Downtown Los Angeles subway project delayed again

Officials say a planned subway project that will connect three rail lines in downtown Los Angeles has been delayed again.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the new completion date for the Regional Connector is mid-March 2022. Rail service is scheduled to begin 5 months after that.

The agency's initial target date was December 2020, but that was delayed by a year in 2017 as officials increased the budget to $1.75 billion.

The Los Angeles Times reports the latest delay comes as the contractor grapples with labor shortages.

The project requires nearly 4 miles of excavation for two tunnels and three subway stations.

The twin tunnels are designed to connect three lines into two mega-routes that will allow passengers to ride long distances without changing trains.