Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa leads opening day festivities for new Expo Line stations at Culver City Station. From left, Culver City council members Meghan Sahli-Wells, Jim B. Clarke, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Culver City Mayor Andy Weissman, Culver City Councilman Michael O’Leary, Mayor Villaraigosa, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz. Photos by Juan Ocampo.
Here is the news release from Metro about the ceremony held this morning. The Culver City and Farmdale stations open at noon.
Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Antonio Villaraigosa joined Culver City Mayor Andy Weissman and other local elected officials today to officially dedicate the opening of the Expo Line Culver City Station located in the heart of Culver City at the intersection of Washington and National. Both the Culver City Station and the Farmdale Station will open to the public at noon today.
“Today’s official opening of the Culver City and Farmdale stations marks the completion of the first phase of the Expo Line, connecting Angelenos from the Westside to Downtown and beyond,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “With this line, we are giving Angelenos the 21st Century transit options they want and deserve.”
In addition, patrons boarding trains at both the Farmdale and Culver City stations will receive free passes to use on the Expo Line today, June 20.
“Today, I want to thank my colleagues on the City Council-both past and present, the Metro Board, The Exposition Light Rail Construction Authority, staff and the construction team for their leadership and hard work in constructing the Culver City Station,” said Culver City Mayor Andy Weissman. “We are proud to have Culver City be a destination on the Expo Line, and we look forward to the station serving thousands of passengers in the years to come.”
Culver City Station opening day
Today’s opening of the Culver City Station coincides with Downtown Culver City’s Third Wednesday “Summer Solstice” Happy Hour which features special offers and free goodies from over 25 participating businesses throughout the downtown area, as well as outdoor entertainment and activities. The event takes place every third Wednesday of the month fromThe public is encouraged to take advantage of the opening of the Culver City Station and take the Metro Expo Line, only a short walking distance to the event, to sample artisanal cuisine and cocktails, shop at unique boutiques, view art, and enjoy a variety of live music and entertainment. For a complete list of freebies, offers, discounts and entertainment, visit www.downtownculvercity.com.
Under construction since 2006, the new Expo Line now spans 8.6 miles between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City with more construction currently underway to expand the line another 6.6 miles to reach Santa Monica by 2016.
The Metro Expo Line links the Westside with downtown Los Angeles via a joint station serving the Metro Red, Purple and Blue lines at the 7th Street Metro Center Station. Together, these line crisscross the region making connections with the Eastside, Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Norwalk, Hollywood, North Hollywood, Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley and Metrolink.
The segment of the Metro Expo Line operating from downtown Los Angeles to the La Cienega/Jefferson Station opened to the public on April 28. Trains have been bypassing the Farmdale Station adjacent to Dorsey High School going only as far as the station at La Cienega and Jefferson. With today’s opening of the Farmdale Station, students attending Dorsey High School will have an additional transportation alternative by using the new Metro Expo Line.
May 2012 ridership counts show that the new Expo Line carried 11,347 boarding passengers on an average weekday with ridership reaching 9,000 on Saturdays and 7,000 on Sundays. During the month of May, the Metro Expo Line carried a total of 320,627 boarding passengers.
Phase I of the Metro Expo Line is a new $932 million, 8.6-mile light rail line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. It has 12 stations with two stations shared with the Metro Blue Line. The new light rail line serves USC, Exposition Park, the Mid-City communities, the Crenshaw District and Culver City.
Phase II of the Metro Expo Line, a $1.5 billion 6.6-mile extension from Culver City to Santa Monica, is funded under the Measure R half-cent sale tax initiative approved by the voters in 2008. Phase II will have seven stations serving West Los Angeles/Santa Monica and is expected to be completed in 2016.
Both Phase I and II of the Metro Expo Line are being built by the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority. Once completed, they will be turned over to Metro to operate. For more information about the new Metro Expo Line, visit metro.net/expo or buildexpo.org.
Categories: Projects