This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.

The Metro Expo Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light-rail line currently under construction in Los Angeles, which will run from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City and eventually to Santa Monica. Its route makes use of the former Exposition Boulevard right-of-way, from which its name comes. The Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority (EMLCA) [1] is the project manager and the agency that is constructing the line; however, virtually all of the staff are also employees of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... Image File history File links 25_railtransportation_trans. ... The Los Angeles County Metro Rail is the current mass transit rail system operating in Los Angeles. ... A tram of the Luas system in Dublin, Ireland Shanghai Metro transit station, China A METRORail train approaching Preston Station in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The Guadalajara urban L-train system (SITEUR), at first a trolleybus system, opened in 1980; the second line was opened in 1994, and a third... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type mayor-council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D)  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  465. ... Skyline of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the geographic center of metropolitan Los Angeles, California. ... Culver City Seal Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. ... For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ...

The Metro Expo Line is shown in color aqua on the map, along with the Metro Blue, Gold, Red, and Purple Lines. Also shown are the proposed Downtown Connector (dashed aqua–blue line) and the proposed Purple Line extension to Fairfax Ave (dashed purple line).

In December 2005 the board of Metro approved the Final Environmental-Impact Report. All funds to construct the line have been obtained from local and state sources, obviating the need to wait with other localities for funds from the federal government. EMLCA broke ground on Friday, September 29, 2006. The line will start operations to the Culver Junction (Venice/Robertson Boulevards) in Culver City by June 2010 or earlier. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1966x834, 582 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1966x834, 582 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is a document required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). ...

History

The line was originally built in 1875, with the name “The Los Angeles & Independence Railroad.” Southern Pacific bought it in 1877 and later leased it to electric-railway companies after it was electrified in 1908. These electric railroads merged under the name of Pacific Electric in 1911. It was known as the “Santa Monica Air Line” [2] for most of the history, providing freight and passenger service between Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Pacific Electric discontinued the passenger service on the Santa Monica Air Line in 1953. Southern Pacific continued the freight service, with the last freight service to Fisher Lumber in Santa Monica taking place in 1987 and to the Culver Junction circa 1989. Metro purchased the line from Southern Pacific in 1990 for future public-transit use. 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pacific Electric Railway company depot in downtown Los Angeles, circa 1910. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...

Trivia

The Expo Line is the second oldest railroad in Southern California, built in 1875 with the name The Los Angeles & Independence Railroad in order to connect the Nevada silver mines to the then existing Port Los Angeles in Santa Monica (later moved to San Pedro). The Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad, which then became the Southern Pacific San Pedro division and now is the Alameda Corridor, was built in 1869. Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, also colloquially referred to as SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the U.S. state of California. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... // San Pedro is connected to Los Angeles by a thin strip of land called the Harbor Gateway which roughly follows the 110 freeway. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile (32 km) freight rail expressway directly connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Donald Douglas was a regular commuter on the Expo Line, then known as the Santa Monica Air Line. He used to fantasize on the Air Line about airlines becoming a reality in the future. Indeed his Douglas Aircraft Company would become one of the major aircraft manufacturers. Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. ... The Douglas Aircraft Company was founded by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. ...

Air line literally means a straight line through the air between two points and it is used for such direct railroads. An air line railroad was a railroad that was relatively flat and straight, choosing a shorter route over an easier route. ...

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was initially the No. 1 opponent of the Expo Line, claiming that the preferred method of transportation in Los Angeles should be subways, not surface rail, and almost succeeding in preventing the purchase of the Expo Line right-of-way by Metro circa 1990. He later changed his philosophy and opposed subways as being too costly and his Proposition A has prevented the use of local funds for subway construction. He is now a strong supporter of the Expo Line. He had also advocated bus rapid transit (BRT) for the Expo Line and had introduced the Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards street diversion (see below) to be used for the BRT buses. He now acknowledges that this relic from early busway considerations might not be a good idea, saying that the diversion would slow down the line while the speed being crucial for these lines. Map of California showing Los Angeles County. ... Zev Yaroslavsky served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... There is a large number of public transport systems in European towns that fulfill several of the BRT criteria given above, but they are rarely designated as BRT. Bus lanes and exclusive use of key city-centre streets is commonplace, and bus priority on approach to traffic lights is quite...

