EXPO Light Rail Project 

Tired of sitting in traffic on the I-10? Steady growth in the region is expected to increase traffic on the I-10 freeway and major east-west streets. But by 2015, the EXPO Line will offer a great option for Santa Monicans to move around town gridlock-free, and get from here to Downtown LA in less than 50 minutes—even during rush hour! The Exposition Light Rail Project (Expo LRT) is a 15-mile light rail line extending from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica and will be the first extension of Metro rail to the west side.  When complete, it should take 46 minutes to travel from Downtown Los Angeles to Downtown Santa Monica. The project, which has come to fruition after over twenty years of collaboration and planning between multiple jurisdictions, is part of a significant county-wide investment in transportation.

Expo LRT in Santa Monica will consist of three stations, a maintenance facility, a bike path, and approximately three miles of trackway.  East of 17^th Street, tracks will run in the existing Metro right-of-way located south of Colorado and crossing to the south side of Olympic Boulevard near 20^th Street. West of 17^th Street the tracks will run in the center of Colorado Avenue. The three stations in Santa Monica are located at Olympic/26^th Street (Bergamot Station), at Colorado Avenue/17^th Street (Memorial Park/17^th St. Station), and at 4^th/Colorado (Downtown Station).

The Expo LRT to Santa Monica is a significant and long-term public investment in transit, city-wide and regional mobility, and sustainability.  It will provide Santa Monica residents, employees, students and visitors with easier access to major destinations both locally and regionally. The light rail stations were incorporated in the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), and are part of an integrated citywide strategy to reduce greenhouse gases and achieve no net new evening peak trips. Project completion is targeted for 2015.

For more information on the project, visit BuildExpo.org.

For information on the Expo Maintenance Facility and the community buffer zone, click here.