E Line (Los Angeles Metro)

The E Line (formerly the Expo Line) is a 15.2 mi (24.5 km) light rail line that runs between Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. It is one of the six lines in the Metro Rail system, and is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). The line opened in 2012.

E Line
Two P865/P2020 trains at Culver City station
Overview
Other name(s)	Expo Line (2012–2019)
Owner	Metro (LACMTA)
Line number	806
Termini	Downtown Santa Monica 7th Street/Metro Center
Stations	19
Website	Expo Line
Service
Type	Light rail
System	Los Angeles Metro Rail
Rolling stock	Trains run in 2–3 car consists Kinkisharyo P3010
Daily ridership	61,957 (October 2018; avg. weekday)[1]
History
Opened	April 28, 2012
Completed	May 20, 2016
Technical
Line length	15.2 mi (24.5 km)[2]
Number of tracks	2
Character	Mostly at-grade in private right-of-way, with some underground, street-running, elevated, and trench sections.
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Electrification	750 V DC overhead catenary (overhead rigid rail; Flower tunnel only)[3]
Operating speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Route map Regional Connector (2022) Eastside Transit Extension Atlantic ↓(Current   L Line) East L.A. Civic Center Maravilla I-710 SR 60 Indiana Soto I-5 / I-10 Mariachi Plaza US 101 Pico / Aliso ↑(Current   L Line) Metrolink Los Angeles River Metrolink and Amtrak   A Line to APU/Citrus College Little Tokyo/Arts District Historic Broadway Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill 7th Street/Metro Center      Pico    I-10   A Line to Downtown Long Beach LATTC/Ortho Institute   I-110 Jefferson/USC Figueroa Tunnel Expo Park/USC Expo/Vermont Expo/Western Expo/Crenshaw   (2021) Farmdale Expo/La Brea La Cienega/Jefferson Ballona Creek Culver City Palms I-10 Westwood/Rancho Park Expo/Sepulveda I-405 Expo/Bundy 26th Street/Bergamot 17th Street/ Santa Monica College Downtown Santa Monica all stations accessible Detailed diagram showing all crossings Regional Connector (2022) 7th Street/ Metro Center         Pico I-10   A Line to Downtown Long Beach  LATTC/Ortho Institute Flower Street I-110 Jefferson/USC Flower Street trench Figueroa Tunnel Exposition Boulevard trench Expo Park/USC Expo/Vermont Exposition Boulevard Expo/Western Arlington Avenue 7th Avenue 11th Avenue/ Degnaue Boulevard (2021) Expo/Crenshaw Buckingham Road Farmdale Farmdale Avenue Expo/La Brea Hauser Boulevard La Cienega/Jefferson Jefferson Boulevard Los Angeles Culver City Ballona Creek National Boulevard Washington Boulevard Culver City SR 187 (Venice Boulevard) Culver City Los Angeles Bagley Avenue National Boulevard Palms Motor Avenue I-10 Northvale trench Overland Avenue Westwood/Rancho Park Westwood Boulevard Military Avenue Expo/Sepulveda I-405 Sawtelle Boulevard Pico Boulevard/ Gateway Boulevard Barrington Avenue Expo/Bundy Los Angeles Santa Monica Centinela Avenue Division 14 yard Stewart Street 26th Street/Bergamot 26th Street Cloverfield Boulevard Olympic Boulevard 20th Street 19th Street 17th Street/ Santa Monica College Colorado Avenue Downtown Santa Monica

The E Line largely follows the right-of-way of the former Pacific Electric Santa Monica Air Line. Passenger service ended in 1953; freight-only service ended by March 1988. Several E Line stations are built in the same location as Air Line stations, although no original station structures have been reused.[4]

Originally named the Expo Line after Exposition Boulevard, which it runs alongside for most of its route,[5][6] the line was renamed the E Line in late 2019, while retaining the aqua coloring and icons used to designate it on maps.[7] When the Regional Connector is complete in 2022, the current E Line will be joined with the Eastside portion of the former Gold Line to create an extended E Line, which will be colored gold on maps.[8]

Route and stations of the E Line, relative to other Metro lines. Under construction or planned segment are shown as dashed lines.

Service

Hours of operation

The E Line operates from approximately 4:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on weekdays and until 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.[9]

Headways

As of December 2016, trains run approximately every 6 minutes during peak hours, every 12 minutes during middays, every 10 minutes during the evening, and every 20 minutes after midnight.

