The Long Track Back
LAWA’s HireLAX Program: $1M Federal Grant Boosts Aviation Careers
LAWA’s HireLAX program receives $1M federal grant to support aviation careers, empowering local communities.
Last Updated on September 6, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Los Angeles World Airport’s (LAWA) HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program recently celebrated the graduation of its 17th cohort, accompanied by a significant announcement. Congresswoman Maxine Waters presented LAWA with a $1 million federal grant to support careers in aviation-related fields. This funding will contribute to HireLAX’s mission of maximizing the local economic impact of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by training and including local workers from the diverse surrounding community.
LAWA’s HireLAX Program
Empowering Communities through Job Training:
Since its establishment in 2017, the HireLAX program has demonstrated remarkable success. With 358 graduates and 255 of them securing construction and trade roles, the program has collectively enabled its graduates to earn over $15 million. The 17th cohort, consisting of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including women, Hispanics or Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and those with prior involvement in the criminal justice system, is now prepared to pursue and thrive in construction and trade careers.
Recognition and Support:
Congresswoman Maxine Waters emphasized the transformative impact of programs like HireLAX, highlighting the $1 million grant as an opportunity to provide job training in the aviation sector to those who need it most. Her support, along with the presence of other esteemed individuals such as Board of Airport Commissioners President Karim Webb and LAWA’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Erbacci, underscores the importance placed on creating economic opportunities through HireLAX.
National Attention and Ongoing Success:
HireLAX has gained recognition as a model program for community engagement and inclusivity, attracting attention beyond California. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg witnessed firsthand the life-changing opportunities the program provides during his visit to announce funding for airport infrastructure projects. With the $1 million federal grant for FY23, LAWA aims to continue and expand this successful workforce development program and other aviation-related initiatives.
A Collaborative Effort:
The HireLAX program is a collaborative partnership involving LAWA, Los Angeles Southwest College, and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. Through an eight-week training program covering construction best practices, mathematics, physical education, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, students are prepared for their future careers. The program also aids in meeting LAWA’s critical need for trained construction workers and ensures that local workers account for at least 30% of those employed by contractors working on LAWA projects.
LAWA’s HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program has consistently demonstrated its commitment to empowering local communities by providing job training opportunities in aviation-related fields. The recent $1 million federal grant received during the 17th cohort’s graduation ceremony further solidifies the program’s importance and its ability to create economic opportunities for individuals in the surrounding communities. With continued support and expansion, HireLAX will undoubtedly play a vital role in shaping the future of the aviation industry and uplifting underrepresented individuals into successful careers.
LAWA: https://www.lawa.org/lawa-employment/lawa-hirelax
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The Long Track Back
LA Metro Approves $71 Million Bus Engine Program and Advances Antelope Valley Line Safety Work
LA Metro will replace engines in as many as 680 natural-gas buses while advancing safety improvements at two Antelope Valley Line crossings in Sylmar.
Two newly confirmed Board actions will keep hundreds of Metro buses in service while moving two Sylmar rail crossings toward construction.
LOS ANGELES — October 28, 2026 — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved two major investments affecting bus reliability and regional rail safety: a nearly $71 million engine-replacement program for as many as 680 buses and a $27.6 million construction budget for two Antelope Valley Line crossings in Sylmar.
The Metro Board approved both actions on October 22.
Hundreds of natural-gas buses will receive new engines
Metro awarded Cummins Sales and Service a five-year, single-source contract worth up to $70.99 million for 680 near-zero-emission natural-gas engines. The engines will be installed in El Dorado National 40-foot buses and New Flyer 60-foot articulated buses during fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
The engines will operate on renewable compressed natural gas and replace older engines as part of Metro’s midlife bus-refurbishment program. Metro mechanics will perform the installations.
According to the Board report, replacing high-mileage engines should reduce engine-related road calls and improve the reliability of buses that remain in daily service. Metro estimates that the replacements will reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions by 90 percent and greenhouse-gas emissions by 9 percent compared with the engines being removed.
