Work on the metro which will connect the Western part of the city with Downtown by 2027 has begun ©Getty Images

City planners have hailed an expansion of the Los Angeles Metro which will "shrink the city" a year before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The work is part of the Purple D Line Extension Transit Project which will add seven new stations to Wilshire Boulevard, which will continue the line from Koreatown into West Los Angeles.

David Karwaski, director of mobility planning and traffic systems at UCLA Transportation, insisted the project will have the biggest impact on transport in the area since the Interstate 405 highway was built in 1964.

"It is transformative in that the purple Line will in one sense shrink the city," Karwaski was quoted as saying by the Daily Bruin. 

"What I mean by that is the shortened travel time."

It is expected to reduce journey times between West Los Angeles and Downtown to approximately 30 minutes.

A map shows the expansion of the Los Angeles Metro network set to be completed by 2027 ©LA Metro
A map shows the expansion of the Los Angeles Metro network set to be completed by 2027 ©LA Metro

"We look forward to the subway's arrival and improved connectivity to the rest of the LA area," Karwaski added.

North Westwood Neighborhood Council President Furkan Yalcin insists the extension is essential before the 2028 Olympics.

"A train station is really a fantastic opportunity to revitalize a neighborhood, so I am looking forward to the Purple Line extension finally coming to Westwood and all of the opportunities that will bring to UCLA and to the Westwood community at large," Yalcin said.

The final stage will link the Westwood University campus (UCLA) with the Westwood Veterans Hospital.

The Los Angeles metro system will play a vital part in Olympic transport in 2028 ©Getty Images
The Los Angeles metro system will play a vital part in Olympic transport in 2028 ©Getty Images

Yalcin claimed that the metro system would bring an increase of pedestrian traffic into the area.

The stations are to be decorated with commissioned artworks which city authorities claim will help visitors to the stations.

"The artwork itself becomes this landmark," Metro arts and design senior manager Clare Haggerty said. 

"It is really critical for wayfinding in the station and to know which station you’re at."

The Metro is set to form a vital part of the transport network for the Olympics.

The last time the Games were held in Los Angeles in 1984, special attention was paid to transport amid concerns of major traffic congestion and smog.

A special bus network was instituted by organisers to avoid congestion and residents were encouraged to travel by public transport and not use cars.