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≡ INTEL REPORT ≡
A lengthy memorandum prepared for now-canceled Wednesday meeting of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s Ad Hoc 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee once again stressed:
“Funding for the essential Games-specific projects is currently the most significant challenge facing Metro and the [Games Mobility Executives] partners.”
Metro, the lead agency for most of the public transit needs for the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games, has been in an all-out sprint to obtain funding support from Washington for six primary areas of action:
● Games Enhanced Transit Service ~ added buses to support Games spectators;
● Mobility Hubs ~ to connect communities with the Games bus services;
● Countywide bus-only lanes;
● Key station support and light-rail improvements;
● Wayfinding support;
● Heat mitigation.
There has been some good news, as the report explained:
“In 2024, staff has been working with the appropriate congressional committees to explore how the FY2025 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development [THUD] bill might include funding for mobility-related projects and initiatives tied to the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Staff is pleased that the U.S. Senate’s FY2025 THUD bill included $200 million for Games-related mobility projects. Likewise, staff are encouraged that Congressman Robert Garcia [D-Long Beach] circulated a letter on August 9, 2024, signed by 17 members of the House, urging House leaders to include a similar amount of funding in their FY2025 THUD spending measure.
“Over the next several months, staff will work with House and Senate stakeholders to ensure that the $200 million for Games-related mobility projects is included in the final FY2025 THUD bill adopted by Congress and signed into law by the President.”
Metro is continuing to press for much more money for the Fiscal Year 2026 – 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 – as the memo details:
(The references to GME, or Games Mobility Executives, is to a working group of government and transit agencies, and the LA28 organizers.)
“Metro has and will continue to work with the federal government to include funding for the GME priority workstreams in the FY2026 Budget. Most recently, on November 21, 2024, the Metro Board conveyed a letter addressed to incoming President Donald Trump urging his administration to include $3.2 billion for GME priority workstreams in the FY2026 Budget that will be issued early next year.
“The requests outlined in this correspondence and in accompanying fact sheets include funding for legacy and essential Games-specific projects, such as the [Games Enhanced Transit Service] and [Games Route Network]. Funding for the essential Games-specific projects is currently the most significant challenge facing Metro and the GME partners.
“This is analogous to the challenges faced by the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. This was resolved, in part, by Congress appropriating funding identified in the FY2002 Budget released by then-President George W. Bush. Staff will work with the Metro Board, our Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation, and key stakeholders to support our FY2026 Budget funding request.”
A further level of clarity is being sought by Metro vis-a-vis the LA28 organizing committee, with a formalization to come later this year:
“Metro is preparing to be the primary mobility service provider for the 2028 Games spectators and workforce. Metro has dedicated resources and aligned with the preliminary roles and responsibilities identified in the [Games Mobility Executive coordination group] RACI [Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform matrix].
“However, to bring greater certainty and commitment from LA28 so that Metro can continue planning and delivering the projects and services for the 2028 Games transportation, Metro and LA28 are working together to develop and execute a Memorandum of Understanding by the summer of 2025.”
The Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games received Federal transportation funding support of $1.3 billion from the U.S. government. While the LA28 organizers are fully responsible for the transportation of Games participants – athletes, coaches, officials, news media – it is not responsible for spectator transportation.
Due to the fires still burning in the Los Angeles area, Metro’s Ad Hoc committee meeting on the 2028 Games was canceled, but the agenda and presentations are available.
Responses to Metro’s massive Request for Proposal for architectural and engineering services to support the Olympic and Paralympic Games program in 2028 are due tomorrow (14th). Metro staff, in its report for Wednesday’s meeting, promised more details on the bus support systems soon:
“Metro staff is preparing a [Games Enhanced Transit Service] Strategic Roadmap to fully respond to the Board Motion in April 2025 with greater detail … The GETS Strategic Roadmap will identify off-ramps and scenarios for different levels of funding that may materialize in the future, including the FY25 and FY26 budget requests.”
There is concern within Metro whether the incoming Trump Administration will support the funding requests; the Biden Administration did not include them in its funding process. But the reports indicate that the planning is advancing to see how much can be done with what is or will be available.
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