The decision also provides more context for Metro’s transition to electric buses. In September, the agency approved the purchase of 220 battery-electric buses, with deliveries expected to begin in 2028. The new Cummins contract shows that Metro will continue investing in its existing natural-gas fleet while electric buses and the charging infrastructure needed to support them are introduced.
Metro has not changed its zero-emission goal through this action. The engine replacements are intended to keep current buses dependable during the transition and do not obligate the agency to order all 680 engines.
Two Sylmar rail crossings move toward construction
In a separate action, the Board established a $27.62 million life-of-project budget for improvements at the Astoria Street pedestrian crossing and the Polk Street roadway crossing along the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line.
The crossings are part of Segment 4 of Metro’s Brighton-to-Roxford Double Track Project. Although the broader project remains in different stages of design, the Astoria and Polk plans are sufficiently advanced to proceed as separate construction packages.
Planned improvements include coordinated traffic signals, pedestrian gates and additional roadway gates. Polk Street will receive a four-quadrant gate system intended to make it harder for motorists to enter or drive around the crossing when a train approaches. Both locations will also be prepared for possible future quiet-zone operations.
The work supports Metro’s larger effort to improve safety, reliability and capacity on the Antelope Valley Line. Advancing the two crossings now also protects state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program funding that must be spent and submitted for reimbursement by June 30, 2027.
Metro will conduct community outreach and execute the construction contracts following the Board’s approval. A specific construction-start date has not yet been announced.
Primary sources
● Metro Board Report 2026-0644: Near-Zero Natural Gas-Fueled Engines
● Metro Board Report 2026-0640: Astoria and Polk Crossing Improvements
This story is part of The Long Track Back, STM Daily News’ continuing coverage of Los Angeles transit projects, service and regional mobility.
Daily News
Major Construction Begins on Metro’s East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Line
LA Metro has moved the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project into major construction. The 6.7-mile Van Nuys Boulevard line will add 11 stations, connect with the G Line and regional rail services, and is now targeted for completion in early 2032.
After years of utility relocation and planning, LA Metro is moving into major construction on a new rail line along Van Nuys Boulevard. The milestone also comes with a revised early-2032 completion target.
LA Metro has officially marked the beginning of major construction on the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, moving one of the region’s most important rail projects from preparatory work into full-scale construction.
Metro held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 19, 2026, for the 6.7-mile line, which will run along Van Nuys Boulevard from the G Line busway north to San Fernando Road in Pacoima. The project will add 11 light-rail stations serving Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima.
This was not the project’s first groundbreaking. Metro held an earlier ceremony in December 2022 when crews began relocating utility infrastructure. The new milestone is more consequential for riders: the major-construction phase covers the guideway, stations, traction-power substations, rail systems and a maintenance and storage facility.
From utility work to a new rail corridor
The project has spent several years in utility relocation, property acquisition, design and other early work. Metro’s current construction timeline shows major work continuing from 2026 through 2032, with phased traffic changes and K-rail installations expected along Van Nuys Boulevard.
When completed, trains are expected to operate every seven to 10 minutes during peak periods. The line will connect directly with the G Line and provide access to the Van Nuys Metrolink and Amtrak station. It is also expected to become an important transfer point for the future Sepulveda Transit Corridor and a planned Metrolink station in Pacoima.
The corridor already has a substantial transit market. Metro reported that bus Lines 233 and 761, which serve Van Nuys Boulevard, recorded nearly 20,000 boardings in September 2026. The agency also says approximately 19 percent of households in the project area lack access to a car, compared with about 8 percent countywide.
Those figures help explain why this project matters beyond its construction footprint. It is intended to give residents in some of the Valley’s most transit-dependent communities more reliable access to jobs, schools, healthcare and the wider regional transit network.
The opening target has moved to 2032
Metro’s current project page lists an estimated completion date of early 2032. That is later than the 2031 opening forecast the agency publicized when it celebrated an $893-million federal grant in September 2024. Earlier plans were more optimistic still: when utility work began in 2022, Metro said the first segment could open between 2028 and 2030.
