The commute on a newly opened extension to the Metro Expo Line was delayed Monday morning due to a car that crashed through a fence and stalled on the tracks south of downtown Los Angeles.
The driver appeared to have crashed the vehicle through a fence near Western Avenue in Exposition Park. Aerial video showed a damaged segment of fence near the vehicle, which came to a stop on the rail line.
No injuries were reported.
"I was pretty irritated on the first day, and I can't ride the train," said passenger Deborah Taylor.
Westbound trains were turned back at the Expo/Western station. Eastbound trains were turned back at Expo/Crenshaw, according to Metro.
The $1.5 billion, 6.6-mile Metro Expo Line Phase 2 extension opened to the public at noon Friday, stretching the line from its previous terminus near Venice and Robertson boulevards in Culver City to a station at Colorado Boulevard and Fourth Street in downtown Santa Monica. The extension includes seven new stations, with stops in Palms, West Los Angeles and the area just north of Santa Monica College.
It's the first time since the 1950s that Santa Monica has been accessible by rail.
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With the extension, the Expo Line stretches from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles, ending at the Seventh Street/Metro Center Station at Seventh and Flower Streets. Riders at that station can connect with the Blue, Red and Purple lines to Long Beach, Union Station, North Hollywood or the mid- Wilshire area.
Metro officials said the ride from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles is expected to take 46-48 minutes.
