E Line (Los Angeles Metro)
| E Line | |
|---|---|
 | |
 A Metro E Line train at Downtown Santa Monica station | |
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | Expo Line (2012–2019) Gold Line/L Line (east of Little Tokyo/Arts District) |
| Owner | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
| Termini | Atlantic Downtown Santa Monica |
| Stations | 29 |
| Service | |
| Type | Light rail |
| System | Los Angeles Metro Rail |
| Train number(s) | 804 |
| Rolling stock | Kinki Sharyo P310 |
| Daily ridership | 41,902 (weekday, October 2023)  [1] |
| Ridership | 11,586,541 (2023) 23.5% |
| History | |
| Opened | April 28, 2012 |
| Last extension | June 16, 2023 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 22 mi (35 km)[2] |
The E Line, named the Expo Line before 2019, is one of the six train lines that are part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The E Line stops at 29 light rail stations going from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles. The E Line's first stations from Downtown Los Angeles to the Westside opened in 2012.[3] In 2023, the Regional Connector tunnel expanded the line east from Downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles. It is the line's latest expansion.[4]
History[change | change source]
The E Line was built on the path of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad which transported people and freight west from Los Angeles to Santa Monica since 1875. Passenger service stopped in 1953, and freight service stopped in 1988. This happened since fewer people were taking transit as cars became more popular.[5]
A group called Friends 4 Expo Transit convinced Los Angeles Metro to buy the land of the old train route to build a new light rail line. Metro listened and later released a Major Investment Study in 2000 to compare bus and light rail transit options. Metro eventually decided to build a light rail line along that corridor.
The project was built in two phases by the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority. The first phase went from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, and it started construction in 2006.[6] The second phase went from Culver City to Santa Monica. That phase started construction in 2012. The light rail line later became known as the Expo Line.
The first 10 stations of the Expo Line from 7th Street/Metro Center to La Cienega/Jefferson station opened on April 18, 2012. On June 20, 2012, two more stations opened, expanding the line to Culver City.[7] On May 20, 2016, the second phase finished construction, adding 7 stations west to Downtown Santa Monica.[8] The line was renamed to the E Line in late 2019.[9]
The E Line continued to expand with another project called the Regional Connector tunnel. It opened on June 16, 2023.[10] It added two new underground stations in Downtown Los Angeles. The project also connected the E Line to the track of the L Line at the eastern end of the underground tunnel. This allowed the E Line to reach East Los Angeles using tracks and seven stations that were served by the L Line. Once this happened, the L Line stopped operating.[11]
In 2035, the E Line is planning to get another eastern expansion with the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2. It will extend the line from East Los Angeles to Whittier.[12]
Operations[change | change source]
Service[change | change source]
The E Line begins service at 4:30 a.m. and ends around 11:45 p.m. each night. During the day, trains on weekdays are scheduled to come every 8-10 minutes. Trains on the weekends are scheduled to come every 10 minutes. In the early mornings and late nights, trains are scheduled to come every 20 minutes.[13]
Rolling stock[change | change source]
The rolling stock (trains) used on the E Line are called the Kinki Sharyo P3010. Metro operates those trains with three cars on weekdays and two on weekends, except for weekend days with big city events. The E Line is operated out of two divisions, Metro’s name for train maintenance and storage facilities.[14]
Division 14 is located right next to the line in Santa Monica. It opened in 2016 with the completion of the Expo Line Phase 2.[15]
Division 21 is in Chinatown between Elysian Park and the Los Angeles River. To access it, trains need to travel on the A Line tracks from Little Tokyo/Arts District station to the north of Chinatown station. The division was originally opened in 2003 for the A Line but is not used by A Line trains anymore.
Stations[change | change source]
The E Line stops at 29 stations from Downtown Santa Monica to Atlantic station. Most of those stations are above ground, however six of them are underground. The E Line shares the same station platform with the A Line at five stations in Downtown Los Angeles. The following table is the complete list of stations, from west to east:
| Stations | Opened | Neighborhood | Connections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Santa Monica | May 20, 2016 | Santa Monica | |
| 17th Street/SMC | |||
| 26th Street/Bergamot | |||
| Expo/Bundy | West Los Angeles | ||
| Expo/Sepulveda | |||
| Westwood/Rancho Park | Los Angeles
(Rancho Park) |
||
| Palms | Los Angeles
(Palms) |
||
| Culver City | June 20, 2012 | Culver City | |
| La Cienega/Jefferson | April 28, 2012 | Los Angeles
(West Adams) |
|
| Expo/La Brea | |||
| Farmdale | June 20, 2012 | ||
| Expo/Crenshaw | April 28, 2012 | Los Angeles
(Jefferson Park) |
 K Line
|
| Expo/Western | Los Angeles
(Exposition Park) |
||
| Expo/Vermont | |||
| Expo Park/USC | Los Angeles
(University Park) |
||
| Jefferson/USC | |||
| LATTC/Ortho Institute | Los Angeles
(North University Park) |
 J Line
| |
| Pico | July 14, 1990 | Downtown Los Angeles |  A Line J Line
|
| 7th Street/Metro Center | February 15, 1991 | A Line B Line D Line J Line
| |
| Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill | June 16, 2023 | A Line J Line
| |
| Historic Broadway | A Line
| ||
| Little Tokyo/Arts District | November 15, 2009 | Los Angeles
(Little Tokyo/Arts District) |
A Line
|
| Pico/Aliso | Los Angeles
(Boyle Heights) |
||
| Mariachi Plaza | |||
| Soto | |||
| Indiana | East Los Angeles | ||
| Maravilla | |||
| East LA Civic Center | |||
| Atlantic |
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Interactive Estimated Ridership Stats". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Facts At A Glance". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ↑ Stone, Chelsea. "Expo Line scheduled to open April 28". dailytrojan.com. Daily Trojan. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Morgenthaler, Anne (March 14, 1988). "End of the Line: The last train out of SM blows a final whistle". Santa Monica Outlook.
- ↑ "Expo Line project fact sheet" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- ↑ Bloomekatz, Ari. "Expo Line launches rail service push to Westside". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ↑ Carino, Meghan. "Expo Line to Santa Monica service opens with free rides through Saturday". kpcc.org. KPCC. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ↑ "LA, meet our new lineup". www.metro.net. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ↑ Quednow, Cindy. "Metro Regional Connector opens in Los Angeles, bringing more direct access to downtown". ktla.com. KTLA. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ↑ Patel, Jaysha. "LA celebrates grand opening of long-awaited Metro Regional Connector with free rides all weekend". abc7.com. KABC. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ↑ "Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2". metro.net. LACMTA. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ↑ "Metro Maps and Schedules". metro.net. December 10, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Regional Connector Slides for Customer Service Briefings". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ↑ Hymon, Steve (March 21, 2012). "Expo Line Maintenance Facility". The Source. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.