Speed

Maximum speed on the route is 55 mph (89 km/h): speeds within Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica are reduced.[10]

History

Steam train and horsecar in Santa Monica, 1894

Dash sign for Pacific Electric trains, c.1911-1953

The E Line largely follows right of way used by the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad steam railroad, built in 1875,[11] which was converted by Pacific Electric to electric traction and operated as the Santa Monica Air Line by 1920,[12] providing both freight and passenger service between Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Passenger service ended in 1953, and freight service stopped in 1988.[13]

Local advocacy groups including Friends 4 Expo Transit[14] supported the successful passage of Proposition C in 1990, which allowed the purchase of the entire right-of-way from Southern Pacific by Metro. In 2000, an urban art group known as Heavy Trash placed signs advertising a fictional "Aqua Line". The signs, with the text "Coming Soon", showed a subway route extending along Wilshire to the ocean, with 10 station stops. Although the campaign was a hoax, it demonstrated newfound support and revealed the frustrations surrounding the lack of rail service connecting Santa Monica and the Westside with Downtown Los Angeles.[15] Metro released a Major Investment Study in 2000 which compared bus rapid transit and light rail transit options along what was now known as the "Mid-City/Exposition Corridor".[16]

Construction

An independent agency, the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, was given the authority to plan, design and construct the line by state law in 2003. After construction of the second phase was completed, the line was handed over on January 15, 2016, to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[17]

The line was built in two phases; the first phase comprised the 8.6-mile (13.8 km)[2][18] section between Downtown Los Angeles and Culver City. Construction began in early 2006 and most stations opened to the public on April 28, 2012.[18][19] The Culver City and Farmdale stations opened on June 20, 2012.[18][20]

Design and construction on the 6.6-mile (10.6 km)[2] portion between Culver City and Santa Monica started in September 2011. Testing along the phase 2 segment began on April 6, 2015,[21] and the segment opened on May 20, 2016.[22]

Proposed developments

Regional Connector Transit Project

The Regional Connector is an under-construction light-rail subway corridor through Downtown Los Angeles that is to connect the current A and E Lines to the current L Line, and to allow a seamless one-seat ride between the A and E Lines' current 7th Street/Metro Center terminus and Union Station.[23]

Once the Regional Connector is completed, the A, E, and Gold L will be simplified into two rail lines: a north–south line connecting Long Beach and Azusa, and an east–west line connecting Santa Monica and East Los Angeles.

In 2019, Metro began using a renaming system where each rail and bus rapid transit line receives a letter and color. As a result, the Expo Line became the E Line in 2019, and will be recolored from aqua to gold upon completion of the Regional Connector.[24][25][8]

The groundbreaking for the project took place on September 30, 2014, and the alignment is expected to be in public service by mid 2022.[26]

Eastside Transit Corridor

The Eastside Transit Corridor is a project to extend from the former L Line's terminus at Atlantic station eastward to Lambert station in Whittier. Partially funded by Measure M, construction is programmed to start in 2029 with service beginning in 2035,[27] though the project may be accelerated for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Station listing

Interior of a westbound train, first day of operation to Culver City

The following is the complete list of stations from Downtown Los Angeles traveling west.

Station	Date opened	City/Neighborhood	Major connections and notes[28][29]
7th Street/Metro Center	February 15, 1991	Los Angeles (Downtown Los Angeles)	Connects with  A Line,  B Line,  D Line and  J Line
Pico	July 14, 1990		Connects with  A Line and  J Line
LATTC/Ortho Institute	April 28, 2012	Los Angeles (North University Park)	Connects with  J Line
Jefferson/USC
Expo Park/USC		Los Angeles (Exposition Park)
Expo/Vermont
Expo/Western
Expo/Crenshaw		Los Angeles (Jefferson Park)	Park and ride: 450 stalls
Farmdale	June 20, 2012	Los Angeles (Baldwin Hills)
Expo/La Brea	April 28, 2012
La Cienega/Jefferson			Park and ride: 494 stalls
Culver City	June 20, 2012	Culver City
Palms	May 20, 2016	Los Angeles (Palms)
Westwood/Rancho Park		Los Angeles (Rancho Park)
Expo/Sepulveda		Los Angeles (West Los Angeles)	Park and ride: 260 stalls
Expo/Bundy			Park and ride: 217 stalls
26th Street/Bergamot		Santa Monica
17th Street/Santa Monica College			Park and ride: 65 stalls
Downtown Santa Monica

Operations

Maintenance facilities

Previously, the light rail vehicles used on the E Line were maintained at the division 11 yard in Long Beach, California, the same maintenance facility that is used by the A Line. However, the new division 14 yard, located east of Stewart Street and north of Exposition Boulevard[30] in the vicinity of the 26th Street/Bergamot station in Santa Monica, was opened with the completion of Phase 2.

