Expo Line (Los Angeles Metro)

This article is about the light-rail line under construction in Los Angeles. For other uses, see Expo Line (disambiguation).

Metro Expo Line     Future Los Angeles Metro rapid transit line
Rendering of the Expo Line USC/Expo Park station between USC and Exposition Park.
Overview
System	Metro Rail
Operated by	Metro (LACMTA)
Line number	806
Type	light-rail
Status	Phase 1: testing, Phase 2: under construction
Expected opening	To La Cienega: April 2012 To Culver City: June 2012 To 4th/Colorado: Late 2016 (expected)
Daily ridership	Phase 1: 43,600 (estimated 2020) Phase 2: 36,412 (estimated 2030)
Website	Expo Authority
Route
Character	Mostly at-grade in private right-of-way, with some street-running, elevated and trench sections.
Termini	7th St/Metro Center 4th/Colorado
Stations	19
Line length	15.3 mi (24.6 km)
Technical
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	standard: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	750 V DC overhead catenary
Rolling stock	Siemens P2000
Train length (typical)	three cars
Yard	Pre-Phase 2: Division 11 (Long Beach) Post-Phase 2: New division TBD.
Route map Legend Red & Purple Lines 0.0 mi/0.0 min 7th St/Metro Center (Blue, Red, & Purple Lines) Tunnel under 7th, 8th, & 9th Streets, Olympic Blvd, & 11th St Flower St tunnel portal 0.7/1.8 Pico (Blue Line) Interstate 10 Blue Line 1.6/3.9 23rd Street Interstate 110 2.1/5.4 Jefferson/USC Flower St trench portal Flower St, Exposition Blvd, Figueroa St, & Pardee Way Exposition Blvd trench portal 2.7/7.1 Expo Park/USC 3.1/8.5 Vermont 4.1/10.7 Western Arlington Avenue 7th Avenue 11th Avenue/Degnan Boulevard 5.6/13.6 Crenshaw Buckingham Road 6.2/15.3 Farmdale 6.8/16.9 La Brea Hauser Boulevard 7.7/19.0 La Cienega Jefferson Boulevard Ballona Creek National & Washington Blvds 8.7/21.2 Culver City Venice Boulevard Bagley Avenue National Boulevard 9.6/23.3 National/Palms Motor Avenue Interstate 10 Overland Avenue 11.0/26.0 Westwood Westwood Boulevard Military Avenue 11.5/27.6 Sepulveda Interstate 405 Sawtelle, Pico, Gateway Boulevards Barrington Avenue 12.6/29.9 Bundy Centinela Ave Expo Line maintenance facility Stewart Street 13.6/32.1 Bergamot 26th Street Cloverfield & Olympic Boulevards 20th Street 19th Street 14.3/33.9 17th/Colorado 15.3/36.2 4th/Colorado

The Expo Line is a new Metro Rail light-rail line under construction between Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Expo phase 1, from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City was due to open in January 2012, but due to complications in construction will not be open for several more months. Construction of Expo phase 2 (from Culver City into downtown Santa Monica) started in September 2011 with a completion date of in 'late 2016'. The east-west route follows primarily along Exposition Boulevard with a terminus station at 4th/Colorado Santa Monica about a ten-minute (half-mile) walk from the Pacific Ocean. It will be operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

It will reuse the right-of-way of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad / Santa Monica Air Line which was closed in 1953 and will be the first passenger rail line to serve the Los Angeles Westside since the abandonment of the Pacific Electric Railway.

Planned service

Route

When both construction phases are completed, the Expo Line will provide service between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica, along a mostly east-west route that generally follows the Exposition Boulevard right-of-way.

Route of the Expo Line

• Phase 1 service will connect Downtown L.A. to Culver City with an estimated travel time of under 30 minutes. The route runs from 7th/Flower Streets (Metro Center) following Flower Street South, sharing tracks with the Blue Line until Washington Boulevard where the Expo Line continues South on Flower Street to Exposition Boulevard, turns West and follows Exposition Boulevard to Culver Junction at the intersection of Venice, Robertson, and Exposition Boulevards. It is then only a short walking distance into Downtown Culver City).

