Los Angeles’s first rail line
connecting downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in more than six decades went
into service on May 20.
LA Metro’s Expo Line began
ferrying riders to downtown Santa Monica following the completion of
a 6.6-mile leg between Santa Monica and Culver City that cost $1.5 billion. On the first commuter day after service began, about 12,000 new riders
used the line.
The 15-mile route, which takes
about 45 minutes, is the first rail line connecting downtown Los Angeles to the
beach since the Pacific Electric streetcar system (known locally as the Red Car
System) stopped running in 1953. The downtown Santa Monica station is three
blocks east of the Santa Monica pier.