Panel to Study Plan Extending Trolley in Place of Metro Rail

Despite opposition from two San Fernando Valley officials, a county transportation panel Wednesday voted to study whether to substitute a trolley line for the major segment of the proposed Metro Rail subway earmarked for the Valley.

By a 7-1 vote, the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission voted to study the feasibility of extending the proposed Canoga Park-to-North Hollywood trolley line southeast to Universal City.

Once the line is built, it would never be replaced by Metro Rail, commission members acknowledged.

The proposal drew immediate opposition from state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), who successfully introduced legislation in 1985 that forces transit officials to build the Valley Metro Rail leg simultaneously with the leg running from downtown Los Angeles through the Wilshire District.

Proposed 2.3-Mile Extension

Robbins said he would drop his support for Metro Rail “if this proves to be a move to remove North Hollywood from the route and to substitute a slow-speed, above-ground line for the subway to North Hollywood that they had promised.”

Also opposing the plan was Roy Donley, who represents Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich on the commission. Antonovich’s district includes the Valley.

The proposed 2.3-mile trolley extension--between the intersection of Lankershim and Chandler boulevards in North Hollywood and Universal City--is on a route now designated as the final leg of the 18.6-mile Metro Rail subway.

The trolley is designed to end at Chandler and Lankershim boulevards, where most passengers would transfer onto Metro Rail.

With uncertainty growing over federal funding for the $3.3-billion Metro Rail subway, commission members decided Wednesday it was prudent to consider carrying the trolley line to Universal City.

A commission staff report said the Canoga Park-Universal City trolley line would be a “more cost-effective project overall” than the proposed combination of trolley and subway.

And, if Metro Rail is never extended to the Valley, the all-trolley plan “could be a stand-alone project” because it connects Warner Center and Universal City, two major employment centers, the report said.

County Supervisor Deane Dana, chairman of the commission, advocated the study, noting that eliminating the 2.3-mile Valley section would reduce Metro Rail’s projected $3.3-billion cost by about $250 million.

The commission vote authorized its staff to hire Bechtel National Corp. for $35,000 to design the route and stations for the proposed extension. The study is expected to be completed by mid-August, staff members said.

A staff report suggests the trolley line would travel east from the current proposed station, then south on Vineland Avenue to Universal City.

Donley, of Pacific Palisades, said the study “is only going to hurt the ultimate Metro Rail project, and that is not in the best interests of the Valley.”

Donley said he opposes trolley systems for the Valley because they operate at grade level, causing traffic congestion for automobiles.

Commission member Jacki Bacharach of Palos Verdes, who heads the rail transit committee that proposed the trolley extension, said in an interview: “What we are saying is, there is a light-rail alternative that could be built now, and we should take a look at its feasibility.”

Trying to Cut Costs

Bacharach acknowledged that the commission is “obviously looking for ways to cut Metro Rail costs.”

She said extending the trolley to Universal City probably would require repeal of Robbins’ legislation mandating simultaneous Metro Rail construction in the Valley and downtown.

The proposed trolley system would be powered by overhead wires along a route that would largely follow the Southern Pacific freight right of way.

The project, estimated to cost $300 million to $800 million without the Universal City extension, is projected for completion between 1993 and 1995.