial challenges arising from the pandemic, transit service levels were temporarily reduced in FY21 to align service with on-street realities. This reduction is being reversed in FY22 as Metro Transit operations restore bus and rail services to pre-pandemic levels. As more sectors of the economy continue to open and people slowly return to transit, Metro is committed to providing the region a vital mobility option that considers enhanced service for all riders.”

Download Metro FY22 Budget Proposal:

Washington will step down this month as Metro chief. Stephanie Wiggins, who has been serving as CEO of Metrolink, is his successor.