Los Angeles has a little more than three years to gets its transportation system ready to handle millions of visitors who will attend the Summer Olympic Games for 16 days in July 2028.
Is this doable?
A new survey released last month found that between one-quarter to more than one-third of respondents were very concerned that needed public transit enhancements would not be ready ahead of the 2028 summer games and that could add to congestion.
More than 1 in 4 residents of L.A., or about 27%, said they were not confident the city would meet its deadlines for improving public transit infrastructure.
The January survey by Artemis Technologies, a firm specializing in carbon-free maritime vehicles, in conjunction with Censuswide, a research firm, said the lack of confidence does not marry well with goals cited by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Olympics organizing committee LA28, to make the Olympics “car-free” and the greenest ever.
It the survey, 37% said that getting around Southern California “is going to be more difficult before it gets better.”
And 34% believed the Summer Olympic Games would “add to congestion and worsen existing transportation issues,” according to survey.
On the positive side, 27% said planned transportation improvements “will provide alternative forms of transportation that they would use.”
Still, about one-half or 49% of Los Angeles residents gave their city a “C” grade or lower for public transit, the survey said.
And 27% of L.A. respondents wished for expanded areas of transit service, while 26% wanted increased hours of operation and frequencies of service.
LA28 officials responded only on background, saying they are in the early days of transportation planning for the 2028 games and are still finalizing a master transportation plan.
They have formed a working group called the Games Mobility Executive that meets on a regular basis with the city of L.A., L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT), LA Metro, Caltrans, Metrolink (regional passenger train operators) and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).
LA28 said the working group looks at transportation projects from all these agencies in order to determine how they can benefit the Los Angeles games. LA28 said transportation agencies are responsible for regional transportation projects, including getting spectators to 3,000 hours of live sports and 800 events.
The LA28 said the organizers are trying to create a “transit-first games,” and public transportation will be built into the planning. The goal is to encourage spectators to use public transportation instead of their cars, minimizing traffic on freeways and around venues.
The games will run from July 14 to July 30, 2028.
LA County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn said that since LA28 is not building new venues but instead is using existing stadiums and locations from downtown L.A., to the San Fernando Valley, to Riverside County, she wants to focus on transportation goals.
In a prepared statement released on Feb. 22, Hahn said LA Metro is asking for federal dollars to rent 2,700 or more buses “to quickly and conveniently get people to and from events.”
Buses would be pulled from other transit agencies, including buses from out of state.
For this funding, as well as for the 19-mile Southeast Gateway Line — a light-rail planned between downtown Los Angeles and Artesia — Hahn recently met with Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash, and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, to promote federal transit funding for the Olympics as well as other projects. Both are members of the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“These games might be in Los Angeles County, but we are hosting them for the entire nation,” Hahn wrote.
In April 2024, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins celebrated $900 million in federal funding for infrastructure and transit to help during the 2028 Olympics.
About $709.9 million of that will go to two projects already under construction: the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project and sections two and three of the D (Purple) Line Subway Extension Project that will connect downtown with West L.A.
The San Fernando Valley line won’t be finished in time for the 2028 games, but all three sections of the D Line extension are set to open prior to the Olympic Games. These extensions can take spectators and possibly athletes from Westwood and UCLA — where athletes might be housed — to downtown venues such as the Coliseum for track and field, and to the Los Angeles Convention Center for table tennis, fencing, judo and wrestling.
The A Line Azusa-to-Pomona extension — set to open this summer — could be used to take spectators to Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, where soccer matches may be played, and to Long Beach for rowing, sailing and water polo.
LA28 is considering adding public transportation passes to the purchase of each event ticket, so spectators can more easily use public transportation.
The 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles resulted in less congested freeways. Most spectators were directed to an area where buses lined up and took them to the different venues. LA28 said it is looking to repeat the 1984 games transportation success.
LA Metro analyzed its use of shuttle buses, more frequent city bus runs, and late-night rail lines stretched until 2 a.m. during the August 2023 Taylor Swift concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood as a test for the 2028 Olympic Games. The extra transit for the pop singer’s shows resulted in a 25% overall increase in ridership, Metro reported.
Despite renaming stations for the singer during the six concerts, more wayfinding signs were needed at the venue, where social media reports said many Swifties were confused about which shuttle to take.