The Friends 4 Expo Transit [3] (and its predecessors), the grassrooots group that has advocated the Expo Line since the late 1980s, played a big role in the acquisition of the Expo Line right-of-way by Metro and prevented the Expo Line being built as a busway (bus rapid transit) and succeeded in having it built as light-rail. The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... There is a large number of public transport systems in European towns that fulfill several of the BRT criteria given above, but they are rarely designated as BRT. Bus lanes and exclusive use of key city-centre streets is commonplace, and bus priority on approach to traffic lights is quite... A tram of the Luas system in Dublin, Ireland Shanghai Metro transit station, China A METRORail train approaching Preston Station in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The Guadalajara urban L-train system (SITEUR), at first a trolleybus system, opened in 1980; the second line was opened in 1994, and a third...

Name

Currently this is the only LACMTA Metro Rail line that is known by a name independent of its color on maps. Ironically the founders of Friends 4 Expo [4], the grassroots organization that has strongly advocated the line since the late 1980s, had originally used the name “Expo Line” but then popularized and heavily campaigned for the name “Aqua Line,” which was later recommended by the Metro staff to the Metro board [5]. Interestingly the name Aqua Line had also popped into existence when a guerilla-artist group called Heavy Trash posted prank “Metro Aqua Line” future-station-location signs throughout Westside during the 2000 Democratic National Convention, to stir up NIMBYs and to provoke civic dialogue [6]. The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... The Westside as seen from a plane departing Los Angeles International Airport. ... NIMBY (an acronym of Not In My Back Yard) describes the phenomenon in which residents oppose a development as inappropriate for their local area, but by implication do not oppose such development in anothers. ...

On May 4, 2006, a community meeting by Metro was held at Dorsey High School near Exposition Blvd/La Brea Ave in Mid-City. In this meeting a color for the line was discussed in public for the very first time. Metro board member and city councilmember Bernard Parks, whose district is partially served by the line, was also attending the meeting and got actively involved in the discussion of the color with the several hundred attendees. He later opposed the adoption of aqua as the color, on the basis that this color didn’t really connect with the rest of the regions served by the Expo line, other than Westside [7]. Mid-City Los Angeles is a region in west-central Los Angeles, California. ...

On August 24, 2006, a debate for the second time over the name of the line between Metro board members lasted over one hour. The Parks motion stated that the line be officially known as the Expo Line and designated on maps with the color “rose.” At the end of the board meeting, a modified motion instead was passed by the board, which named the line “Metro Expo Line” but deferred the color issue to sometime after more public input is sought and before the line goes into service.

Route

The route is the locally preferred alternative (LPA) officially adopted as part of the approval of the Final Environmental-Impact Report in December 2005. The Expo Line (also known as the “Mid-City/Exposition Light-Rail Transit Project”) will begin at 7th/Flower Streets (Metro Center) and then travel south on Flower St. South of the Pico station, it will branch off from the Blue Line, continuing on Flower St to Exposition Blvd. The rest of its route is exclusively on the Exposition right-of-way. The line will end just short of the Culver Junction (the intersection of Venice, Robertson, and Exposition Boulevards, within short walking distance to Downtown Culver City). A second phase of the line will continue from Culver City to Santa Monica, mostly on the original Pacific Electric Exposition Blvd right-of-way. The entrance to Metro Center, at night A Long Beach-bound Blue Line train departs 7th/Metro Center Passengers board a North Hollywood-bound Red Line train at 7th/Metro Center 7th Street-Metro Center is a stop on the Red line subway and the terminus of the Blue line. ... Pico-Chick Hearn is a station on the line. ...

Stations

Notes:
* indicates that parking is planned.
† indicates that station is tentative.
‡ These are estimates for the near-optimal trip times, based on 50 MPH cruising speed, 3 MPH/s service acceleration/deceleration, 45 s wait at each intermediate station, and signal priority. The actual trip times may vary due to miscellaneous factors. The estimates by the construction authority are substantially higher to avoid future criticism. The entrance to Metro Center, at night A Long Beach-bound Blue Line train departs 7th/Metro Center Passengers board a North Hollywood-bound Red Line train at 7th/Metro Center 7th Street-Metro Center is a stop on the Red line subway and the terminus of the Blue line. ... Metro Blue Line The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach. ... The Metro Red Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a heavy rail metro line in Los Angeles. ... Metro rail lines on the Westside of Los Angeles including lines under construction and the Purple Line including extension to Fairfax Avenue The Purple Line is the vestige of the Red Line subway which was originally envisioned running from Union Station along Wilshire to Santa Monica. ... The Harbor Transitway as seen from the Harbor Freeway. ... Pico-Chick Hearn is a station on the line. ...