• Phase 2 service will extend the line West from Culver City into Downtown Santa Monica with an estimated travel time of under 20 minutes. From Culver City the route will cross Venice Boulevard, then run parallel to Interstate 10, cross under and continue West through a canyon in Rancho Park, under Interstate 405 Freeway and cross Pico Blvd. It will remain on the Exposition right-of-way through West Los Angeles until 17th Street and Colorado Avenue where it will merge into the center median of Colorado Avenue and continue to its final Western terminus in Downtown Santa Monica at Colorado Avenue and 4th Street.

Operating hours

The Expo Line will have hours similar to other Metro Rail lines: from about 4 AM to 12:30 AM daily. Maximum speed on the route will be 55 mph (90 km/h). Headways could be as low every five minutes during peak times, and Metro may choose to operate express skip-stop service should the need arise.

History

Origins

The alignment of the Expo line began as the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, a steam line built in 1875 with the intention of moving mining ore and passengers between Santa Monica Harbor and Independence, California. The project never advanced beyond downtown Los Angeles and the line was absorbed by Southern Pacific in 1877 and by 1891 was heavily used to move freight to and from ships in Santa Monica harbor.

With Santa Monica Harbor closed to shipping traffic in 1908, Southern Pacific leased the railroad line to Los Angeles Pacific (a forerunner to Pacific Electric Railway) which electrified part of the line. The remainder of the line was electrified by 1911 when various electric railroads merged under the Pacific Electric name.

By 1920 the line was known as the Santa Monica Air Line providing electric powered freight and passenger service between Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

With sparse population and limited deliveries along the route, regular Air line service was discontinued in 1953. While de-electrified, it continued to be used sporadically for diesel powered freight deliveries to warehouses along the route. The last freight train travelled the rails about 1989.

From 1989 Southern Pacific maintained ownership of the right-of-way, but no longer used or continued maintenance on the rails. Portions of the right-of-way were leased for use as storage facilities, parking lots, impound lots, and various businesses, however no permanent structures were built.

Purchase and planning

The abandonment of the line spurred concerns within the community to prevent the line from being sold off piecemeal, destroying one of the few remaining intact rail corridors within Los Angeles County. Advocacy groups including Friends 4 Expo Transit had discussions within the newly formed Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and supported the passage of the transit funding Proposition C in 1990, allowed the purchase of the entire right-of-way from Southern Pacific in 1990.

A planning study for the Exposition Right-Of-Way was completed in May 1992, which provided analysis of transit improvements on the ROW using several different transit modes, including trolleybus. A follow-up report in 1994 further clarified the costs and benefits of each alternative.

In 1998, the MTA was able to lobby the Federal Government successfully to use the remainder of Segment 3 Red Line funding for a different fixed-guideway project to Mid-City. That same year, the Los Angeles County voters approved Proposition A, another sales tax for transit, providing the MTA access to additional funds for transit projects. Eventually, in May 2000, the MTA released a Major Investment Study which compared BRT and LRT options along what was now known as the "Mid-City/Exposition Corridor".

Construction of Phase 1 (Los Angeles to Culver City)

Main article: Expo Phase 1 (Los Angeles Metro)

Expo is being built in two phases; the first phase (Expo Phase 1) will complete the section between Downtown Los Angeles and Culver City. The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Phase 1 was approved by the Metro Board in December 2005 and design and construction began shortly thereafter. Metro expects to begin operations of Expo Phase 1 in April 2012.

Construction of Phase 2 (Culver City to Santa Monica)

Main article: Expo Phase 2 (Los Angeles Metro)

After beginning construction of the Phase 1 segment, Metro began work on the Expo Phase 2 which will run between Culver City and Downtown Santa Monica. The Final Environmental Impact Report for Phase 2 was approved by the Metro Board in January 2010. Design and construction commenced in September 2011. Metro expects to begin operations of Expo Phase 2 in 2016.

Proposed developments

Regional connector

Main article: Regional Connector (Los Angeles Metro)

The planned Regional Connector, a subway project in Downtown Los Angeles that would connect the Expo Line, the Blue Line and Gold Line into a single system and allow Expo trains to pass through Downtown L.A. to East Los Angeles. This project is a Tier 1 project in Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan with the estimated $1 billion cost being funded from Measure R.

Station listing

The following is the complete list of planned stations, from east to west.

