Metro’s long-awaited D (Purple) Line subway extension will open Friday, adding three new stations along the Mid-Wilshire corridor and expanding rail service west from Koreatown.
A grand opening celebration was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday on the rooftop of the Petersen Automotive Museum, with Metro officials, elected leaders and community members — including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — expected to attend, according to the agency.
Passenger service to the new stations is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. Friday.
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.
Metro officials said each station will feature public art installations and full accessibility, along with enhanced security measures including surveillance systems and transit personnel.
“Angelenos and visitors alike will love the extended service from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills, delivering greater access to the iconic and culturally diverse communities, institutions and destinations that define the deep history along Wilshire Boulevard,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said in an earlier statement.
A series of 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.
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.
The overall extension effort is expected to cost nearly $10 billion.