Expo Line regular service begins Monday morning between downtown L.A. and La Cienega/Jefferson station

by ,

The Expo Line’s opening weekend with free rides is now complete and regular service begins early Monday morning between 7th/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles and the La Cienega/Jefferson station.

The first westbound train from 7th/Metro Center leaves at 4:54 a.m. and the first eastbound train from La Cienega/Jefferson station at 5:12 a.m. The final train of the night departs at 12:32 a.m from both 7th/Metro Center and La Cienega/Jefferson

The regular Expo Line timetable is below. It can be downloaded from the Metro website here [pdf]. Reminder: the Farmdale station is not yet open, nor is the train traveling all the way to Culver City until this summer.

Expo Line Timetable

Categories: Go Metro, Metro Lifestyle

Tagged as:

22 replies ›

  3. @Steve @Mospaeda
    Thank you for letting me know about the 212/312 option. Yes, it seems to be that this is another option that I can take, but considering that walking from my home to Centinela/Inglewood was already quite long, I don’t think I can spend more time walking to Centinela/La Brea, especially considering the neighborhood. However, I think this would be a good option should I have the need to get to Downtown LA.

    In the end, I have to choose what’s best for me financially. Saving the environment is nice and all, but it’s what in my wallet that counts in this lousy economy. From what Y Fukuzawa said, at my commuting distance, riding an 80 MPG scooter would end up being $45 cheaper than a monthly pass for my commute even at $5/gal and insurance included, which amounts to a savings of over $540 per year and every year after that. That’s a lot to put into savings to feed my family.

    For shorter distances, it seems like motorcycles and scooters with their better fuel economy gives me a much better deal than public transit. Which is a shame as the point of public transit was to be a cheaper alternative to cars which is true for longer distances, yet it for shorter distances, there seems to be an even cheaper alternative.

    If Metro can figure out a way to make those who have shorter commutes to be cheaper than $75 monthly pass and cheaper than the cost to drive motorcycle or scooters, I will take another look at it.

    @Y Fukuzawa
    After giving much though and discussing with my wife, we decided to sell one of our cars this weekend. The dealer said they’ll buy it for $9,000 which is actually a lot more than I expected! They said they’re pretty desperate for used vehicles with lack of parts from Japan due to the earthquake last year.

    We took your advice we both signed up for the motorcycle safety course. Wow, I didn’t realize how popular these motorcycle safety courses are these days! Seems like a lot more people want to learn how to drive a motorcycle. I couldn’t find any openings until three weeks ahead. But we’re looking forward to it as it’ll be a fun experience to learn something new!

  4. @Steve

    The Centinela/Inglewood I’m talking about is the one between La Cienega and La Brea on Centinela where the Metro 110 bus stops, not the Centinela/Inglewood near Marina del Rey which is nowhere near where I live.

    • Hey Eduardo;

      My bad! In terms of bus routes, it appears to me the 212/312 NB on La Brea to Expo Line is your best bet. For whatever reasons, Google Maps doesn’t show this. I know it’s not ideal, but transit-wise it’s what we have at this time. The monthly pass is the best deal, particularly for those who use transit most workdays (or everyday). Otherwise, a day pass is $5 and usually equals the cost of a gallon of gas, parking, wear-and-tear on car and depreciation of said car. Scooters and motorcycles are always an option, too, but they aren’t perfect. Both have safety concerns and both usually pollute more than many cars even though they get better mileage (due to lack of smog controls on motorcycles/scooters).

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  5. Yeah, that’s sort of what I was thinking. Unless Metro starts providing something cheaper for those like me who have shorter commutes, I don’t think public transit is going to work out for me.

    I can sell one of my cars for $8,000. That should be more than enough to get all the things needed to start commuting with a motorcycle.

  6. @Eduardo

    For less than 10 miles, it’s not worth it to get by with public transit as there are cheaper alternatives. In this case, you’re better off with a scooter.

    From Google Maps, going from Centinela/Inglewood to Culver City Expo Line Terminus can be done on surface roads of 5.3 miles. Figuring an average of 80 MPG for an average scooter with a gas price of $5.00 / gal:

    5.3 mi x 2 = 10.6 mi per day as a roundtrip distance
    10.6 mi x 30 days = 318 mi total driving distance per month
    (318 mi / 80 MPG) x ($5.00 / gal) = $19.88 per month for gas for an 80 MPG scooter.

    You can get by with less than $20.00 in gas per month and that’s even at $5/gal gas. Factor in $10/month for motorcycle insurance, that still is $45 cheaper than Metro’s $75 30 day pass. The gas pump price would have to reach close to $19/gal before you end paying the same price as Metro’s monthly pass. And considering that you don’t need to commute all out of the 30 days, your gas tab will be cheaper still.

    If you don’t have a motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license, you can get one by via the California Motorcyclist Safety Program http://www.ca-msp.org. The cost of $250 for the Basic Riders Course teaches you the basics of riding a motorcycle, teaches you all the safety rules to pass the written test at the DMV, and by taking this course will also exempts you from the motorcycle driving test at the DMV.

    If I were you, I’d advise to just sell one of your cars and use the cash to do all the necessary things to get your first motorcycle. Heck, depending on the selling price of your car, you may still have cash left over even after spending $250 for the Basic Riders Course, $30 for a M1 endorsement on your driver’s license, a decent motorcycle helmet, a leather jacket, a pair of nice gloves, and perhaps even the scooter itself!