Project Phase	City	Miles (from DTLA)	Name	Connections	Opening date
Phase 1	Los Angeles	0.0	7th St/Metro Center	Red Line  Purple Line  Blue Line  Silver Line  Harbor Transitway Metro Local: 14, 16, 18, 20, 37, 51, 52, 53, 55, 60, 62, 66, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 81, 96, 316, 352, 355, 378; Metro Express: 439, 450X*, 460, 487, 489; Metro Rapid: 720, 760, 770; Harbor Transitway services Metro Liner: Silver Line Other local and commuter services Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785* City of Santa Clarita Transit: 799* Foothill Transit: 481*, 493*, 497*, 498*, 499*, 699*, Silver Streak LADOT Commuter Express*: 409, 422, 423, 430, 431, 437, 438, 448, 534 LADOT DASH: A, B, C (weekdays only), DD (weekends only), E, F Montebello Transit: 40, 50, 341*, 342*, 343* Orange County Transportation Authority: 701*, 721* Santa Monica Transit: 10 Torrance Transit: 1*, 2 * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.	1991
		0.7	Pico	Blue Line  Silver Line  Harbor Transitway Metro Local: 30, 81; Metro Express: 439, 460; Metro Rapid: 728, 730; LADOT DASH: DD (weekends only), F (weekends only); LADOT Commuter Express: 419*, 422*, 423*, 438*, 448*; Orange County Transportation Authority: 701*, 721* Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.	1990
		1.6	23rd Street	Silver Line  Harbor Transitway; Metro Local: 37, 81, 603; Metro Express: 442, 460	April 2012*
		2.1	Jefferson/USC	Silver Line  Harbor Transitway; Metro Local: 38, 81, 102, 200; Metro Express: 442, 460	April 2012*
		2.7	Expo Park/USC	Metro Local: 102; Metro Express: 550	April 2012*
		3.1	Vermont/Expo	Metro Local: 102, 204; Metro Express: 550; Metro Rapid: 754	April 2012*
		4.1	Western/Expo	Metro Local: 102, 207; Metro Express: 550; Metro Rapid: 757	April 2012*
		5.6	Crenshaw/Expo	Metro Local: 38, 102, 210, 305; Metro Rapid: 710, 740 (will terminate when Expo opens); future Crenshaw Corridor transfer point.	April 2012*
		6.2	Farmdale	Metro Local: 38	June 2012*
		6.8	La Brea/Expo	Metro Local: 38, 212, 312	April 2012*
		7.7	La Cienega/Jefferson	Metro Local: 38, 105; Metro Express: 439; Metro Rapid: 705, 780 (if extended); Culver City Bus: 4	April 2012*
	Culver City	8.7	Culver City	Metro Local: 33; Metro Rapid: 733; Culver City Bus: 1 Big Blue Bus: 12	June 2012*
Phase 2	Los Angeles	9.6	National/Palms	Culver City Bus: 3 Big Blue Bus: 12	Late 2016*
		11.0	Westwood/Expo	Culver City Bus: 3 Big Blue Bus: 8, 12	Late 2016*
		11.5	Sepulveda/Expo	Culver City Bus: 6, Rapid 6 Big Blue Bus: 4, 7, Rapid 7	Late 2016*
		12.6	Bundy/Expo	Big Blue Bus: 5, 10, 14	Late 2016*
	Santa Monica	13.6	Bergamot	Big Blue Bus: 5	Late 2016*
		14.3	17th/Colorado	Big Blue Bus: 5	Late 2016*
		15.3	4th/Colorado	Metro Rapid: 704, 720 Big Blue Bus: 2, 3, Rapid 3, 4, 5	Late 2016*

Notes:
* Opening date is projected.

Map of the Metro Expo Line.

Operation

Fleet and maintenance

The Expo Line will use standard Metro light rail vehicles (LRVs). These vehicles are 90 feet (27 m) long, 15 feet (4.6 m) tall, and 8.6 feet (2.6 m) wide, and take power from overhead catenary wire. Metro will use Siemens P2000, which will be transferred from the Metro Gold Line,

To the extent it is feasible, the Expo Line has been designed to be technically and operationally compatible with the rest of Metro's light-rail network. The technical details of the system are available in the Final EIRs, for Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Expo estimates that it will ultimately need 47 LRT vehicles to provide service, under the peak-hour assumption of 3-car trains running at 6-minute headways.

