Senate Panel OKs $190 Million to Expand Metro Rail

Exceeding expectations, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to provide $190 million for the continued design and construction of the Metro Rail system for the 1994 fiscal year.

The funds--which will push construction to North Hollywood, the Eastside and the Mid-City area--is considerably more than the $163 million approved by the House. The full Senate is expected to ratify the appropriations figure; a conference committee of lawmakers from both chambers will reconcile the difference.

Metro Rail advocates had requested $190 million for next year but did not expect to receive that much. The figure is the highest of any transit project in the country.

“Nowhere could the funds be used more than in Los Angeles, as the city expands its new subway system,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a member of the Appropriations Committee.