UPDATE: Source reader and photographer Dwight Sturtevant has many photos of trains running to and from Culver City on his Flickr photostream.
The overhead electrical wires that deliver power to Expo Line trains is scheduled to be turned on early Tuesday evening, meaning test trains will be able to run between the La Cienega/Jefferson station and the Culver City station at Venice and Robertson.
No opening date has been announced for the Culver City segment of the line — the last station that is part of the first phase of the project. Work on the Culver City station and parking lot has been proceeding and is almost complete.
In the meantime, grading work on the second phase of the Expo Line between Culver City and Santa Monica is also gearing up. Here’s the construction notice from the Expo Line Construction Authority.
Construction notice is here: http://thesource.metro.net/2012/05/07/expo-line-phase-2-construction-notice-for-grading-work/
I’ve been taking Expo Line and I’m looking really forward to Culver City opening. It’s right off the Robertson Blvd exit from the 10, whereas to get to La Cienega and Jefferson you have to travel about a mile off the freeway. Also, Robertson is where the 10 starts to get jammed in the morning; it will be sweet to be able to get off there and get right to the train!
What do you mean grading work is going to begin soon? Is this similar to the la brea, la cienega and culver city stations? Like the bridges over the streets?
Ridership on the EXPO LINE
I am really happy to hear that the power is being turned on all the way to Robertson.. When that station opens up for service, I am sure ridership will increas by leaps and bounds .Robertson Station will be more convienent to many more riders.. I am looking foward to its opening
Cool. It will be interesting to see what kind of TOD will develop around said station. Right now the super immediate vicinity (closer than downtown Culver) in terms of pedestrian friendly amenities seems to be lacking. I’m sure this will change (I have seen there are big plans by Culver City) so that people are more inclined to walk the relatively short distance between the station and downtown Culver to feel like the station area is welcoming. We don’t want to hear this from people, “hmm, im not sure about taking transit there because the walk from the station feels a bit sketchy ya know” Not saying I would necessarily feel that way but many might.
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Conor, valid point. But there are many projects in the pipeline (I would guess they won’t start work until 2013 though), and also the Helms bakery complex (with Father’s Office) is actually much closer to the station than DT CC.
While we wait for the CC station to be completed — open up the adjacent bikeway in the meantime!!
Is there any way to open the section of the bikeway between stations sooner? Cyclists coming from the west tend to ride on National from Venice to get to the station at the end of the line now. That not a very bike-friendly section of road, as it’s narrow in places and car speeds can be high. Then there’s the blind curve under the Expo. The new path looks very comfortable, so I hope to ride there as soon as possable. Maybe a temporary entrance to the west end of the path if the Washington and National intersection tconstruction is going to take awhile? This construction scedule is diverting many cyclists onto a unusually hazardous part of the road to get to the Expo.