LA Metro broke ground Oct. 19 on a 6.7-mile light rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard, bringing rail service back to the corridor for the first time in more than 70 years.

The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail line will run down the center of the boulevard with 11 stations. The route connects the Metro G Line in Van Nuys to San Fernando Road in Pacoima, passing through Panorama City and Arleta.

The project will serve some of the Valley's most transit-dependent neighborhoods. About 19% of households along the corridor lack a personal vehicle, more than double the 8% countywide average, according to Metro data reported by NBC4.

Stations will be spaced roughly three-quarters of a mile apart. Stops include Van Nuys Metro G Line, Victory, Vanowen, Sherman Way, Van Nuys Metrolink, Roscoe, Nordhoff, Woodman, Arleta, Laurel Canyon and San Fernando.

Trains are expected to arrive every seven to 10 minutes during peak hours, Metro estimated.

Cost and funding

The price tag depends on who's counting. NBC4 reported construction costs at "nearly $4 billion," while the Daily News pegged the first phase at $3.6 billion in an August report. Metro awarded a $2.43 billion construction contract to Skanska USA and partner Stacy Witbeck to build the tracks and stations.

Metro secured an $893 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant is the first Full Funding Grant Agreement under the Federal Transit Administration's Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program.

The project has also received $1.5 billion in total federal dollars and $600 million from the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, according to the Daily News. Voter-approved sales tax Measures M and R cover additional costs.

What it means for residents

"The East San Fernando Valley deserves an affordable and safe transit system that provides reliable access to jobs, health care, schools and local businesses," Mayor Karen Bass, who chairs the Metro board, said in a statement.

Metro Board Member and City Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, who grew up in the Valley and represents the Van Nuys area, called the project a return of rail to a corridor that has gone without it for generations.

The line will connect with Metrolink, Amtrak and the Metro G (Orange) Line. The project includes 33 electric light-rail cars and a 21-acre maintenance and storage facility near Keswick Street, according to the Daily News. Stations will feature ADA-compliant sidewalks and improved pedestrian crossings.

Metro projects more than 18,000 direct and indirect jobs from construction and operations. The agency plans to offer a Business Interruption Fund to help local shops weather the construction period.

Timeline and construction challenges

Completion dates vary by source. NBC4 reported the line is slated for operation in October 2031. Andrew Grubb, a project executive at Skanska USA Civil West, told the Daily News the target is December 2031.

Grubb called traffic "probably the biggest obstacle to construction" along the heavily trafficked boulevard. "That takes real partnership with the city agencies and with the community," he said.

Metro warned of lane reductions and disruptions along the route through 2031.

A second phase, still being studied, would extend the line 2.5 miles alongside the Metrolink heavy rail corridor to the Sylmar Metrolink Station.