Rolling stock

Compatible with the rest of Metro's light-rail network, the E Line shares standard Metro light rail vehicles (Kinki Sharyo P3010) with the A Line. Metro estimates that it has 47 light rail cars to provide service on the E Line under the peak-hour assumption of 3-car trains running at 6-minute headways.

Bikeway

The E Line Bikeway parallels the route of the light rail line, and includes a mixture of bike lanes on Exposition Boulevard and off-street paths alongside the rail tracks.[31]

Incidents

• On November 29, 2018, a pedestrian was struck and killed. The man had been attempting to cross the tracks.[32]
• On January 15, 2019, a passenger fell from the platform, between the cars, and was dragged to death. They "have not yet been able to identify the individual as pieces of the victim’s body are spread out."[33]

References

1. "Ridership Statistics". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
2. "Expo Line project fact sheet" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
3. Chen, Anna (July 30, 2019). "Installing new overhead conductor rail in DTLA". Retrieved July 30, 2019.
4. Hawthorne, Christopher (May 20, 2016). "Why the Expo Line to Santa Monica marks a rare kind of progress in American cities". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
5. Epstein, Joel (April 12, 2016). "How the Expo Line Got to Santa Monica". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
6. "The Guide to the Metro Expo Line: Downtown L.A. to Santa Monica". Discover Los Angeles. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
7. http://media.metro.net/documents/line-806_1571341545.pdf
8. Fonseca, Ryan (September 25, 2019). "Ignore Those 'Line A' Signs. Metro's Blue Line Will Reopen As The 'A Line'". laist.com. Southern California Public Radio. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
9. "Expo line timetable" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 23, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
10. Hymon, Steve (November 22, 2011). "Our first ride on the Expo Line". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
11. “First Train of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad”. Volume 5, Number 20. © Los Angeles Herald, 1875. Newspaper. Los Angeles Herald. October 19, 1875.
12. "Santa Monica Air Line". Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California.
13. Morgenthaler, Anne (March 14, 1988). "End of the Line: The last train out of SM blows a final whistle". Santa Monica Outlook.
14. "The Expo Line". friends4expo.org. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
15. "Heavy Trash: Aqua Line". Retrieved October 11, 2010.
16. "Mid City Westside Transit Draft EIS/EIR: 1.0 History, purpose and need" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
17. "About Expo Overview". Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
18. "L.A. Metro – Facts at a Glance". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
19. Weikel, Dan; Bloomekatz, Ari (April 27, 2012). "Expo Line launches rail service push to Westside". LA Times. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
20. "Two more Expo Line stations to open June 20". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
21. Nunez, Jennifer (April 9, 2015). "Testing begins on LA Expo Line phase 2". International Railway Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
22. Zeller, Heidi (March 30, 2015). "Art for the Expo Line: installation at Expo/Sepulveda Station". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
23. "Regional Connector Transit Corridor (project website)". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
24. "PowerPoint: Metro staff proposal to rename rail and BRT lines". TheSource. Steve Hymon. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
25. "LA Metro Could Switch Rail Line Names From Colors To Letters". Curbed Los Angeles. Curbed Staff. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
26. Nelson, Laura J. (May 12, 2019). "L.A. Metro's downtown subway project may not open until mid-2022". LA Times. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
27. Hymon, Steve (November 8, 2016). "Measure M project descriptions". Metro. The Source. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
28. "Metro E Line (Expo)". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
29. "Metro Parking Lots by Line". www.metro.net. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
30. Hymon, Steve (March 21, 2012). "Expo Line Maintenance Facility". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Retrieved August 19, 2019.
31. Kavanagh, Gary (December 2013). "State of Expo Phase II Bikeway Corridor, & the Biggest Remaining Concerns". Santa Monica Next. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
32. "Expo Line Train Fatally Hits Pedestrian Near USC". Daily Trojan. November 29, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
33. Hall, Matthew (January 15, 2019). "Train Kills Pedestrian at 17th Street Station". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved August 19, 2019.

External links

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
• BuildExpo (Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority)
• Extensive Collection of Construction Photos
• Expo Phase I Construction Drive By on YouTube
• Los Angeles Metro Expo Line – Phase II Tour, Part 1 on YouTube