SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Transit Planners Choose Rail Line Above Freeway
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Ending more than three years of debate over the route of an east-west passenger rail line for the San Fernando Valley, a county transportation panel voted Wednesday to run elevated trains above the Ventura Freeway, rejecting a rival subway proposal.
The vote was an unexpected victory for county Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who pushed for a freeway monorail against a formidable array of political and neighborhood interests who backed the mostly underground alternative.
The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission voted 6 to 3, with two abstentions, for the freeway route. The commissioners added, however, that the decision could be reconsidered in 30 days if a staff study concludes that operating costs would make the freeway route more expensive than the subway alternative.
The elevated freeway line will cost $2.59 billion, according to estimates; the rival proposal, $3.03 billion.
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