Tentative USC/Exposition Park Station

The attitude of the high-level administration of the University of Southern California (USC) toward the Expo Line has been considered as NIMBYism by many. Originally USC opposed at-grade light-rail next to its campus, claiming that light-rail would separate the university campus from Exposition Park. But the locally preferred alternative in the final environmental-impact report only contended with a short tunnel segment at the junction of Flower St and Exposition Blvd. The final environmental-impact report left the USC/Exposition Park station as an option, citing that it would be built if funds (approximately $5M) could be obtained and local support is present. Many acknowledge the importance of this station, citing its convenient accessibility by the USC students/employees and Exposition Park guests. Moreover the station would be crucial for a future NFL venue in place of the current Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as well as for future Olympic Games. The Exposition Park/Coliseum authority has taken a strong position in support of this station. On the other hand, USC remains the sole opposer. Currently EMLCA (Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority) is trying to secure the funds for this important station and to negotiate its design. A remaining issue that the construction authority needs to resolve is USC’s request for special architecture for all stations serving the campus. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly as Southern Cal[4]), located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA, was founded in 1880, making it Californias oldest private research university. ... NIMBY (an acronym of Not In My Back Yard) describes the phenomenon in which residents oppose a development as inappropriate for their local area, but by implication do not oppose such development in anothers. ... NFL logo For other uses of the abbreviation NFL, see NFL (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Memorial Coliseum (disambiguation) and Coliseum. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ...

Phase II expansion

The expansion to Santa Monica for the Expo line is known as Phase II or the Westside segment. Phase I (or the Mid-City segment) to the Culver Junction (Venice/Robertson Boulevards) in Culver City is planned to begin operations in 2009–2010 and Phase II in 2013–2015. The Westside as seen from a plane departing Los Angeles International Airport. ... Mid-City Los Angeles is a region in west-central Los Angeles, California. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 2015 (MMXV) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Route options for Phase II

The alignment between the Home Junction (Exposition/Sepulveda Boulevards) in Westside and the intersection of Olympic Blvd and the Exposition right-of-way in Santa Monica is generally agreed on to follow the original Pacific Electric right-of-way along Exposition Blvd. However, between the current terminus at the Culver Junction in Culver City and the Home Junction in Westside, the Expo Line could follow either of two alignment options, and to the west of Olympic Blvd/Exposition right-of-way in Santa Monica, there are three possible alignment options. See also the alternatives map by the construction authority [8].

Culver Junction to Home Junction

The first option would be to use the original Pacific Electric right-of-way between the Culver Junction and the Home Junction through northern Palms and Rancho Park. The second alignment option would divert the line from the right-of-way into the median of Venice Blvd, which separates Palms from Culver City, then turn north on Sepulveda Blvd, before rejoining the original Pacific Electric right-of-way, just south of Pico Blvd/Sepulveda Blvd at the Home Junction. Palms is a district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. ... Rancho Park is a small neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California. ...

Right-of-way alignment

Route

The right-of-way alignment passes through the highly populated Palms, and then passes through Rancho Park, just south of the highly populated area of the Pico Blvd vicinity. Part of this alignment is in a quiet, affluent suburban neighborhood, where the right-of-way borders Cheviot Hills and then goes through Rancho Park. Cheviot Hills is a small residential district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. ...

The Palms/Rancho Park right-of-way alignment is shorter and also allows higher speeds without impeding the street traffic since the exclusive railroad right-of-way already exists. There are three crossings in this alignment that already have grade separation, i.e., an underpass or overpass: An example of a four-level stack interchange in the Netherlands. ...

National Blvd and Motor Ave: Existing railroad bridges will be rebuilt to accommodate dual tracks and the bicycle/pedestrian paths.

I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) underpass: Currently this is a narrow tunnel under a short freeway bridge, called Palms Overhead. The existing tunnel, designed for a single track, is only 25-ft-wide, which is probably not wide enough to allow dual tracks. To ensure safety, such as of any pedestrians who could wander into the tunnel, in emergency situations, etc., the tunnel will likely have to be widened. Moreover, it is necessary to widen the tunnel to about 60 ft to accommodate the bicycle/pedestrian paths next to the tracks. The bicycle/pedestrian paths would also help discourage graffiti around the tunnel and help reduce the noise echoed out of the tunnel. The tunnel could be gradually widened from one or both ends toward the opposite end, without affecting the traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway above. Southern California freeways Interstate 10; the Santa Monica Freeway segment is highlighted in red and the San Bernardino Freeway is highlighted in blue. ...

The remaining crossings are:

Bagley Ave: would likely have the Venice Blvd/Robertson Blvd overpass extended over,

Overland Ave: grade separation likely necessary since a major north–south arterial,

Westwood Blvd and Military Ave: grade separation optional, Military Ave crossing could be eliminated,

Sepulveda Blvd: grade separation likely necessary since a major north–south arterial.

