[WhoozOn1st]

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was originally elected in part on a platform of major rail expansion, is again expressing frustration with the sluggish pace of progress on the Westside extension (the "Subway to the Sea") of what is now called the Purple Line.

Mayor calls for faster rail timeline

"'I'm 56 now,' said the mayor, who would be 83 if the extension were completed under the current schedule. 'We are here today to make sure that it gets built before I'm 66.'"

Hey, I'm right behind you on the age thing, Mr. Mayor. Let's get that thing built! I say forget Azusa (Gesundheit!) and focus on Expo and Purple. Unfortunately, the vagaries of local political parochialism make that unlikely.

[DET63]

Are there good reasons for the slow pace of construction (i.e., making sure it's done correctly, up to earthquake standards, etc.), or is this the case of the all-too-common foot-dragging, corruption, etc.?

[WhoozOn1st]

DET63, on Mon, Aug 24, 2009, 09:32 PM, said:

Are there good reasons for the slow pace of construction (i.e., making sure it's done correctly, up to earthquake standards, etc.), or is this the case of the all-too-common foot-dragging, corruption, etc.?

In addition to the usual funding difficulties, there's a fair amount of intra-county political squabbling over whooz gonna get how much of the transit pie, and for what. Representatives of outlying communities want their cuts for local rail projects (like the Gold Line extension to Azusa mentioned above), and to hell with the Greater Good that a "Subway to the Sea" would serve. Parceling out money for rail in every little burg at once means all projects are slowed, as opposed to focusing funding on a single high priority to get it completed more quickly.

On the funding front...

MTA gives rail projects a boost

"The move brings the Westside L.A. subway expansion and a plan to build a light-rail link through downtown L.A. a step closer to reality."