When Phase 1 opens, Expo vehicles will be maintained at the Blue Line's maintenance facility in Long Beach. When Phase 2 comes on line, Expo will open its own yard in the vicinity of Bergamot Station in Santa Monica.

Issues

Objections to grade crossings

To avoid questionable decisions about grade crossings, Metro developed a policy that uses objective criteria to determine which crossings to grade-separate. The policy's primary criterion is impact on traffic. Despite this, some members of the public have criticized the at-grade crossings included in the Expo Line, claiming that these at-grade crossings carry with them risks and impacts to the community.

These objections include claims that at-grade crossings are inherently unsafe (especially near schools), and that they will cause traffic and noise. Other objections are directed at the grade-crossing policy itself, saying that the thresholds for requiring grade-separation are too high, and that the policy leads to results which unfairly impact low-income and minority communities. Metro and other groups have disputed these claims.

Three locations in particular have generated opposition due to at-grade crossings.

• At USC, university president Steven Sample objected to the grade-crossings at Figueroa, Trousdale and Vermont, claiming that the crossings will separate USC from the surrounding community. The crossing at Figueroa was ultimately grade-separated. Dr. Sample has since retired.
• At Farmdale/Expo, the at-grade crossing was opposed by the LAUSD and local residents, who claim that an at-grade crossing would be dangerous for students at nearby Dorsey High School. A settlement has been approved, whereby a station will be built at the intersection, to ensure low train speeds near the school.
• In Rancho Park, at-grade crossings at Overland/Expo and Westwood/Expo have been opposed by some nearby residents, who believe the crossings are unsafe and will cause congestion. Legal action was pursued, but was ultimately dismissed by the Superior Court of the State of California on February 22, 2011.

Name and color

In public and private documents, Metro refers to the line as the "Metro Expo Line". This name comes from Exposition Boulevard, along which it runs for much of its route. (Exposition Boulevard is, in turn, named after Exposition Park, which the Expo Line will serve.) The line has not yet been assigned a route number: the next available Metro Rail route number is 806.

The "Expo Line" is different from the other Metro Rail lines because it is not named after a color. Thus, two things will eventually have to be decided: (1) what color to use to show the line on maps, and (2) whether or not to change the name to reflect that color.

Although the Expo Line does not yet have an official color, the color "aqua" has been associated with the line for many years. The advocacy group Friends 4 Expo, which originally referred to the line as the "Expo Line", later campaigned for the name "Aqua Line" as the new name and color. (The name Aqua Line was also used by a guerilla-artists group called Heavy Trash which posted prank "Metro Aqua Line" future-station-location signs throughout the Westside during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, to provoke civic dialogue about the need for transportation funding.)

In August 2006, Metro staff recommended this name and color to the Metro board. In their report, Metro staff said that there had been virtually no objections made to the color aqua, which had been used in all major public meetings for the line. The report did note that the offices of L.A. Councilmembers Parks, Wesson and Perry originally advocated dark gray, but then changed their preference to rose. Mr. Parks spoke publicly against use of aqua, saying that this color represents the beach communities only and does not represent the communities farther inland.

In August 2006, the Metro Board debated the issue at its regular Board meeting. Councilmember Parks introduced a motion to use "rose" for both the name ("Rose Line") and color, but this was not passed. In the end, the board deferred a decision on changing the name or setting the color until sometime before the line goes into service.

In April 2011, the color "aqua" began appearing on new station pylons along the Expo Line, although no color for the line has been officially declared at this time.

The issue of line color will likely be moot following the completion of the Regional Connector (see above). MTA's maps for the system, following the completion of the Connector, show the Blue Line annexing the portion of the Gold Line that is north of Little Tokyo Station, and the remainder of the Gold Line will then annex the Expo Line. Hence, essentially, the two lines will form a grand axes of Los Angeles: The Blue Line will be the north-south axis and the Gold Line will be the east-west axis.

External links

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
• Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority
• VIDEO
  • Expo Phase I Construction Drive By
  • Los Angeles Metro Expo Line - Phase II Tour, Part 1