Beachgoers rejoice — soon, a commute from downtown Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier will take less than an hour, and you won't even have to sit in traffic on the 10 Freeway.
Metro announced on Thursday that the Metro Expo Line extension from Culver City to Santa Monica will open on May 20, just in time for summer family beach trips.
The light rail is being extended from its current terminus near Venice and Robertson boulevards in Culver City to a station at Colorado Boulevard and Fourth Street in downtown Santa Monica.
The line will span more than 15 miles — the expansion adds 6.6 miles to the current Expo Line route — and have seven stops, according to Metro, including Palms, Westwood Boulevard, Expo/Sepulveda, Santa Monica College and downtown Santa Monica.
Officials estimate the ride from the 7th Street/Metro Center Station to Colorado and 4th in Santa Monica will take 46 minutes, with trains departing every 12 minutes from 4 a.m. to midnight. Hours will be extended through 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
The light rail might alleviate Santa Monica's congestion on the streets, according to Metro CEO Phil Washington.
"The estimated ridership is expected to reach 64,000 a day by the 2030 period," Washington said. "That's a lot of cars off the road."
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Riders at the station at 7th and Flower streets can connect with the Blue, Red and Purple lines, taking them to Long Beach, Union Station, North Hollywood or the mid-Wilshire area. Purchasing an adult ticket for $1.75, which includes two hours of transfers, can get you from as far as the Eastside or the Valley to Santa Monica for less than the cost of a gallon of gas.
