Subway Role Downplayed

* It is encouraging that The Times recognized the economic-development value of the Metro Rail subway in its Nov. 8 editorial “New Hope for North Hollywood.” Too often the media has ignored this important aspect of Metro Rail. The 16 stations along the 17.4-mile subway alignment between downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal City and North Hollywood are prime for joint economic development.

Besides the Valley development plans, a gala groundbreaking for a major entertainment and retail center that will include a new home for the Oscars was held recently at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where MTA is leasing land above its subway station. However, MTA’s role received scant press attention.

Hopefully, The Times will print more economic-impact stories as the subway nears its Hollywood opening in May 1999. The segment between Hollywood and North Hollywood, via Universal City, actually will open in May 2000, a year earlier than The Times reported.

The cost per mile to build the entire 17.4-mile subway alignment, when completed to the Valley, also is projected at approximately $260 million a mile, not the $300 million figure that is widely reported. As The Times notes, this is one of the largest investments in infrastructure ever made in Los Angeles, but one that promises to deliver real dividends in terms of ridership and as a catalyst for economic development.

MARC LITTMAN

MTA Media Relations Director