Metro approves Commerce maintenance site as E Line advances toward Montebello

LA Metro advanced the first operating segment of a planned E Line extension to Montebello on July 23, approving environmental-assessment recommendations and selecting a maintenance and storage facility site in Commerce.

The decision moves forward a 4.7-mile Initial Operating Segment from the existing Atlantic/Pomona terminus in East Los Angeles to Greenwood/Washington Station in Montebello. Streetsblog Los Angeles independently reported that the Metro Board approved the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 item, which is intended in part to support the project’s pursuit of federal funding.

What the Montebello segment would include

The initial segment would include four stations: Atlantic/Pomona, Atlantic/Whittier, Commerce/Citadel and Greenwood/Washington. For Montebello residents, the key point is that Greenwood/Washington is the planned endpoint for the first operating phase, not the immediate endpoint of the full project.

The broader Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 remains an approximately nine-mile project with a later extension planned to Lambert Station in Whittier. That later segment depends on future funding and should not be read as funded, approved for construction or scheduled to open.

Why the maintenance facility is in Commerce

Metro selected a 9-acre maintenance and storage facility site in Commerce that would accommodate up to 39 light-rail vehicles and include 55 parking stalls. The facility is separate from the rail line’s planned Montebello terminus.

Metro’s July presentation compared the Commerce location with two larger alternatives in Montebello, measuring 25 and 28 acres and accommodating up to 84 vehicles each. Metro said the Commerce site would avoid new acquisitions and business relocations, reduce acquisitions needed for the initial segment, and avoid the displacement of nine businesses and approximately 500 jobs identified with the larger Montebello alternatives.

The agency also said the Commerce choice would minimize environmental and construction effects along the Washington Boulevard corridor. That rationale does not mean future work near Greenwood/Washington will have no traffic, utility or construction effects. Residents and businesses should watch for later design updates, property or utility coordination, construction notices and additional public engagement.

Funding and timeline remain uncertain

Metro estimates the project at $7.9 billion, based on 2022 cost estimates and early design assumptions. Agency materials identify an approximately $3.959 billion need from state and federal sources. That funding has not been awarded or guaranteed.

Federal environmental review is expected to conclude in fall 2026. Metro forecasts early work in 2027, construction beginning in 2029 and revenue service for the initial Montebello segment between 2035 and 2037, provided funding and additional approvals are secured.

For commuters, relocators and Washington Boulevard businesses, the July 23 action is a planning and funding milestone rather than an imminent opening or final guarantee of construction. The next major checkpoint is completion of the federal environmental review, followed by continued funding efforts, design work and public engagement.

Sources

• LA Metro Board Report 2026-0385
• LA Metro Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 presentation
• LA Metro Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project page
• Streetsblog Los Angeles Metro Board recap