The preferred design for the Expo Line would be the “grade-separated transit parkway” (see the picture below). Between the freeway underpass and Overland Ave, the line goes in a natural soil trench, next to Northvale Rd (formerly, Exposition Blvd), surrounded by dense trees and plants. In this design the dual tracks sit in the middle of the 100-ft-wide right-of-way, separated by fences. On either side of the right-of-way, there is a paved two-way bicycle/pedestrian path. The parkway sits in a natural soil-lined trench, with its slopes covered with trees and plants. There are no concrete retaining walls, which are considered as not being aesthetic. The grade-separated transit parkway design also avoids the use of visually displeasing overpasses, which may not be suitable for such suburban settings. The parkway could be extended all the way past Sepulveda Blvd and beyond, perhaps as far as Downtown Santa Monica.

Metro Expo Line grade-separated transit parkway (artist’s rendition on actual photograph). This section of the parkway, looking toward northwest, is adjacent to Northvale Rd (formerly, Exposition Blvd) near Dunleer Dr. Palms Park is on the left and Northvale Rd, which borders Cheviot Hills from the southwest, is on the right side of the parkway. There is a paved two-way bicycle/pedestrian path on either side of the parkway. Note the absence of any retaining walls, which would be considered as not being aesthetic in a suburban parkway setting. No natural trench exists for the tracks beyond Northvale Rd.

Stream daylighting for the Metro Expo Line.

Note that there is an approximately twelve-feet-deep, twelve-feet-wide storm drain under the western sidewalk of Overland Ave where the Expo Line crosses. In order to build an underpass at this intersection, the “inverted siphon” (also called depressed sewer) method could be used to pass the storm drain under the light-rail line [9]. It has also been suggested to divert this and another storm drain nearby (both feeding into the partly open Westwood Channel further downstream) to along the north side of the right-of-way between Overland and Military Avenues and then to daylight it as a creek. The water would be cleaned along the way, therefore reducing the pollution runoff into the ocean. This method could be used in conjunction with the inverted siphon, the latter serving as a backup during heavy storms. Note that recently there is a lot of activity with regard to daylighting the lost streams in Los Angeles, in order to reduce the contaminant runoff into the Santa Monica Bay. (See Save all of Ballona [10], City of Los Angeles Integrated Resources Program [11], and the LA Weekly article “The lost streams of Los Angeles” [12].) This water-cleaning program is mandated by the federal Clean Water Act [13]. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 527 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 527 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (4201x2201, 49 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (4201x2201, 49 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line ... In urban design and urban planning, daylighting is the redirection of a stream into an above-ground channel. ... Santa Monica Bay is an arm of the Pacific Ocean in southern California. ... L.A. Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized newspaper (a so-called alternative weekly) in Los Angeles, California. ...

Stations

There are two possible stations along this alignment. The first one would be between Motor Ave and Palms/National/Exposition Boulevards, perhaps behind the currently existing PRICE self-storage facility [14], which would serve the extremely densely populated Palms. The second one would be between Westwood Blvd and Overland Ave, perhaps as an open-trench station midway between the two streets, which would serve the densely populated Pico Blvd vicinity and the extremely congested Century City and Westwood. The Palms station would require acquisition of several parcels within the station area to create adequate space for the station, as well as to provide convenient access and parking accommodations. The Pico Blvd vicinity/Century City/Westwood station area between Westwood Blvd and Overland Ave is already available within the 200-ft-wide right-of-way. This station would need to be carefully designed so that it would blend with its suburban surroundings. The parking structures and lots in the nearby Westside Pavilion shopping mall [15] are currently lightly used and could serve as a park-and-ride opportunity for this station. Palms is a neighborhood in western Los Angeles. ... Century City is a 176-acre commercial and residential district in western Los Angeles, California. ... Westwood is also a district in the city of Los Angeles, California Westwood is a census-designated place located in Lassen County, California. ... a park-and-ride bus in Oxford Park and ride terminals are public transport stations that allow commuters to drive short distances in their personal automobiles to catch a ride on a bus or railroad system (usually classified as light rail or the heavier commuter rail). ...

Alternatives for grade separation

A key question for the right-of-way alignment is whether the tracks would go at-grade as they have in some other sections of the line or if they would be above-grade (raised) or below-grade (underground or in a sunken ditch). Issues of cost, noise, safety, and traffic congestion are related to the choice to do grade separation or not. An example of a four-level stack interchange in the Netherlands. ...

