Regional Connector Transit Corridor

1.9 mile underground light rail

One-seat ride for travel across LA County

3 new stations

Challenges

An alternative transportation option was needed to ease congested roadways and provide significant environmental and economic benefits.
The project is in a high-seismic-risk area and must be designed and constructed to be resilient to earthquakes.
This new extension to LA's Metro Rail is needed to reduce travel times and eliminate the need for cumbersome transfers.
The extension will improve access to local and regional destinations, ensuring a continuous, through service between these lines and connectors to others via the 7th Street/Metro Center Station.

Hatch in joint venture is designing the 1.9-mile underground light-rail Metro Regional Connector Project, extending from the Metro Gold Line Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station.
Our design of twin tunnels and the 2nd and Broadway station includes precast concrete tunnel lining and cross passages. We are assessing the structure of the tunnel lining under a major fire event and evaluating the impact assessment study and mitigation for the overhead structure the tunnel now crosses.
Design and construction of the 2nd and Broadway station is adjacent to the LA Times buildings, which require underpinning for the station-structure construction.
Our team is contributing full 3D analysis and design of the large underground structures in a seismic-prone area; the design of main underground structures; analysis and design of the entrance structure under extremely heavy overbuild loads; and the development of in-house design software.

The new Metro Rail extension will offer passengers an alternative to congested roadways, providing significant environmental benefits, economic development, and employment opportunities throughout Los Angeles County.
The corridor is expected to be completed in 2020 and will initially handle approximately 60,000 trips each working day.
This extension offers a one-seat ride for travel across Los Angeles County. From the Metro Gold Line, passengers will be able to travel from Azusa to Long Beach and from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica without transferring.