Metro's Subway Extension Opens Friday, Offering 20-Minute Rides Between DTLA, Beverly Hills

LOS ANGELES, CA — Metro's D Line extension will open for service on Friday, bringing subway service through Central Los Angeles to Beverly Hills.

The project is adding three new underground stops to the western extension of the subway line, which starts at Union Station in downtown LA and currently ends at the Wilshire/Western station in Koreatown:

• Wilshire/La Brea
• Wilshire/Fairfax
• Wilshire/La Cienega

Once the new stations are open, riders will be able to travel between Wilshire/La Cinega and Union Station in 21 minutes, according to Metro. That trip takes between 20 and 90 minutes by car.

The extension runs about four miles through Hancock Park, the Fairfax District and Carthay Circle. The three new stops will serve key cultural and commercial destinations such as Museum Row.

"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 grand opening celebration is planned Friday at the new stations, with Metro officials, elected leaders and community members expected to attend, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, according to the agency.

A series of pop-up events, markets and community activities will accompany the opening of the subway extension. The three-month pilot program will bring daily "activations" to stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega, according to Metro.

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.

The three new stations mark the completion of the first of three phases of the D Line extension.

Phase 2 will see the completion of stations near downtown Beverly Hills and Century City. It's expected to open next spring.

Phase 3 will see the completion of stations near UCLA and the VA Hospital. It's expected to open in fall 2027, ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

City News Service contributed to this report.