What to KnowThe first section of Metro‘s long-awaited D (Purple) Line subway extension opens to riders.Three additional stations are coming to the Mid-Wilshire corridor that will expand rail service west from Koreatown.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.The extension runs nearly four miles through neighborhoods including Hancock Park, the Fairfax District and Carthay Circle.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.

A new Metro subway line extension will open to riders Friday with three additional stations along the Mid-Wilshire corridor that will expand rail service west from Koreatown.

Metro‘s long-awaited D (Purple) Line subway extension will be celebrated with a grand opening scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday on the rooftop of the Petersen Automotive Museum. 

Passenger service to the new stations is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

“This is not your average line extension,” said Tim Lindholm, chief program manager. “This is a historic week for transportation in Los Angeles.”

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.

The opening of the Wilshire/La Cienega station will give 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.

The extension runs nearly 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.

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.

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

The overall extension effort is expected to cost nearly $10 billion.

The nearly 4-mile extension takes the purple D line beyond Koreatown and under Wilshire Boulevard, with three new stops at La Brea, Fairfax and La Cienega. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Events along the subway line extension

Pop-up events, markets and community activities will accompany 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. Officials said the effort is designed to encourage ridership, support local businesses and create a more welcoming environment.

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.

Metro officials said similar activation efforts have been tested at other stations in recent years, including community events and night markets.