Metro Purple D Line extension officially opens, adding 3 new stations along Mid-Wilshire corridor

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The first phase of Metro's long-awaited D Line subway extension opened on Friday, adding three new stations along the Mid-Wilshire corridor and expanding rail service west from Koreatown.

Metro officials, elected leaders and community members -- including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and county Supervisor Lindsey Horvath -- gathered Friday morning for an opening celebration on the roof of the Petersen Automotive Museum, located steps from the new Wilshire/Fairfax subway station. The ceremony came after the various dignitaries rode on the inaugural train through the extended subway corridor.

Passenger service to the new stations began at 12:30 p.m. Friday. There was clapping, cheering and chanting to welcome the first arrivals at the D Line's new Wilshire-Fairfax station.

The first phase of the project will bring stops at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, providing a direct rail link from downtown Los Angeles to the edge of Beverly Hills.

To celebrate the project, rides across the Metro bus, rail, bike share and Micro system will be free through 3 a.m. Monday.

The opening of the Wilshire/La Cienega station gives Beverly Hills its first rail passenger service since Sept. 26, 1954, when the Pacific Electric Railway closed its Hollywood Line streetcar line.

Transit officials said the expansion is expected to significantly improve travel times along Wilshire Boulevard, one of the region's busiest corridors, with trips from Union Station to the new western terminus taking about 20 minutes without transfers.

"This train will give us new doors to some of the most iconic places in our city," Bass said during the opening ceremony. "They connect the people of Miracle Mile to work, to museums, to neighborhoods and to each other. It makes our very huge city smaller and a lot more connected."

Bass noted that the extension of the D Line will continue, eventually reaching the Westwood area, "transforming how Angelenos get around for generations to come."

Those in support of the new extension included actor and L.A. resident Jerry O'Connell, who was on hand for the grand opening.

"If I never have to sit in that traffic again, let's go!" O'Connell said.

The extension that opened Friday runs nearly 4 four miles through neighborhoods including Hancock Park, the Fairfax District and Carthay Circle, connecting riders to major cultural and commercial destinations such as Museum Row and the La Brea Tar Pits.

Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra called Friday "a historic day," adding, "I don't use that word lightly."

Metro officials said each new station will feature public art installations and full accessibility, along with enhanced security measures including surveillance systems and transit personnel.

"I just need to get to this place, and Google Maps told me I could take this, so I just used it as a normal person that came from LAX, and I just found out it's a new thing," said Nuno Musquita.

A series of pop-up events, markets and community activities accompanied the opening of the subway extension.

According to Metro, the three-month pilot program will bring daily "activations" to stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega.

Activities planned at the stations include morning coffee carts, weekly farmers markets, pop-up retail shops and cultural programming, officials said.

At the Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/Fairfax stations, local vendors are expected to operate coffee carts on weekday mornings, while farmers markets are planned weekly at both locations.

Additional programming is expected to include free salsa dance classes, temporary pickleball courts and pop-up events featuring local businesses, including merchants from the nearby Little Ethiopia district.

The second phase of the subway extension, tentatively set to open in spring 2027, will add stations in Beverly Hills and Century City. The third phase, tentatively planned for fall 2027, will add stations at UCLA and the VA hospital.

City News Service contributed to this report.