North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project

The North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project (formerly the North Hollywood to Pasadena Transit Corridor^[2]) is a proposed 18-mile (29 km) bus rapid transit line in Los Angeles County, California. It is planned to operate between the North Hollywood station and Pasadena.^[3][4]

It will be the third line in the Los Angeles Metro Busway system, along with the G Line and the J Line.

Construction is anticipated to begin in Pasadena in April 2026, with corridor-wide construction set for summer 2026. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, with the line open for revenue service ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.^[5]

The route will run between North Hollywood and Pasadena, serving 22 stations.

The line's western terminus is North Hollywood station, shared with the B Line and G Line. The line briefly runs east before heading south to the Vineland/Hesby station. It then heads east on State Route 134 to the Olive/Riverside and Alameda/Naomi stations in the Burbank Media District. It next heads northeast along Olive Avenue toward downtown Burbank, stopping at Olive/Verdugo, Olive/Lake and Olive/San Fernando.

East of downtown Burbank, the route heads southeast on Glenoaks Avenue, stopping at Glenoaks/Alameda on the Burbank-Glendale border before continuing to Glenoaks/Western, Glenoaks/Grandview and Glenoaks/Pacific. It then crosses the Verdugo Wash as it heads south on Central Avenue, stopping at Central/Lexington before turning east on Broadway. The route then stops at Broadway/Brand, Broadway/Glendale and Broadway/Verdugo before heading into Eagle Rock.

Traveling east on Colorado Boulevard, the route has stations at Eagle Rock Plaza, Colorado/Eagle Rock and Colorado/Townsend. The route then heads east again on State Route 134, exiting at Fair Oaks Avenue and heading toward Memorial Park station, shared with the A Line. It finally heads east of Colorado Boulevard, stopping at Colorado/Los Robles, Colorado/Lake and Colorado/Hill, adjacent to Pasadena City College.

The following table lists the stations of the line, from west to east:

The North Hollywood–Pasadena corridor was identified by Metro as a potential bus rapid transit route in its 2013 Los Angeles County Bus Rapid Transit and Street Design Improvement Study, which noted that the "corridor also has strong support from the affected cities of Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, and the Burbank Bob Hope Airport." The report called for a detailed corridor study for the route, which was anticipated to require approximately 18 to 24 months to complete. Metro also suggested that the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) consider modifying their existing peak‐hour Commuter Express line 549 — which operates between Encino and Pasadena, mostly along State Route 134 — to a more frequent, all-day service while the detailed corridor study is conducted.^[8]

In March 2016, Metro launched its own express route between North Hollywood station and Del Mar station in Pasadena, line 501, marketed as "NoHo-Pasadena Express."^[9] Metro boardmember and Glendale councilmember Ara Najarian suggested that if the line proved successful, "it could provide the justification we need to consider even greater transit investments in this corridor."^[10]

On the November 2016 ballot, Metro proposed a $120 billion plan to expand upon 2008 Los Angeles County Measure R, adding new transit projects and expediting others previously approved under Measure R. Measure M, named the "Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan," would make Measure R permanent and add an additional half-cent sales tax. The referendum included dedicated funding for a North Hollywood–Pasadena bus rapid transit project.^[11][12] Measure M passed with 70.15% of the vote, clearing the two-thirds majority required.^[13] At the time, Metro noted that "[t]he project could be converted to a rail service at a later date if ridership demand outgrows the bus rapid service capacity."^[14]

The North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Corridor Technical Study, completed in March 2017, identified two initial BRT concepts ("Primary Street" and "Primary Freeway"), including multiple route options.^[15]

In January 2018, Metro incorporated the project into the "Twenty-eight by '28" plan to complete 28 major road, transit and bicycle projects before the 2028 Summer Olympics and 2028 Summer Paralympics.^[16] That April, the project received state transit capital grant funds from California State Transportation Agency's (CalSTA) Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), funded by the Road Repair and Accountability Act.^[17] The North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Corridor Planning and Environmental Study was initiated in August 2018 to further study the project, and included extensive public outreach efforts.^[18]

By 2019, the planning process had become contentious, with anti-BRT activists in Eagle Rock seeking to route the line along State Route 134 instead of Colorado Boulevard.^[19]

In November 2020, Metro released the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).^[20] In the DEIR, Metro noted that charging infrastructure for battery electric busses would be available at the North Hollywood Station and Pasadena City College termini, as well as its Division 9 bus depot in El Monte, where busses would be stored. The construction of the proposed project was expected to last approximately 24 to 30 months.^[21]

In response to the DEIR, a pro-BRT activist group named Eagle Rock Forward created a proposal, entitled "Beautiful Boulevard," to improve walkability along the Eagle Rock segment of the planned route.^[22]

In April 2022, Metro approved the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the line,^[23] but was later sued in July 2022 as the meeting where the FEIR was approved allegedly violated California's Brown Act.^[24] The lawsuit failed in December 2023.^[25]

In December 2024, the Metro Board of Directors approved moving into the construction phase of the project.^[26] Metro awarded the contract for the pre-construction services phase to Myers-Shimmick, a joint venture between Myers & Sons Construction and Shimmick Construction Company.^[27]

At a May 2025 presentation to the Glendale City Council, Metro stated that construction on the line would begin as soon as June 2025.^[28] In September 2025, Metro began locating and identifying underground utilities along the route.^[29][30][31]

Despite NIMBY opposition to California Senate Bill 79, which preempts local government control of land zoning within one half-mile of certain public transportation stations, Metro is moving forward with the project, and will "closely coordinate with the cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena" as it finalizes the design "in accordance with the Metro Board approved project."^[32][33]

Construction is anticipated to begin in Pasadena in April 2026, with corridor-wide construction set for summer 2026. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, with the line open for revenue service ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.^[34]

In 2016, Metro noted that "[t]he project could be converted to a rail service at a later date if ridership demand outgrows the bus rapid service capacity."^[35]

In 2024, Metro released a report on possible light rail or heavy rail conversion of the line. A feasibility study has been requested to study the following routes:^[36]

1. New Rail Alternative: The route would travel east from North Hollywood station at-grade along Chandler Boulevard — with an optional Hollywood Burbank Airport connection — then possibly interlining with Metrolink and travelling along the Verdugo Wash, before being routed along the median of State Route 134 to Pasadena, where it would end in an underground connection with the Metro A Line.
2. BRT Conversion Alternative: The route would mostly travel at-grade along the BRT route, likely tunneling below downtown Burbank and downtown Glendale.

• Project website