New Rail Line Set to Run From Downtown to Westside Opening in April

Los Angeles commuters, your prayers have been answered. One of them, at least.

One of the most-anticipated rail lines, which would run from Downtown LA to the Westside, will open April 28, the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday.

Commuters would be allowed to ride the new Expo Line for free its opening weekend, according to LA MTA.

"It was absolutely needed out there on the Westside. Traffic comes to a grinding halt," said Rick Jager, Metro spokesman. "Hopefully this will open up a lot of different alternatives for Westsiders to hop on public transit instead of their cars."

The 7.6-mile section of the Expo Line Phase 1 would start in downtown Los Angeles, with several stops along the way until it reaches its final destination at La Cienega and Jefferson boulevards.

A station in Culver City is slated to open in summer 2012 and will serve as the western-most point of the Expo Line. That is, until a Santa Monica station opens during phase 2 in 2016, Jager said.

Opening-weekend service will be limited from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. After that, normal operating hours will be from 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Regular fare fees for the Expo Line will resume after opening weekend.

Local

Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.