SkyRail Express, Metro to Explore Development of Sepulveda Pass Monorail

Los Angeles SkyRail Express consortium has signed an agreement with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to pre-develop a mass transit project connecting the San Fernando Valley with the west side of Los Angeles and ultimately with Los Angeles International Airport.The consortium behind the SkyRail Express, a monorail that would go up the center of the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass, is made up of John Laing Group, BYD Transit Solutions LLC, Skanska, HDR Engineering Inc., Alternate Concepts Inc., M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Inc. and Innova Transportation.The pre-development agreement process took about 20 months to complete, during which the SkyRail Express consortium presented its credential and project idea to the transportation authority, also known as Metro.“We are delighted to be working hand-in-hand with LA Metro over the coming years to further develop and deliver the solution for the benefit of the communities of Los Angeles,” Anthony Phillips, co-head of Public Private Partnerships and Greenfield Projects for John Laing, said in a statement.According to Metro, a pre-development agreement is a form of early contractor involvement where a private project developer participates in early project definition and design, in partnership with the project owner.Pre-development agreement contractors will provide technical work products including cost estimates, constructability reviews, technical analyses, etc. that support the ongoing development of the project as it progresses through the environmental review and approval processes, the agency said.The Laing Group, based in London with a local office in Los Angeles, is an investor and active manager of infrastructure projects. In the U.S., those include the Denver Eagle rail commuter system and Boston MBTA Fare Collection projects.