Metro issued a grade-crossing policy for light-rail [16] in 2003. This policy only considers grade-separation issues at specific crossings rather than for entire neighborhoods. The policy defines how to decide which rail crossings would be at-grade (traffic flow controlled by signals and/or gates) and which would have grade separation (an underpass or overpass). Grade separation ensures safety and speed and eliminates the use of horns or bells and possible traffic backup. On the other hand, each grade separation can cost $10 million or more per crossing. A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While Metro has built tracks at-grade in other residential neighborhoods, this decision has created controversy. An LA Times article by Douglas P. Shut dated 2/22/2000 [17] featured an interview with Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, County Supervisor and head of Metro, in which she expressed anxiety about crossing the Blue Line tracks. Among the concerns was the accident rate (as of 2000, there had been 53 deaths attributed to the Blue Line). Metro explored a proposal to rebuild the Blue Line to put it below grade. The cost for such a project once the rail line has been built was estimated at $1.6 billion—much too high to make it feasible. “… the best chance of paying for grade separations comes during construction; because once a system is built, the costs become prohibitive.” [18]

There are key differences between the Metro Blue Line and the Expo Line. The former was built two decades ago with much different standards and long before the 2003 Metro grade-crossing policy for light-rail. The Gold Line which opened in 2006 provides a more recent comparison. The Gold Line has had no accidents since it has started operations. The Gold Line maintains a higher average speed on its full route than the Blue Line. The Expo Line is being built by the same CEO, Rick Thorpe, and project manager, Joel Sandberg, who built the Gold Line. Metro has also established a program of rail safety education. Metro Blue Line The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station and Downtown Long Beach. ... Metro Gold Line diagram. ...

Explicit rail crossings for the right-of-way segment

Metro has currently committed for grade separation (an underpass or overpass) at the following crossings in this segment: Venice Blvd, Palms/National Boulevards, Motor Ave, Santa Monica Freeway, and Sepulveda Blvd. The four remaining crossings are discussed below: A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... An example of a four-level stack interchange in the Netherlands. ...

Bagley Avenue: Since the tracks are next to a freeway overpass at this crossing, there is zero visibility coming from the freeway side of Bagley Avenue. Therefore, this crossing seems to meet the criteria in the Metro grade-crossing policy for light-rail [19]. A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... A tram of the Luas system in Dublin, Ireland Shanghai Metro transit station, China A METRORail train approaching Preston Station in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The Guadalajara urban L-train system (SITEUR), at first a trolleybus system, opened in 1980; the second line was opened in 1994, and a third...

Overland Avenue: Metro staff has indicated that there would very likely be grade separation at Overland Ave; although, they have declined to commit to this before they have done the draft environmental study. Current traffic volume on Overland Ave, which is a major arterial connecting the surrounding area of Westside to the Santa Monica Freeway, exceeds the criteria in the Metro grade-crossing policy for light-rail [20]. Moreover, the map at the construction authority Web site currently indicates grade separation at Overland Ave with a blue cross [21]. The Westside is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean including Brentwood, west of La Brea Avenue (varying definitions set the boundary at Fairfax Avenue or even the eastern border of Beverly Hills), south of the Santa... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ... A tram of the Luas system in Dublin, Ireland Shanghai Metro transit station, China A METRORail train approaching Preston Station in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The Guadalajara urban L-train system (SITEUR), at first a trolleybus system, opened in 1980; the second line was opened in 1994, and a third...

Westwood Boulevard: Westwood Boulevard is also a major arterial helping Westwood, Century City, and Rancho Park connect to the Santa Monica Freeway. Given the traffic congestion in Westside, grade separation at this crossing is highly desirable.

Military Avenue: The volume of traffic on this section of Military Avenue is extremely low. It had originally been closed at the right-of-way but was opened to traffic in more recent decades. If grade separation is not possible at Military Avenue, an option would be to eliminate this crossing.

There are no other crossings in this section of the right-of-way.

Metro Expo Line grade separation.

An important issue about grade separation at Overland Avenue and Westwood Boulevard is whether there would be an underpass or overpass at these crossings. This segment of the right-of-way is rather special, being a 200-ft-wide green space exclusively surrounded by single-family residences. An overpass structure at Overland Ave would extend halfway between Westwood Boulevard and Overland Avenue and span a height of more than 30 ft (three-story-high) at its tallest point. Such a structure would eliminate a large section of the green space in this area, even preventing sunlight from reaching the plants, which is necessary for them to survive. Therefore, an underpass structure would be highly preferable. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 362 pixel Image in higher resolution (1265 × 573 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 362 pixel Image in higher resolution (1265 × 573 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line...

