Where are they now?

The Purple (D Line) Extension Section 1 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), Elsie and Soyeon, are currently digging under Wilshire Bl. They will construct two parallel tunnels to create a seamless connection from the current Purple Line terminus at Wilshire/Western Station in Koreatown to three new stations located at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega.

Elsie and Soyeon are responsible for building 17,845 linear feet of tunnels to create approximately 3.9 miles of new subway. They have completed Reach 1 and 2 and are on their way to completing Reach 3.

Harriet and Ruth, the Section 2 TBMs, are currently building the connection between the Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo Stations in Beverly Hills and the Century City/Constellation Station. They will build approximately 2.6 miles of new subway and will be creating 13,630 linear feet of tunnels.

The last two sets of TBMs for Purple (D Line) Extension Section 3, Iris and Aura, will launch in early 2021. They will be building the tunnels between the VA Hospital Campus in West LA and Westwood/UCLA. Iris and Aura will be adding the last 2.56 miles of new subway and will be creating 13,461 linear feet of tunnels.

Along the way, all TBMs will encounter different soil conditions. The tunnel crown will always be at least 20 feet or more under the subsurface water table.

In terms of geology, tunnels will be bored through two types of geological formations: San Pedro and Fernando.

Tunneling Statistics

Progress is measured in total linear feet traveled.

Section 1 Tunneling

Reach	Linear Feet	Location
1	9,570	La Brea Bl to Western Av
2	4,440	La Brea Bl to Fairfax Av
3	3,280	Fairfax Av to La Cienega Bl
4	555	La Cienega Bl to tail track west of La Cienega Bl

Section 2 Tunneling

Reach	Linear Feet	Location
4	6,610	Reeves Dr to La Cienega Bl
5	7,020	Constellation Bl to Reeves Dr

Section 3 Tunneling

Reach	Linear Feet	Location
6	7,589	VA Hospital Campus to Wilshire Bl
7	5,872	Wilshire Bl to Constellation Bl