E Line (Los Angeles Metro)

light-rail line running between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica

The E Line, named the Expo Line before 2019, is one of the six train lines part of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It 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 extended the line east from Downtown Los Angeles to East Los Angeles. It is the line's latest expansion.[4]  

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)
OwnerLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
TerminiAtlantic
Downtown Santa Monica
Stations29
Service
TypeLight rail
SystemLos Angeles Metro Rail
Train number(s)804
Rolling stockKinki Sharyo P310
Daily ridership41,902 (weekday, October 2023) Increase[1]
Ridership11,586,541 (2023) Increase 23.5%
History
OpenedApril 28, 2012
Last extensionJune 16, 2023
Technical
Line length22 mi (35 km)[2]

History

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The E Line's first 10 stations opened in April 2012

The E Line was built on the path of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad. The train route 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 because fewer people were using transit as cars became more popular.[5] The tracks on the railroad were also older than other nearby lines.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] On May 20, 2016, the second phase finished construction, adding 7 stations west to Downtown Santa Monica.[9] The line was renamed to the E Line in late 2019.[10]

The E Line continued to expand with another project called the Regional Connector tunnel. It opened on June 16, 2023.[11] 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 the L Line served. Once this happened, the L Line stopped operating.[12]

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.[13]

Operations

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Service

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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.[14]

 
A Kinki Sharyo P310 train at one of Metro's train divisions.

Rolling stock

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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, a place for the maintenance or storage of the system's rolling stock.[15]

Division 14 is located right next to the line in Santa Monica. It opened in 2016 when the second phase of the E Line (Expo Line) opened.[16]

Division 21 is in Chinatown between Elysian Park and the Los Angeles River. To access it trains 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

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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

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  1. "Interactive Estimated Ridership Stats". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  2. "Facts At A Glance". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  3. Stone, Chelsea. "Expo Line scheduled to open April 28". dailytrojan.com. Daily Trojan. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. 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.
  5. Morgenthaler, Anne (March 14, 1988). "End of the Line: The last train out of SM blows a final whistle". Santa Monica Outlook.
  6. Tinoco, Matt (September 20, 2019). "In Defense Of The Expo Line". LAist. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  7. "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.
  8. Bloomekatz, Ari. "Expo Line launches rail service push to Westside". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  9. Carino, Meghan. "Expo Line to Santa Monica service opens with free rides through Saturday". kpcc.org. KPCC. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  10. "LA, meet our new lineup". www.metro.net. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  11. Quednow, Cindy. "Metro Regional Connector opens in Los Angeles, bringing more direct access to downtown". ktla.com. KTLA. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  12. Patel, Jaysha. "LA celebrates grand opening of long-awaited Metro Regional Connector with free rides all weekend". abc7.com. KABC. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  13. "Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2". metro.net. LACMTA. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  14. "Metro Maps and Schedules". metro.net. December 10, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  15. "Regional Connector Slides for Customer Service Briefings". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  16. 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.