Now that Los Angeles has reached an agreement with the Olympic Committee to host the 2028 Olympic Summer Games, LA Metro is confident that its expanding transit system will be ready to serve the city during the games.

With the passage of two county voter-approved measures (Measure R in 2008, and Measure M in 2016), Metro has already started work on a series of projects to expand the city’s mass transit system — all of which will be completed prior to the onset of the 2028 games.

In return for a delay of hosting duties until 2028, L.A. made a deal with the IOC that included a $1.7 billion investment from the committee to help with construction costs and other developments ahead of the games. That extra four years also allows more time for a series of major public infrastructure projects in Southern California, including the expansion of the city’s subway system and the renovation of Los Angeles International Airport.

Here’s how Metro is on track:

The Purple Line subway extension will extend to a new terminus at the Westwood VA hospital, scheduled to open in 2024. The nine-mile, seven-station extension is set to cost $7.8 billion, and will usher future Olympic spectators to venues at UCLA including the Olympic Village and Pauley Pavilion.

The Crenshaw Line is an entirely new light rail line that will connect the Expo Line down to the Green Line (at its LAX station). The 8.5-mile, $2.1 billion project is scheduled to open by the end of 2019, with an additional station connecting the line to the future LAX people mover that is set to open by the mid-2020s. The Crenshaw Line will have a stop near The Forum and the under-construction LA Stadium. The venues will host Olympic events and potentially half of the opening ceremonies.

The final major rail project Metro currently has under construction is the 1.9-mile Regional Connector, which will consolidate downtown LA’s underground rail network. Scheduled to open by 2021, the $1.8 billion project will add three new stations to downtown — a short distance from Exposition Park where the opening and closing ceremonies and several other events are planned to take place.

Metro says that, “with an expanding transit network and special bus shuttles, the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will be pretty easy to enjoy without having to drive.”

Source: LA List