Courtesy photo
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Dignitaries and community members used their bikes or feet May 17 to celebrate the opening of a new green space corridor connecting rail stations with paths that replaced blighted railroad tracks.
The Rail to Rail Active Transportation Corridor is a 5.5-mile path to connect South Los Angeles and Inglewood communities served by Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail lines.
Participants at the grand opening rode bicycles, scooters and roller skates or walked along a separate parallel path to check out the project that was paid for with $166 million from Measures M and R, and is the seventh of 28 projects the MTA plans to complete before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games.
The paths run between the MTA K Line Fairview Heights Station at 67th Street and 11th Avenue and the J Line Slauson Station and A Line Slauson Station.
“This project has been in the works for decades, and it’s all about making it safer for people who bike, walk or roll,” said county Supervisor Janice Hahn, who also serves as chair of the MTA Board of Directors. “It’s a big step forward in connecting communities — especially with its link to the Rail to River Segment B — which will eventually create a path to the L.A. River.”
The project includes 472 new trees, all indigenous species, and connects users with 17 MTA bus lines, three DASH bus lines and five bike share stations along the alignment. It offers rest areas with benches and is within walking distance of several neighborhood schools, parks and other community amenities.
For safety, there are 52 security cameras along the alignment that are monitored at the MTA Security Operation Center and nine emergency telephones.
“It is encouraging to witness the transformation of a historically underinvested corridor into a beautiful community asset,” county Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell said. “We will continue to work to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable residents, and projects like this that improve mobility, foster connection, encourage more active lifestyle. Improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists are exceptional opportunities to invest in our communities.”
MTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins called the path “an important part of our transportation network for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
“The first and last mile of people’s journeys can make or break their transit experience,” Wiggins added. “I hope Rail to Rail will be well used and well loved by the community and all the people we serve.”
Phase two of the project, currently referred to as Rail to River Active Transportation Corridor, will extend the path from the A Line Slauson Station approximately four miles east along Randolph Street through the cities of Bell, Maywood, Huntington Park and the unincorporated Florence-Firestone community, terminating at the Los Angeles River. It is expected to open in 2027.