    After all these one time costs are done, the rest is just smooth sailing. You’d be saving lots more gas than driving a car and public transit on a ridiculous flat rate model for years to come. And the best part of it is, you still have the freedom to go where you want whenever you want, door-stop to door-stop, instead of spending time waiting for the bus.

  7. Eduardo

    If I were you I would consider walking from Centinela/Inglewood to Centinela/La Brea and catch the 212/312 to the Expo/La Brea Station, preferably the 312 if you can time it well with Next-trip. That should reduce the number of transfers you had to make each way by one making the trip more bearable

    FYI I find Google map’s transit option to be more effective than Metro’s trip planner.

  8. @Steve

    The nearest corner where I live is Centinela/Inglewood. I need to get to Culver City which is the current terminus of the Expo Line. I tested out the Expo Line this weekend excited to know that I may have an alternative to the car now. So I went to the train station so that I know what to do when the Culver City Station opens in the summer.

    Metro Trip Planner’s suggestion was to take Metro Bus 110 from to Centinela/La Tijera, which is $1.50 for only 2 miles of transit. Then I transfer from there to the Metro Bus 439 to La Cienega/Jefferson train station which is about 4 miles of transit. That’s another $1.50 right there. Then I take the Expo Line from La Cienega/Jefferson to the Culver City terminus, which is another $1.50 for that one station ride. The total distance covered is less than 10 miles, but it’s going to cost me $4.50 each way. Sounds like I’d be better off getting a $75 monthly pass, but considering that my travel distance is a little under 10 miles in each direction, I’m not getting that much of a good deal as opposed to driving, let alone how many transfers I have to make and the additional time waiting for the bus and the train.

    Unless Metro gives me something cheaper, I’m leaning towards selling one of my cars and and getting a motorcycle. Seeing lots more people doing that these days.

    • Hi Eduardo;

      Because you live west of the current first phase of Expo Line, I suspect it would be quicker to get to Culver City by taking the bus. Google Maps tells me a combo of the CC #2 and #7 bus would do the trick. Otherwise, you have to travel east and then ping-pong back west on the train.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  10. @Dairenn
    I’m in the same situation as you too! In order for me to get to this station I have to travel four miles across two buses that takes close to an hour. That’s $5.00 for a day pass right there for just 4 miles of transit that takes over an hour, and that’s just to the station.

    Now I know what those distance based fare people meant. I’m not paying $5 just to get 4 miles, lest when it takes close to an hour just to cover that distance.

    As with Expo Test Rider, learning how to drive a motorcycle seems to be a better option for me.

    • Hi Eduardo;

      Where about do you begin your commute and where are you going? It would be good for us to know hurdles in riders’ commutes and perhaps some of the very knowledgeable readers here can help plan a more efficient route.

      Thanks,

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  11. None of these issues compare to the fact that there is no way to go south of Rodeo Rd. on La Cienega Blvd. from Jefferson Blvd. without taking two buses and spending 41 minutes to travel less than three miles because the 439 nor the 217 doesn’t stop on Slauson and there don’t seem to be any carpool or vanpool options for the area either. Big time fail. I waited six years for this line to open so that I could use it instead of the 212.

  12. I’ve been waiting for months for the Expo Line to open and for my commute to work to be a breeze! I must admit that I’m a little disappointed thus far – 12 minutes between trains seems too long! If I missed one connection, I could be almost 30 minutes late for work. My Gold Line trains come every 6 minutes during the day – why is the schedule for Expo Line so different than the other lines? I can deal with the trains moving at a snails pace between downtown and Exposition Park, but the wait between trains is a big concern and might be a deal-breaker for me.

  13. The EXPO lines shares some older trains with the Blue Line. The newer Siemens trains are running on Blue/Expo as well. The old trains have a flat front and the new ones are slightly more elongated.

    The reason that some would take the train is so they don’t have to sit in traffic that could take 60-70 minutes to get from PCH to the 110 in rush hour/any hour. The freeway is at capacity and they are not going to make it bigger.

    James

  14. I hear ya, Joaquin. I’m nervous about the length. But ill give you one reason to try the train out: gas= $4.20/gallon this week. Sigh….

  15. While I was riding the Expo for the first time this weekend, a group of Harley Davidson riders just whizzed by along Exposition Blvd faster than the train. Expo needs to work out an rapid service that has fewer stops along the way to reduce commuting time. The signal issues in Downtown also needs to be resolved. The main purpose of a train was to have a dedicated track so it doesn’t have stop at traffic signals. This defeats the whole purpose of commuting by a train.

    These issues needs to be fixed. Otherwise, I think I’ll just go and buy a motorcycle.

  16. The flower street portion of the line definitely has signal issues especially the Eastbound trips to downtown LA, most likey due to the Washington/Flower ATP still not being efficient enough to have trains running at such close headways inbound. I am confident this will be improved like the Washington portion of the Blue Line.

    But once the train gets on Exposition the line runs really fast for street running and the views while on exposition are fantastic. I can’t wait to see how the trees along the alignment grow in to their respective communities.

  18. La Cienega/Jefferson to 7th/Metro took 36 minutes yesterday. The reverse trip took 30. I’m sure the ride will improve because it’s completely ridiculous that the train stops at every intersection. I was also shocked that the trains for the grand opening had graffiti carved into almost every window and gum all over the floors. It felt like the train had already been operating for 30 years.

    If my trip yesterday took 36 minutes, then it’ll take at least 40 once the Culver City and Farmdale stops are open. Let’s be generous and say that it’ll take another 30 minutes to get to the beach in Santa Monica once part 2 is open. I cannot possibly fathom why people would choose to take a 70 minute Expo Line trip over taking their car.