The project’s financial scale has also grown clearer. In May 2026, the Metro Board established a life-of-project budget of approximately $3.999 billion and authorized the next phase of its progressive design-build contract with San Fernando Transit Constructors, a joint venture of Skanska and Stacy and Witbeck.
That authorization increased the construction contract’s value to roughly $2.431 billion. Funding for the larger project combines federal, state and local sources, including revenue from Los Angeles County’s Measure M transportation sales tax.
Rail returns to Van Nuys Boulevard
The East San Fernando Valley line will restore passenger rail to Van Nuys Boulevard for the first time since Pacific Electric ended streetcar service there in 1952. It will also become the first major new Metro rail project in the San Fernando Valley since the subway reached North Hollywood in 2000.
The historical parallel is significant. Van Nuys Boulevard once developed around electric railway service before the region shifted heavily toward automobiles and buses. Metro is now rebuilding rail in the same broad corridor, but as part of a modern network designed to connect local riders with bus rapid transit, regional rail and future high-capacity projects.
The current project ends in Pacoima. Metro continues to study a separate 2.5-mile northern extension that would reach the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station. That extension is not included in the segment now entering major construction.
For riders, the October groundbreaking does not mean trains are imminent. Several years of disruptive and technically complex work remain, and the schedule has already moved beyond earlier forecasts. Still, it represents a tangible transition: the East San Fernando Valley line is no longer primarily a planning exercise or utility-relocation program. Metro has begun building the infrastructure that will carry trains.
That makes this a major step in Los Angeles County’s long effort to restore frequent rail transit to communities that lost it generations ago—and another chapter in The Long Track Back.
Primary sources
- LA Metro: Major construction will soon be underway
- LA Metro project page: East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit
- LA Metro Board meeting, May 28, 2026 — project budget and contract authorization
- LA Metro: $893 million federal grant announcement, September 6, 2024
- LA Metro: Advanced utility-work groundbreaking, December 2, 2022
This article is part of The Long Track Back, STM Daily News’ continuing coverage of how Los Angeles is rebuilding and expanding a passenger-rail network after decades of automobile-centered grow
The Long Track Back
LA Metro Locks In Vermont BRT Funding as World Cup Results Point Toward 2028
Metro’s World Cup service carried 212,865 passenger trips across eight matches. Its after-action report points to strong demand while identifying bus lanes, shuttle frequency, parking prices, and shade as priorities for future major events.
Last Updated on September 21, 2026 by Rod Washington
A fully funded rapid-bus project and more than 212,000 World Cup shuttle trips offer two revealing signs of how Los Angeles is preparing for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
LA Metro has reached a major funding milestone for one of its most important bus projects while releasing new evidence that transit can move a significant share of spectators during major international events.
A newly issued Metro report confirms that the Federal Transit Administration executed a $149.9 million Small Starts grant agreement for the Vermont Transit Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project on September 2, 2026. Metro now describes the proposed $413.8 million life-of-project budget as fully funded through federal, state and local sources.
Separately, Metro’s official review of the 2026 FIFA World Cup found that its special bus network carried 212,865 passenger trips during eight matches in Inglewood—approximately 20 percent of total match attendance.
Together, the developments show Metro moving from planning toward delivery: building permanent improvements for one of Los Angeles County’s busiest bus corridors while applying lessons from the World Cup to the much larger transportation challenge awaiting the region in 2028.
Vermont Avenue BRT moves closer to construction
The Vermont Transit Corridor would create a 12.4-mile, all-day bus rapid transit route between Sunset Boulevard and 120th Street. It would connect with the B, C, D and E rail lines and include 26 enhanced stations at 13 locations.
Metro’s existing Vermont Avenue service carries approximately 38,000 weekday boardings but operates through some of the region’s most congested streets. The BRT project would add dedicated side-running bus lanes, upgraded stations, improved lighting, transit-signal priority, real-time arrival information and pedestrian-safety improvements.
