Ridley-Thomas tells crowds gathered at Leimert Park: 'There's a train a comin'

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Photos by Anna Chen/Metro

Lots of celebration this morning at Leimert Park, which the Metro Board voted yesterday to fully fund as a station on the Crenshaw/LAX light-rail line. L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Mel Wilson, all Metro Board members, joined other local dignitaries and residents of South Los Angeles to mark the occasion as singers chanted, “There’s a train a comin’. ”

“It takes a village to get a train to stop in Leimert Park. We did it together and we ought to be proud of that,” Ridley-Thomas said to the gathered crowd of about 200. “And I’m delighted that the board has approved funding to make this historic community a train stop.”

As we posted yesterday the Metro Board approved a motion, co-sponsored by Ridley-Thomas, to commit $80 million for the station, which will be built in what is considered a historic enclave of black business and culture. The Board’s decision came a day after the L.A. City Council committed $40 million of the city’s share of Measure R local return funds to Leimert Park.

“This is a celebration of you,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “Of a community that is vibrant, that has always been important to this town. As I ride into the sunset for a bit, I wanted to make sure we did this right … and I think we have.”

Categories: Transportation News

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7 replies ›

  1. Way to go LA! It will do wonders for the Leimert Park art walk, Vision theater shows, and a generally vibrant area of South LA.

  2. It’s about time. I have played in the Leimert Park venues. This will allow more people to experience the culture and flare that is Leimert Park.

  5. This is great news. Leimert Park is a great cultural nexus in our vibrant city. So glad that Antonio V and Mark Ridley-Thomas found a way.

    This has been a fantastic decade for Metro Rail. Hopefully mayor-elect Garcetti will keep the focus for years to come.

  6. I neither live nor work in Leimert Park, but I visit the area every so often, and I can’t even picture the Crenshaw LRT line without this station. It’s probably the most important stop aside from the LAX station. It’ll be the magnet that equally attracts the upper-income people west of Crenshaw and the lower-income people east of Crenshaw. Most importantly, the station is an investment in the neighborhood’s future: The entertainment, cultural and culinary activity north of 43rd will likely spill over to the south side of the park after this station opens.