MTA will continue to study South Bay rail extension

MTA will continue to study South Bay rail extension - The Daily Breeze

MTA will continue to study South Bay rail extension
By Gene Maddaus Staff Writer
Posted: 05/28/2009 06:33:50 PM PDT

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved $5 million on Thursday to continue studying a South Bay rail extension but cited concerns about the source of the funding.

South Bay leaders are lobbying the MTA in support of the Harbor Subdivision, an old freight rail corridor that could someday link Torrance to the county's passenger rail grid.

While the MTA board approved funding for further environmental studies of the corridor, the MTA's legal staff advised members that the money could not come from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax voters approved last fall.

The board voted to defer that issue to another meeting next month.

"Obviously every time you move forward, even if it's a baby step, it's a good thing," said John Parsons, board chairman of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce. "I see this as staying in play and moving forward."

If built, the South Bay rail line would extend southeast from the existing Green Line station in north Redondo Beach. It would include a stop at the South Bay Galleria and at Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance. It could also extend farther, and some officials hope it could eventually go to San Pedro or Long Beach.

However, under the schedule approved with Measure R, the line would not be completed until 2033-35.

The MTA has begun a very preliminary study of the rail corridor, which it bought in the early 1990s. That analysis is designed to gauge local support for the
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line and firm up the route. It is expected to conclude in November.

But in the initial budget for 2009-2010, the MTA staff did not include any funding for additional environmental studies beyond November.

Led by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, about 20 local elected officials attended Thursday's MTA meeting to lobby for the Harbor Subdivision.

At the meeting, the MTA board approved its $3.9 billion budget for the next fiscal year. Many officials from the San Gabriel Valley also attended to press for $10 million for the Gold Line Foothill Extension, which is proposed to run from Pasadena to Asuza.

South Bay leaders are still learning how to exercise their clout on a regional basis.

"It was a valuable lesson for us," said Jacki Bacharach, executive director of the South Bay COG. "Everybody else is there making a lot of noise and we're going to have to do the same."

gene.maddaus@dailybreeze.com