The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has selected five teams for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, a metro system that will link the San Fernando Valley to the Westside, and eventually to Los Angeles International Airport.
The five teams are:
- ACS Infrastructure Development, led by ACS of Spain
- LA SkyRail Express, featuring Chinese transport firm BYD
- Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners, with US firm Bechtel
- Sepulveda Transit Corridor Partners, featuring US investment company Fengate
- US engineers Tutor Perini and Parsons and Australian infrastructure group Plenary.
Metro is seeking a predevelopment agreement with one or two teams, which it says would allow early contractor involvement. One team may be chosen to provide design and engineering support, as well as constructability reviews and cost estimates.
Following development, the other team developer will be offered the chance to build, operate and maintain the line.
James Butts, Inglewood’s mayor, said: "I’m pleased that there has been such strong early private sector interest in this game-changing transit project.
"These firms have a substantial breadth of expertise in the US and abroad."
Phillip Washington, Metro’s chief executive, said: "Metro continues to push the envelope in the pursuit of public-private partnerships for projects of regional and national significance.
"We’re pursuing this innovative project delivery approach because it can be mutually beneficial in sharing critically needed skills, assets, risks and rewards to potentially deliver this project sooner for L.A. County taxpayers."
The first phase of the $9.5bn transit line between the Valley and the Westside is scheduled to open in 2033. The second phase to LAX is due to open in 2057.
Image: The San Fernando Valley (Oakshade/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0)