It has been a long-standing myth that overpass structures cost less than underpass structures. But this is indeed false. The figure on the right shows typical underpass and overpass structures at Overland Ave. The material (structural concrete) cost for the underpass structure, at $7.5 million, is about $3 million less than for the overpass structure. Even after additional labor and utility relocations for an underpass structure, it should cost comparably to or less than an overpass structure. Hence, considering the environmental benefits of an underpass structure, it should definitely be preferred over an overpass structure in this segment.

Support by the board of the Palms Neighborhood Council

The right-of-way alignment passes through a large section of the very densely populated Palms. The General Assembly of the Palms Neighborhood Council [22] has recently passed a motion supporting the routing of Phase II of the Expo Line along the Exposition right-of-way. Palms is a district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. ...

Opposition by the board of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association

Even though the Expo Line does not actually go through but only borders Cheviot Hills, which is an affluent neighborhood home to mostly elderly citizens, there has been a great deal of opposition by these citizens ever since the early ideas of using the Expo Line for public transit. Cheviot Hills is a small residential district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. ...

During the initial-planning phase of Metro Rail in the 1980s, when Metro planners had advocated the Expo Line, lobbying by the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association [23] ultimately forced the abandonment of the Expo Line until its late-1990s revival. Recently there is a group of residents in Cheviots Hills and Rancho Park supporting the Exposition line going by their neighborhood [24]. The most recent, Summer 2006 survey carried out by the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association showed that now about a third of the Cheviot Hills residents preferred the Expo Line going by their neighborhood—a huge increase in support from numbers as low as less than 5% in the past. Despite the increasing popularity of the line, the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association recently chose to oppose the Expo Line [25], in sharp contrast with the increasing support trend among the Cheviot Hills residents [26]. In fact, to make the vote on the Expo Line seem unanimous, the homeowners’-board members in support of the line were discouraged to use their votes [27]. The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... Cheviot Hills is a small residential district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Most Cheviot Hills residents who are against the Expo Line are primarily worried about their property values and not being able to preserve their neighborhood as the way it is, once the light-rail is built. They are worried about the possibility of increased high-density development in the vicinity of Cheviot Hills fueled by light-rail. It is quite ironic that many elderly citizens in Cheviot Hills are strongly against the Expo Line. There was a strong reaction from the public when a former president of the homeowners’ association was quoted saying [28][29], “Do you think the people who live in Cheviot Hills are going to take this bloody train. No, they are going to get in their cars. The people who are going to use this are the people who work in the hotels in Santa Monica, and they are going to come from the Hispanic areas nearer downtown. Now they take the bus.”

Another argument brought forward by some Cheviot Hills residents is the potential impacts on Overland Avenue Elementary School [30], located at the northeast corner of Exposition Blvd/Overland Ave. Concerns are raised about grade crossing at Overland Ave and noise. Grade separation at Overland Ave, particularly an underpass, would address these concerns.

Nevertheless, since the line already goes through similar residential sections in East Culver City and Mid-City, any preferential treatment for Cheviot Hills would have severe implications of social and racial discrimination. Therefore, for this reason, it is highly unlikely that the position of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association board would have any effect on the determination of the route for the Expo Line, but it could help Cheviot Hills obtain better mitigation measures. (See, e.g., the links [31] and [32] for information regarding the environmental justice law.) Meanwhile, the strong opposition of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association board to the Expo Line was strongly criticized by the Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez in his recent article “Something’s wrong with unused right-of-way” [33]. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ...

Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards diversion

Route

While the Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards diversion would pass through a commercial corridor, the high volume of traffic carried by Venice Blvd would most likely necessitate the elevation of the line along the entire Robertson–Sepulveda segment, due to the need for no less than four grade separations (Venice Blvd, Motor Ave, Overland Ave, and Sepulveda Blvd). The Sepulveda Blvd would be especially problematic, where the traffic is stop-and-go at rush hour and the street is only 100-ft-wide (two lanes in each direction). The combination of the LRT and automobile traffic on Sepulveda Blvd could slow down the line tremendously. The Metro Gold Line suffers from similar speed problems due to its street-running segments in Highland Park. In the case of the Exposition line, the speed problem would be severe, considering the extremely congested traffic on Sepulveda Blvd. Metro Gold Line diagram. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Some residents living near the right-of-way in Cheviot Hills and Rancho Park, in particular some board members of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association and Westside Neighborhood Council [34], made the claim that the Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards diversion serves a significantly more populated area than the right-of-way alignment, therefore, should be favored for the Expo Line. In fact this claim is not true. The most populated area in this region is Palms, which is served equally well by both alignment options. The right-of-way alignment serves Palms from the north through the Motor Ave–Palms/National/Exposition Boulevards station; whereas, the Venice/Sepulveda diversion serves Palms from the south through the Overland Ave/Venice Blvd station (see the figure below). The same holds true for the Westside Village, which is served equally well by both alignment options. The Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards diversion option does serve Culver City better though, but the densely populated areas of the Pico Blvd vicinity, Century City, and Westwood are served much better by the right-of-way alignment through the Westwood Blvd–Overland Ave/Exposition Blvd station (see, again, the figure below). Therefore, the section of the original right-of-way between the Culver Junction (Exposition/Venice Boulevards) and the Home Junction (Exposition/Sepulveda Boulevards) is an indispensable asset for public transportation in Los Angeles. Palms is a neighborhood in western Los Angeles. ...

