Metro pulled in a couple of nice federal grants on Thursday — including money to help build the pedestrian tunnel under Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood between the Red Line station and Orange Line platform. The Daily News also published a good story with more details. Work is expected to begin on the tunnel in the fall.

Here’s the udate from Metro’s government relations staff:

Members of the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation have been notified that we will be receiving two separate federal transportation grants from the United States Department of Transportation. The first grant, in the amount of $10 million, was provided through the Bus & Bus Facilities Program/State of Good Repair (SGR) Initiative. These funds will help procure Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) 40-foot buses that are needed to replace buses among our fleet that have exceeded, or are about to exceed, the end of their useful service life. The second grant, in the amount $10 million, was provided through the Bus & Bus Facilities Program/Livability Initiative for the Metro Orange Line Bus Enhancement – Pedestrian Connector to North Hollywood Red Line Station. Metro will use these funds to help construct a pedestrian passage (under Lankershim Boulevard) between the platforms of the existing Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station on the west of Lankershim Boulevard, to the mezzanine level of the existing North Hollywood Red Line subway station at the east of Lankershim Boulevard.