Metro estimates that the project could attract approximately 12,000 additional daily riders while improving the speed and reliability of every bus operating through the corridor.
The funding package includes:
- $149.9 million from the FTA Small Starts program
- $106.34 million from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program
- $81.06 million from California’s SB 1 Local Partnership Program
- $44.49 million in Proposition C funding
- $25 million from Measure M
- $5 million from the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program
- $2 million in federal Community Project Funding
Metro anticipates authorizing and executing additional early-work packages beginning in the fourth quarter of 2026. Major construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, with passenger service targeted for June 2028—just weeks before the Olympic Games begin in Los Angeles.
That is a more precise schedule than earlier project information, which described construction as beginning in late 2026 or early 2027 and service starting generally in time for the Games.
The $413.8 million life-of-project budget still requires final Metro Board approval. The federal grant agreement, however, removes a major financial uncertainty and gives Metro a clearer path toward construction.
World Cup transit carried one in five spectators
Metro’s World Cup after-action report provides the most complete picture yet of how the agency performed during its first major test ahead of 2028.
Metro deployed 300 buses over 15 special routes connecting SoFi Stadium with rail stations, transit hubs and temporary park-and-ride locations across Los Angeles and Orange counties. The service carried 212,865 passenger trips over eight matches, including 31,536 trips on the busiest match day.
According to Metro, the operation recorded no missed trips caused by mechanical problems, no traffic incidents and no safety incidents. The agency reported 100 percent fleet availability.
Customer surveys were also favorable. Metro said 91 percent of special-shuttle riders were satisfied with the service, while 93 percent indicated they would likely use a similar direct-service option during the 2028 Games. Perceived safety received a 96 percent satisfaction rating.
Contactless payment played a significant role. Approximately 72 percent of World Cup shuttle riders paid directly with a contactless credit or debit card—a systemwide feature Metro launched shortly before the tournament.
The operation was not without lessons. Riders and participating agencies identified several areas needing improvement, including dedicated bus lanes, more frequent shuttles, lower park-and-ride prices, additional shade, better group-payment options and more seating for passengers with accessibility needs.
Those concerns become more consequential when looking toward 2028. The Olympics and Paralympics will last longer than the World Cup, involve substantially more events and disperse spectators across venues throughout the region. An operation that succeeded for eight matches must therefore be expanded without disrupting everyday bus and rail riders.
A glimpse of Metro’s 2028 strategy
The Vermont BRT and World Cup results represent different sides of the same challenge.
The BRT project is a permanent investment intended to improve everyday mobility in East Hollywood, Koreatown, Exposition Park, South Los Angeles, West Athens and Westmont. Its Olympic value is important, but its lasting value will be measured by whether buses become faster and more dependable for the thousands of residents who already use the corridor.
The World Cup service, meanwhile, demonstrates that direct event shuttles can persuade a meaningful share of spectators to leave their cars behind. It also reveals the extraordinary staffing, equipment, coordination and street priority required to make those services work.
Metro has now shown that the model can succeed at World Cup scale. The next test is whether the agency can complete projects such as the Vermont BRT on schedule and turn a successful temporary operation into a repeatable regional system for 2028—and beyond.
Primary sources
- LA Metro: Vermont Transit Corridor BRT life-of-project budget report
- Federal Transit Administration: Vermont Avenue BRT project profile
- LA Metro: 2026 FIFA World Cup debrief
The Long Track Back examines the projects, decisions and turning points reshaping public transportation across Los Angeles County.
The Long Track Back follows the history and future of Los Angeles transit—from the lines the region lost to the rail and bus projects reshaping how people move today. Explore the decisions, construction milestones, and ridership trends behind LA’s changing network.
Update (September 22, 2026): Metro’s separate 2028 Games mobility report explains what happens next with the World Cup lessons. Metro is using its observations and rider surveys to refine Olympic transit plans, but says it needs funding certainty by the end of 2026 to keep major preparations on schedule. The report does not announce a change to the World Cup ridership figures cited above. (File #: 2026-0617)
