LACMTA retires TBM mining Regional Connector tunnels

Twitter/Metro Los Angeles

Boring work for the two tunnels that are part of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (LACMTA) Regional Connector Transit Project has been completed and the tunnel boring machine (TBM) used for the work is being retired.

Angeli, the TBM, was lowered into the ground near the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station at 1st and Central in late 2016 and began digging the tunnels in early 2017. Following completion of the first tunnel in July, Angeli was then taken apart and transported back to the 1st and Central Station site in Little Tokyo where the TBM was reassembled to begin mining the second tunnel. That work was finished in January.

“Connecting our rail systems makes our communities more inclusive, brings our neighborhoods closer together and provides our region with a shared sense of belonging,” said Los Angeles Mayor and LACMTA Board Chair Eric Garcetti. “Angeli has been hard at work over the last year digging tunnels that will bring us an interconnected transit network, and today’s milestone is an example of the progress we’re making.”

The $1.75-billion Regional Connector Transit Project is a 1.9-mile underground light-rail tunnel that will connect the Blue, Expo and Gold Lines in downtown Los Angeles and will include three new stations. When the line opens in 2021, it is expected to serve 88,000 riders daily.