While not included in the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan, the project was initiated by Metro due to public comments.[citation needed] An extension to passenger service on the B Line and D Line from Union Station and south along the Los Angeles River would add a new terminus along the river in the Arts District.[1] Metro's Division 20 rail yard, already in the area,[2] was expanded and upgraded to accommodate increased headways once the D Line Extension west is completed. Funds for the Draft Environmental study were appropriated in the 2018 Metro budget,[3] and the process began in 2021.[4] The station was not included in Measure M or Measure R, and funds from those ballot measures are not programmed for construction of the project.
On August 11, 2021, the Los Angeles City Transportation Committee approved the usage of a portion of the $235,000,000 allocated to the Central Cities region in Measure M's Subregional Equity Program to fully fund the Arts District/6th Street station, with the remainder to be split evenly between the K Line Northern Extension and the Vermont Transit Corridor.[5] Funds for the project could be available as soon as 2023. Environmental review for the station is set to be completed in 2023.[needs update]
