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≡ METRO BUSY BUT NEEDS MONEY ≡
Transportation planning is continuing uninterrupted for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
At a special Board meeting held Wednesday morning, there was good news and the same problem to report:
● Planning with the LA28 organizing committee has accelerated, with a non-binding “Term Sheet” signed in September and a binding Memorandum of Understanding being finalized, and to be presented in the coming months.
● Procurement of buses for the 2028 “Games Enhanced Transit Service” is continuing, with 834 buses committed for donations or loan to Metro so far, out of a reduced requirement estimated at 1,747 compared to 2,700 buses projected in 2024. The vehicles are coming from 26 different public agencies, most of which are in California.
● Venue and scheduling changes have created the reductions. LA28’s move from Temecula for the equestrian events to Santa Anita Park eliminated the need for 200 buses. The confirmation of compact scheduling for baseball and football events at Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena reduced needs by 300 buses. And another 100 were saved by tweaking the scheduling of events with LA28.
● The total projected bus need of 1,747 buses at peak includes a contingency fleet of 350 buses to handle overflow needs. However, of the 834 added buses committed to Metro, only 322 drivers and managers will come with them.
● Metro staff said that the buses being offered for 2028 Games use were primarily fueled by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and none are diesel-fueled, in line with Metro’s desire for clean-air fleets. And most are equipped with disability provisions.
But then there is the continuing question of funding.
Metro has asked repeatedly for Federal funds of as much as $3.2 billion to support the Games transport project and was shut out by the Biden Administration and so far by the Trump Administration. Some funds have been procured for various projects which are not directly related for the 2028 Games, but more help is needed:
● Metro planning staff said that the continuing engineering costs for the Games period have been internalized into the agency’s existing funding. But, funding for construction will be needed by the end of 2026 or very early in 2027 in order to be effective in executing the planned program.
● A request to proceed with a request to the U.S. Department of Transportation for a loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was approved, asking for $270 million to support “Priority 1″ projects. If granted, the loan would fund “2028 Games Customer Experience Improvements” at downtown L.A. stations and the Games Metro Mobility Hubs.
But it’s not close to being enough.
Planning is advancing at all of the Olympic and Paralympic venues and each site is being reviewed for operating, security and transport continuously, with formal reviews at least once a year. A question specifically about the plans for the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, which is normally open parkland, but will host 3×3 basketball, BMX cycling, modern pentathlon and skateboarding, revealed that Pierce College in nearby Woodland Hills and Valley College in Valley Glen will be used for park-and-ride lots for Games events.
Metro is also acquiring, piece by piece, usage of land parcels on which its bus operations for 2028 can be staged. It was noted that even with the reduced bus numbers, the now-forecast total of 1,747 buses is close to Metro’s existing fleet of about 2,000, which are now serviced at 10 different locations in Southern California. Metro Chief Innovation Officer Seleta Reynolds explained:
“You’ve honed in on the longest-lead item for the GETS [Games Enhanced Transit Service], which is real estate leases and site preparation. This is a massive undertaking for a fleet of this size, and our estimates, that we’ve validated with our partners – public and private partners – is that the lead time for that is two years, because this is a complicated place, and finding the real estate, procuring the real estate, preparing the real estate, it’s a capital program, even though it is temporary in nature.
“That means that is a very important threshold for the GETS, is basically two years out, which is this summer. … That money has to come from the Federal government.”
The GETS program was estimated in the Metro ask at $2.016 billion out of the $3.2 billion total. Reynolds added:
“That is the cost estimate for the GETS, is all-in: it’s the operations, it’s the real estate, it’s the preparations, it’s the construction and so our cash flow anticipates that we would need a chunk of funding available by this summer in order to do that and it can’t come from local sources and there are no eligible grants or an operational program like that.”
And the LA28 organizers will not be paying for it. The “Term Sheet” from September was described by Reynolds as “an articulation of roles and responsibilities between LA28 and Metro” and “it says clearly that, for example, Metro will be operating the GETS, but that is completely dependent on external funding.”
The question of revenue to be received by Metro for not only fares from riders, but advertising on its system and stations was raised, but no estimates were offered in comments from Metro staff.
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Another presentation was made on preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with eight matches to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Here, a “mini-GETS” is being planned with a clear concept of being a test run for the 2028 effort, with an estimated 30,000 fans and staff to be supported with service from park-and-ride facilities.
This program is being designed with 330-plus buses from Metro, more than a dozen municipal operators and charter services.
It was noted that official FanFest sites will be announced for the “Los Angeles” hub at the end of January and “unofficial’ event sites by the end of February.
Funding is, of course, an issue, as Metro has asked for $25 million in Federal support and the 11 cities combined have asked for $400 million. A current effort for $78 million for all 11 U.S. World Cup host cities is being worked on in the U.S. Senate for passage by the end of January, which would likely yield just $4.8 million for Metro.
So, funding again. And the time is short. That was a continuing theme throughout the hearing and will be for months to come.
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