Note that some people have recently suggested to continue the line along Venice Blvd to Venice instead and then along Lincoln Blvd to Santa Monica. However, one of the primary destinations of the Expo Line is West Los Angeles, which will be served through Bundy/Exposition and Pico–Sawtelle/Exposition stations. Since a full Venice Line would entirely divert around West Los Angeles, it is not considered within the general scope of the Expo Line project. Nevertheless, such a future Venice Line serving Culver City, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, and Venice would be very popular in addition to the Expo Line serving West Los Angeles through the Exposition right-of-way. Venice Beach and Boardwalk Venice is a district in west Los Angeles, California, United States. ... West Los Angeles is a district in western Los Angeles, California. ... Culver City Seal Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. ... Mar Vista is a large district on the West Side of Los Angeles, California. ... Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for Navy of the King, or Seacoast of the King) is a census-designated place seaside community located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California. ... Venice Beach and Boardwalk Venice is a district in west Los Angeles, California, United States. ...

Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards diversion option for the Metro Expo Line, shown as the dashed aqua line, and the original right-of-way alignment, shown as the solid aqua line. Also shown are the population densities in the City of Los Angeles. Both alignment options serve the high-density population areas of Palms and Westside Village equally well, through the Motor Ave–Palms Blvd/National Blvd station for the original right-of-way alignment and through the Overland Ave/Venice Blvd station for the diversion option. The original right-of-way alignment, through the Westwood Blvd–Overland Ave/Exposition Blvd station, serves the high-density population areas of the Pico Blvd vicinity, Century City, and Westwood better than the diversion option. On the other hand, the diversion option serves the high-density population area of Culver City better than the original right-of-way alignment. Historically there used to be passenger and freight rail both on the Exposition Blvd right-of-way and on Venice Blvd, pointing to the significance of both alignment options.

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 776 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2201 × 1701 pixel, file size: 179 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 776 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2201 × 1701 pixel, file size: 179 KB, MIME type: image/png) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): LACMTA Expo Line...

Stations

The three possible stations along this alignment are Overland Ave/Venice Blvd, Sepulveda Blvd/Venice Blvd, and National Blvd/Sepulveda Blvd.

Support by Neighbors for Smart Rail

The group Neighbors for Smart Rail was formed by some Westside residents in the Rancho Park area, who prefer the Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards alignment, which detours Palms/Rancho Park, over the right-of-way alignment that goes through their Rancho Park neighborhood. Neighbors for Smart Rail describe their official position as follows: “Neighbors for Smart Rail (NFSR) [35] is an organization of neighborhoods and residents of Los Angeles advocating for long-term transit planning vs. short-term transit planning focused on cost savings and ease. NFSR advocates for careful analysis of all options for Expo Line Phase II, including both the right-of-way alignment and the Venice/Sepulveda alignment. NFSR is supported by the following neighborhood associations affected by the proposed Expo Phase II extension: Westwood Gardens Civic Association [36], West of Westwood Homeowners’ Association, and Track 7260, in addition to the Cheviot Hills Homeowners’ Association.” Note that NFSR’s support for careful analysis of all possible routes for the Expo extension is similar to the position of Friends 4 Expo Transit [37], but it is different in the way that Friends 4 Expo Transit doesn’t support any alternatives other than the right-of-way and Venice/Sepulveda alignments. The Westside is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean including Brentwood, west of La Brea Avenue (varying definitions set the boundary at Fairfax Avenue or even the eastern border of Beverly Hills), south of the Santa... Rancho Park is a small neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California. ... Palms is a district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California. ... Rancho Park is a small neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California. ...

Most members of Neighbors for Smart Rail are strong opponents of the right-of-way alignment. See the recent LA Times article “Cheviot Hills residents differ on light-rail” [38] as well as the PBS Life & Times feature on the Expo Line “Derailing light-rail?” [39]. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ...

