East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Breaks Ground on $2.43B Build

The East San Fernando Valley light rail project has moved into its main construction phase. A joint venture of Skanska and Stacy Witbeck celebrated the groundbreaking at the Van Nuys Civic Center with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) and local leaders, launching six years of work on a 6.7-mile street-level line along Van Nuys Boulevard that Skanska values at $2.43 billion (Skanska).

What Happened

Skanska announced the groundbreaking in a news release on Monday, October 26 (Construction Dive). The Los Angeles Daily News reported that a ceremonial groundbreaking took place a week earlier, on Monday, October 19, and noted that early construction began in late 2024, when crews started relocating water lines, communications cable and electrical conduit beneath the Van Nuys Boulevard median (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

The scope includes 6.7 miles of at-grade track, 11 new stations with shade structures, a 26-acre rail and maintenance facility, and utility relocations and improvements (Skanska). Trains are expected to run every seven to 10 minutes at peak hours (Skanska). Skanska said the line will connect to Metro’s existing G Line busway (Skanska, August 2026).

Cost, Contract and Funding

The sources describe the dollar figures differently, so it is worth separating them:

• $2.43 billion: Skanska’s groundbreaking release calls this the contract value (Skanska). Construction Dive describes $2.43 billion as the total project cost including preconstruction (Construction Dive), and the Daily News calls it the construction contract awarded in late August (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).
• $1.9 billion: The value of the contract Skanska signed with LA Metro in August, of which Skanska’s share is $957 million, roughly half (Skanska, August 2026).
• $3.9 billion: The total project cost reported by the Daily News, which also reported more than $1.5 billion in federal funding and $600 million from the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

Skanska said it would add its $957 million share to U.S. order bookings for the third quarter of 2026 (Skanska, August 2026).

Timeline

The groundbreaking release says the work will take six years, with completion scheduled for early 2032 (Skanska). Skanska’s August contract release put expected completion in December 2031, and Andrew Grubb, project executive at Skanska USA Civil West, gave the same December 2031 target to the Daily News (Skanska, August 2026; Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

The line described here is Phase 1, running from the G Line in Van Nuys to Van Nuys Boulevard and San Fernando Road in Pacoima. A second phase of about 2.5 miles alongside Metrolink to the Sylmar Metrolink station is still being studied (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

Who Is Involved

LA Metro is the owner. Skanska, based in Stockholm, and Stacy Witbeck, based in Alameda, California, have partnered on five earlier Southern California infrastructure and rail projects, including the Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement in downtown Los Angeles (Construction Dive). Clayton Gilliland, president of Stacy Witbeck, said the firms are proud to build infrastructure that will connect people and serve the community for decades (Skanska). James Bailey, executive vice president of Skanska USA Civil’s West Coast operations, said the shovels represent the work the team will put in over the next six years (Skanska).

The joint venture will also run the San Fernando Transit Constructors Careers Academy, which offers professional development courses to people living in or near the project footprint who want construction careers (Skanska).

Why the Line Matters

The Daily News reported projected ridership of about 50,000 daily riders and noted that about 19% of households in the corridor have no access to a car, compared with 8% countywide (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit). It would be the first rail line in the San Fernando Valley since Pacific Electric Red Car service ended in 1952 (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Subcontractors: A six-year, street-running line with 11 stations, a 26-acre yard and extensive utility relocation creates long-running packages for utility, concrete, systems, electrical and station finish trades (Skanska).
• Corridor businesses and owners: The Daily News reported frequent lane closures on Van Nuys Boulevard, which owners along the route should plan around for years (Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).
• Workforce: The joint venture’s careers academy targets residents near the project footprint, giving local trade hiring a direct path onto the job (Skanska).
• Other light rail programs: Closer to home, Buffalo’s planned Metro Rail extension recently cleared federal environmental review, another rail program moving toward construction.

What to Watch

Key items are how the cost figures are reconciled in Metro’s public reporting, the pace of utility relocation along Van Nuys Boulevard, and whether the schedule holds to December 2031 or slips into early 2032.

Bottom Line

Main construction is under way on the East San Fernando Valley light rail line, a 6.7-mile, 11-station project in Van Nuys and Pacoima led by Skanska and Stacy Witbeck for LA Metro, with completion targeted for late 2031 or early 2032 (Skanska; Skanska, August 2026).

Key Questions

How much does the East San Fernando Valley light rail cost?

Skanska puts the East San Fernando Valley light rail contract value at $2.43 billion, its August contract with LA Metro was $1.9 billion, and the Los Angeles Daily News reported a total project cost of $3.9 billion (Skanska; Skanska, August 2026; Los Angeles Daily News via Mass Transit).

When will the East San Fernando Valley light rail open?

Skanska says the East San Fernando Valley light rail will take six years to build, with completion scheduled for early 2032; its earlier release cited December 2031 (Skanska; Skanska, August 2026).

Who is building the East San Fernando Valley light rail?

A joint venture of Skanska and Stacy Witbeck is building the line for LA Metro, with Skanska’s share of the August contract at $957 million (Skanska, August 2026).

How many stations will the East San Fernando Valley light rail have?

The 6.7-mile line along Van Nuys Boulevard will have 11 street-level stations and a 26-acre rail and maintenance facility (Skanska).

Related Coverage

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• Austin’s $7 Billion Light Rail System Moves into Construction: Key Contracts Awarded, Revenue Service Targeted for 2033
• Building Toward 2028: The Construction Programs Reshaping Los Angeles for the Olympics

Image credit: ALAS Media for Skanska. Image from the source article.

Sources

• Construction Dive, Skanska-Stacy Witbeck JV breaks ground on $2.43B California metro, https://www.constructiondive.com/news/skanska-stacy-witbeck-break-ground-van-nuys-light-rail/872933/
• Skanska (press release), Skanska-Stacy Witbeck joint venture breaks ground on East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, https://www.skanska.com/us/en/media/press-releases/2026/skanska-stacy-witbeck-joint-venture-breaks-ground-on-east-san-fernando-valley-light-rail-transit-project
• Skanska (press release, August 14, 2026), Skanska signs additional contract to build light rail transit in Van Nuys, CA, USA, for USD 957M, https://edit.skanska.com/en/group/media/press-releases/2026/skanska-signs-additional-contract-to-build-light-rail-transit-in-van-nuys-ca-usa-for-usd-957m-about-sek-8.9-billion/contentassets/press-release-20260814-us-light-rail-transit.pdf
• Mass Transit (Los Angeles Daily News via TNS), Metro shows off under-construction San Fernando Valley rail line in area that’s eager for service, https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/news/55413619/ca-metro-shows-off-under-construction-san-fernando-valley-rail-line-in-area-thats-eager-for-service