The Metro D line, also known as the Purple Line, reopens Saturday after a 70-day closure for construction on the first phase of a rail expansion project beneath Wilshire Boulevard.
The first phase of the extension project is budgeted at $3.7-billion to add three stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega to connect downtown Los Angeles with the Westside.
That phase is 98% complete, Metro said, and is expected to open later in 2025. Station finishes, street restoration and testing remains.
During the recent closure, the transit agency worked to connect communication and power systems between the existing line and new sections. Tracks have been laid, lighting has been installed and tunneling has been completed for that section, according to the transit agency.
“Staff and contractors are now working 24/7 to connect the older portions of the subway with the the newest section … making sure that all power systems, train control, ventilation and signalization all work and function as one common and safe system,” Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra said during a board meeting Thursday.
The route between downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown is one of Metro’s most heavily used with more than 65,000 daily boardings on average. The project to add seven stations and expand service on the line to Hancock Park, Century City, Beverly Hills and Westwood broke ground more than a decade ago. Metro’s goal is to finish by the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“We’re now at the home stretch to opening this game-changing subway extension project, which is going to be on schedule,” Dutra said.
The second phase will include the Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City/Constellation stations, which are expected to open in 2026. The final section to add the Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations is slotted for a 2027 opening.
Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins said that the D Line closure contributed to Metro’s recent decline in ridership, which dropped 13.5% from May amid ongoing immigration raids throughout Los Angeles County, according to Metro data. The decrease in June boardings was the transit agency’s lowest of the year and the lowest June on record since 2022.
During the closure, riders relied on expanded B Line service, which shares D Line stops from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont, and shuttle service from Koreatown.
