Groundbreaking held for Expo Line extension
Seven transit stations
SANTA MONICA, Calif.—A groundbreaking ceremony was held today in Santa Monica for the Expo Line Phase 2 project, which will extend the light rail line from Culver City to Santa Monica.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among the dignitaries helping to turn dirt in a ceremonial groundbreaking event at Colorado Avenue and Fourth Street—the planned terminus of the line.
He said the extension of the line is a major milestone “when you look at the (9,000) or 10,000 jobs that will be created just with this phase alone, finally connecting downtown to Santa Monica.”
Metro officials hope that the 6.6-mile extension will be completed in 2015, although delays are commonplace in projects of this scope. It will mainly run along the Exposition Boulevard right-of-way.
The first phase of the line, which will run from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, is expected to open later this year. That project has suffered from cost overruns and delays, but Metro officials said they are better prepared for the second phase.
“We have a contingency now, where it was pretty small on phase one,” Expo Construction Authority CEO Richard Thorpe told ABC7. “Now on phase two, it’s much higher to take care of unknowns.”
The $1.5 billion project will include seven transit stations.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Metro will begin testing a train car today along a portion of the new Expo Light Rail Line that is nearing completion between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City.
The train will run primarily along Exposition Boulevard from the 23rd Street Station near USC, according to Metro.
An empty Metro Rail train car will be pulled by a high rail vehicle from the Blue Line junction at Washington Street down Flower Street, then west on Exposition and Jefferson Boulevards. The procedure will include clearance and overhead testing.
When the much-anticipated opening of Phase 1 of the Exposition Light Rail Line occurs on Saturday, patrons will experience a fast, convenient and comfortable ride from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, and vice versa, without the dreaded inconvenience of Los Angeles transportation—traffic.
Whether the destination is Downtown, the Staples Center, the University of Southern California, the County Natural History Museum, or the Crenshaw District, the Exposition Rail Line will put you right in the mix.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is holding a series of public hearings to obtain input from citizens on proposed service changes to metro bus lines.
Locally the transit agency is proposing the following:
• Reduce the frequency of Line 40 and add larger capacity buses
• Modify route 620 to serve First Street and Mott Avenue
• Assign smaller capacity buses to route 710 and increase the frequency
• Put smaller business on Line 740 and increase frequency
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—More than $30 million in federal stimulus funds has been set aside for buying property and doing other preliminary work in the Los Angeles area for a high-speed rail system that would run from San Diego to the Bay Area, transit officials announced.
California High-Speed Rail Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said the money might be used to buy Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, where three segments of the line would converge.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Students across Los Angeles County will get free rides on Metro buses and trains for school-sponsored field trips starting early next year, under a program approved by the Metro board.
"It's so important that teachers continue to pursue enriching educational opportunities off campus, even when school funds are tight,'' said MTA board chairman and county Supervisor Don Knabe. "We want our kids to get the best possible education, and it's our hope that this new program will help.''
