Carson Football Stadium Supporters Tout Public Transit Plan

CARSON (CBSLA.com) — Carson officials on Tuesday touted the merits of their proposed professional football stadium today by unveiling a planned network of shuttle buses that would carry fans to the venue from a pair of mass transit stations.

The transit plan would use 57-seat shuttles to carry fans to and from the Metro Blue Line rail station at Del Amo Plaza, as well as the Metro Silver Line express bus station at the Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena. The Blue Line stretches from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach, while the Silver Line reaches El Monte, downtown Los Angeles and Gardena.

Carson Mayor Albert Robles said the stadium -- which is being proposed to house the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders -- already has the advantage of being located near the 405 Freeway and 110 Freeway.

"Now with this mass transit plan we'll give those fans who want to leave their cars at home ... a convenient way to attend our games," he said. "When all is said and done, we're going to have the most accessible and the most environmentally friendly NFL stadium in the nation."

The Carson City Council is expected to discuss the shuttle bus plan at its meeting tonight. The city is exploring the purchase of zero-emission buses for use in the shuttle system.

City officials said the proposal calls for a mass-transit center to be included in the stadium program. They said between 7,000 and 14,000 people would likely rely on mass transit to get to and from the proposed $1.7 billion, 72,000-seat stadium.

The NFL has not yet approved the move of any teams to the Los Angeles area. League owners are expected to discuss the proposals early next year.

The Chargers and Raiders are teaming up on the Carson stadium proposal in the event they are unable to reach deals for new stadiums in their respective cities. The St. Louis Rams are pursuing a stadium proposal in Inglewood at the site of the former Hollywood Park racetrack.

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