A future rail connection between Torrance and the wider Los Angeles Metro system is moving from environmental review into active planning and design.

The Metro Board approved the K Line Extension to Torrance on January 22, 2026, selecting the Hawthorne Boulevard alignment as the final route. Metro now lists the project in its design phase, with an estimated completion in late 2036, depending on funding availability.

The approximately 4.5-mile extension would begin at the existing Redondo Beach Marine Station and continue south to the Mary K. Giordano Regional Transit Center in Torrance. The fully grade-separated route would follow portions of Interstate 405, travel down the center of Hawthorne Boulevard, and reconnect with the Metro-owned rail corridor south of 190th Street.

Two stations are planned: one near the South Bay Galleria and another adjacent to the Torrance Transit Center. Metro estimates that the extension could generate approximately 4.9 million passenger trips annually, including about 1.7 million new transit riders.

The project is especially significant for Torrance because it would provide connections toward Los Angeles International Airport, Inglewood, and Metro’s C and E lines. Metro has previously estimated that the trip between Torrance and LAX could take approximately 19 minutes once the extension is operating.

The project has not yet reached construction. Metro is currently conducting preliminary engineering, design work, field investigations, utility research, traffic assessments, and coordination with Torrance, neighboring cities, Caltrans, BNSF, and other agencies.

A newly posted work notice confirms that field investigations are occurring along Metro and BNSF rail property between 190th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard. These investigations may include surveying, soil sampling, utility work, potholing, and other temporary studies needed before detailed design can proceed.

Funding remains one of the project’s largest unresolved questions. Metro plans to pursue additional funding opportunities while evaluating construction phasing and delivery strategies.

The K Line extension has therefore crossed an important threshold, but residents should distinguish between an approved project and an imminent opening. Years of engineering, funding decisions, permitting, and construction remain before trains reach Torrance.

Article Link