The new Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) station at La Cienega and Wilshire boulevards will open between January and March of 2026, according to a recent construction update from the organization.
The station is part of Section 1 of Metro’s D Line Extension, which also includes new stations at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, and Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.
The extension will also include a new station at Beverly Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, which is part of the project’s Section 2 and is expected to open for operations in the spring of 2027.
The construction update, which was given at Metro’s Oct. 15 board meeting, included details about completed work on the D Line Extension and next steps for the project. According to Metro’s Senior Executive Officer Jim Cohen, who delivered the presentation, work on Section 1 is 98% complete.
“We will continue systems integration testing … and achieve a substantial completion in January of ’26 with the target of revenue service in the winter of ’26,” he said.
Calling the project “very technically complex,” Cohen said that during construction on the Wilshire/La Cienega station, workers at one point encountered more groundwater than anticipated, necessitating the installation of French drains to dry out the bottom and the invert of the station.
At the Oct. 15 meeting, Metro’s board approved an increase of $4 million that will go toward the remaining street restoration in Beverly Hills. Metro will coordinate with its contractor and the city to complete all work in the public right-of-way. That work includes engineering reviews, construction coordination, inspections and the administrative efforts.
In addition to street restoration, the work that remains to be done on Section 1 includes final systems and safety testing, inspections, preparing for service and other finishing touches, according to a Metro representative.
“These final steps are taken to ensure the stations, tunnels, trains and support systems all operate safely and reliably before opening,” the representative told the Courier in an email.
Throughout the month of December, Metro will collaborate with first responders to perform live-emergency drills at the Wilshire/La Cienega station that are also necessary to complete prior to opening the station for public use. Incorporating emergency response vehicles and equipment, the drills will include the simulation of an active shooter, train fire and other rescue and response scenarios.
“These simulation drills will allow First Responders to train in the new subway station to respond in the event of an emergency,” said the Metro representative.
During his presentation, Cohen said that workers are already preparing for the drills.
“Right now, they are reviewing each one of the stations, making sure it’s ready for the drills, and getting ready to put in the final details,” he said.
The D Line Subway Extension is being completed in three sections. Sections 1 and 2, which include the Wilshire/La Cienega station and the Beverly Drive station are primarily funded through Measure R, which voters approved in 2008, and a pair of federal grants.
When complete, the extension will span nine miles, beginning at the existing Wilshire/Western station and ending at the yet-to-be-completed Westwood/VA Hospital station.
Construction began on Section 1 in 2014 and on Section 2 in 2018.
The city of Beverly Hills has devoted considerable time and resources to ensuring the safety of the Wilshire/La Cienega station. The station will have a public safety kiosk staffed by community service officers who will have the authority to patrol the area and write reports.
Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian has spoken publicly about the city’s efforts to recruit more police officers to patrol the area, and the city is developing partnerships with nearby agencies for additional security.
Tim Lindholm, Metro’s chief program management officer, said at the Oct. 15 meeting that Metro is not able to offer a definitive opening date yet because so much testing remains to be done.
“We just hit a pretty good milestone down there in the tunnels,” he said. “We hit about 50% of our SCADA testing … soon, when we feel a little more comfortable about how we’re doing with our testing, we will be able to declare a date.”