Home Junction to Olympic Blvd/Exposition right-of-way

Between the Home Junction in Westside and the intersection of Olympic Blvd and the Exposition right-of-way in Santa Monica, the Pacific Electric Exposition right-of-way will be used.

Stations

Possible stations along the Exposition right-of-way include Pico–Sawtelle/Exposition Boulevards, Bundy Dr/Exposition Blvd, and Cloverfield/Olympic Boulevards.

Olympic Blvd/Exposition right-of-way to the Downtown Santa Monica terminus

The Exposition right-of-way purchased by Metro ends at 17th St in Santa Monica. The possible alignment options to the Downtown Santa Monica terminus are described below:

Right-of-way repurchase between 14th St and the Downtown Santa Monica terminus

Southern Pacific sold the Pacific Electric Exposition right-of-way west of Fisher Lumber on 14th St to various entities in the 1960s. Fisher Lumber was recently purchased by City of Santa Monica for redevelopment [40]. Therefore, the right-of-way effectively has been extended from 17th St to 14th St; although, there is a single building just west of 17th St.

The distance from 14th St to the Downtown Santa Monica terminus at 4th–5th Streets/Colorado Avenue is only 0.75 mile and there are only about half a dozen privately owned buildings in between. The acquisition of these buildings could easily be achieved, and the right-of-way could easily be extended to the Downtown Santa Monica terminus. This would be a relatively cheap alignment option, and it wouldn't disturb the automobile traffic.

Subway construction between 14th St and the Downtown Santa Monica terminus

Since the distance between 14th St and the Downtown Santa Monica terminus at 4th–5th Streets/Colorado Avenue is only 0.75 mile, a subway section here could also be reasonable, but it would increase the overall cost of the line.

Olympic Blvd street-tram option

The original alignment option by Metro was to run the Exposition light-rail line as a street tram on Olympic Blvd west of the intersection of Olympic Blvd and the Exposition right-of-way. In this alignment option, the light-rail would share lanes with automobiles on Olympic Blvd to varying degrees; hence, it would run in the street-tram mode. The disadvantage of this alignment option is that it would slow down the line unnecessarily and it would increase the trip time by several minutes. Also the automobile traffic on Olympic Blvd would be disrupted. Another concern for this alignment option is the necessity to preserve the historic trees in the median of Olympic Blvd.

Stations

In any of the three alignment options, a station near 14th St would be needed for better connectivity to various parts of Santa Monica, as well as to Santa Monica College. The proposed location for the Downtown Santa Monica terminus is just south of Colorado Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets. Santa Monica College is a two-year public community college located in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California. ...

Also recently, on June 13, 2006, the Santa Monica City Council authorized the acquisition of land at the property of the Sears store at the southeast corner of 4th St/Colorado Ave for the Downtown Santa Monica terminus of the Expo Line. Transit-oriented development is also envisioned around this station [41]. Sears, Roebuck and Company (NYSE: S) was founded in Chicago, Illinois as a catalog merchandiser in 1886 by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck. ... Aerial view of growth patterns in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

The process of the environmental-impact study for Phase II began with a brand-new draft environmental-impact study in November 2006, with Metro's award for the contract for the study. Environmental impact analysis is conducted to determine the likely human environmental health impact, risk to ecological health, and changes to natures services that a proposed or ongoing project may bring, or is bringing. ... A picture taken of a Gold Line train in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, commonly referred to as LACMTA, MTA, or Metro, is the agency charged to provide public transportation to the county of Los Angeles. ...

Current status

Utility and tree relocation along Flower St continues. Construction near USC will start in March, initially with utility and tree relocation, and then continue with the long process of building the Flower St/Exposition Blvd underpass. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly as Southern Cal[4]), located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA, was founded in 1880, making it Californias oldest private research university. ...

The draft environmental study began with the open-comment period for Phase II with four public scoping meetings, held on February 27, 2007, at Culver City Senior Center, February 28 at Hamilton High School, March 6 at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and March 15 at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, each at 6:30–8:30 PM. Public was encouraged to attend and submit written comments at these meetings or during the open-comment period. The deadline for the receipt of the public comments was April 2, 2007.

See the construction-authority Web site for the most recent news [42].

External links

• Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority—official Web site of the Expo Line
• Friends 4 Expo Transit—grassroots group in support of the Expo Line and careful analysis of both the right-of-way and Venice/Sepulveda alternatives
• Light-Rail for Cheviot—Cheviot Hills homeowners in support of the right-of-way alignment
• Neighbors for Smart Rail—Rancho Park area residents in support of the Venice/Sepulveda Boulevards alignment and careful analysis of all possible alternatives