Hip, hip and almost hooray: The Expo Line is sooooo close to opening, and will get one step closer as of Monday, when the light rail service goes into what's called the "pre-revenue testing" phase. more ›

Could it be? Is it true? Is there a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel for an opening day for Phase 1 of Metro's Expo Line? L.A. Now reports that Metro has gone into the final testing phase along the first segment of the light rail line, which could be "a signal that the train could open to the public by early April." more ›

A light rail line connecting Metro's Green Line and Expo Line through a busy corridor has received a crucial approval from the Federal Transit Administration. more ›

Hey, guess what? The Expo Line's opening has been delayed. Again! Now it is semantics and technical issues hanging up the light rail--err, subway?--line. more ›

Way back in 1875, the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica was actually a train stop for the Red Line that ran through Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Pier. Now the city of Santa Monica is trying to decide what to do in 2015 when the gallery space again becomes a train stop — this time for the new Expo Line. more ›

We think we can, we think we can: The Expo Line's Phase 2, which extends light rail transportation from Culver City to Santa Monica, is going to happen, and things are getting going this morning. A groundbreaking event is being held to officially mark the beginning of construction on the project. more ›

Just before noon today, Metro powered on the Expo Line, and the first test train (not being dragged) departed the Vermont Station, headed westbound. On Monday, Metro announced they would begin the testing phase for the light rail line, which involved an empty Metro Rail train car being pulled by another rail vehicle, accompanied by Metro safety ambassadors and flaggers. more ›

You may be so bowled over by the sight that you spazz out and get into some sort of traffic accident, so Metro this morning is cautioning folks that they are, indeed, going into the testing phase for the Expo light rail line, and a train car will be moving along a portion of the line between Downtown and Culver City. more ›

If your weekend work or play plans include riding the Blue Line in or out of Downtown, take note: Several stations will be closed this weekend due to construction. Stations affected are: 7th Street/Metro Center, Pico, Grand, San Pedro, and Washington. more ›

That aqua-colored line extending westward from the center of Metro's rail map is becoming a reality, but we aren't going to be allowed to look at it through aqua-colored glasses. CurbedLA checks in with Metro spokesperson Rick Jager, who says, in the case of this line, we can't call is as we see it: "It will be called the Expo Line. For mapping purposes only, the Aqua color will be used but the line will be called the Expo Line." What's wrong with Aqua, anyhow? It could have been the Turquoise Line, the Bluish-Green Line, the Ocean Hue Line, or the Electric Cyan Line. Actually, that's not bad...the Electric Cyan Line. Metro? more ›

After approving the Westside Subway Extension, the Metro Board of Directors this afternoon also voted in favor of another major public transit project: a fully underground regional connector in downtown Los Angeles. The 1.9 mile light rail line would fill a gap missing in Metro's transit network. more ›

The first portion of the the Expo Line, the light rail train between downtown L.A. and Santa Monica, is expected to open in August 2011. That portion will travel from the 7th/Metro to La Cienega (cruising by USC just in time for the school year), with completion of the first phase to Culver City in 2012. Three years later, in early 2015, the train should be full operation all the way to Santa Monica. more ›

The Expo Line currently under construction right now could be fully operational by early 2015, Metro officials announced at a meeting last night. Transit supporter Gökhan Esirgen announced the news in an e-mail last night. It has been reported that the first phase between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City is expected to open next year, possibly in sections. The second phase from Culver City to 4th and Colorado in Santa Monica would not see a partial opening because of costs, noted Esirgen. more ›

Rail tracks were installed at Farmdale Avenue yesterday, which means all street crossing the first phase of the Expo Line are completed. Darrell Clarke at Friends 4 Expo Transit called it a milestone. The Farmdale crossing, which is next to a high school, had become the project's controversial chokehold until July when a state commission gave it the go-ahead. more ›

As expected, Metro today released the draft environmental reports for the Regional Connector today and for downtown residents and commuters it carries some good news: staff recommend taking the route fully underground instead of at street level. more ›

As work crews hit the home stretch on finishing the first phase of the Expo Line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City, one politician is calling for more accountability. Unlike many Metro projects, the Expo Line is currently under the control of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority and doesn't have any objective and critical oversight. more ›

A controversial segment of the Expo Line today was put to rest when a state commission officially approved an at-grade crossing near Dorsey High School. Fierce opposition led to much discussion over the years about the street level crossing at Farmdale Avenue, which would have put trains running through the area at speeds that could have been dangerous for students. more ›

Since last week, this fun video featuring a portion of the right-of-way for the Expo Line's second phase has been making the rounds. "A lot of people are very excited about having a rail line come to West L.A. The video captured places people don't have access to," explained Bart Reed of The Transit Coalition, which produced the steady-cam stop motion video, complete with music by California's rock star classical composer, John Adams. "It's sort of a treat for everybody to see the first two miles" of Phase 2. more ›

City officials in Santa Monica are trying to decide how the downtown Expo Line station should be developed, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. Ideas being floated around include ground floor retail and residences above for a mixed use development or a vision to keep the station in a more park-like environment featuring open space. more ›

With hopes of being in service by 2015, soil testing on the second phase of the Expo Line has begun, finds the Santa Monica Daily Press. Drilling for soil, which will occur through July 20th, is a step the authority overseeing the project must do before construction can begin, expected to start later this year. more ›

Metro uses colors to name and define its major lines so it goes without saying that what we call the Expo Line today will soon become the Aqua, Pink, Olive or some other hued line when a portion of it opens this year. more ›

The authority charged with building a train between downtown and Santa Monica responded today to a lawsuit filed that could hinder construction on the route's second phase west of Culver City. more ›

After complaints and concerns about plans to run place above ground in downtown, the option to put the regional connector underground was approved for study by a Metro committee yesterday, reports blogdowntown. The connector is a critical missing link for public transit commuters and would combine the Blue and Gold lines and the Expo and Gold Line Extension lines. To stay within budget, however, the underground option may mean one less station. The study must next be approved by the full Metro board. more ›

The second phase of a project to bring light rail from downtown to Santa Monica cleared a huge hurdle today when its construction authority board approved a final environmental impact document and chose a route. Preliminary engineering can now begin followed by design and construction, which will could commence later this year. more ›

The big day is tomorrow. The Expo Line's construction authority board is scheduled to vote on the second phase, which will bring the line from Culver City to Santa Monica (the first phase between downtown and Culver City is already under construction). The vote could go a variety of ways, including being voted down--meaning no train--to what's expected: the route as seen in the photo above. more ›

As the Expo Line's first phase between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City gets closer to completion (despite it being over-budget and delayed), the building authority's board is set to vote on the second phase, which would connect the line from Culver City to Santa Monica, this Thursday afternoon. If they side with project staff's recommendation, as expected, they will approve a route known as LRT Alternative 2, which would go from Culver City towards the beach via a right of way until connecting with Colorado Boulevard in Santa Monica until 4th Street (it's the more northerly dashed line on the above image). more ›

For an already delayed project, this can't be good. The Los Angeles Police Commission has revoked a permit allowing the Expo Line Construction Authority to work on the rail line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, citing noise that is impacting neighborhood's quality of life. Via the LA Times: "Richard Thorpe, chief executive of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, the organization tasked with building the line, said the 24-hour permit was important to speed up the project. If the construction authority doesn’t have such a permit, Thorpe said, contractors would be forced to shut down some streets and intersections during the day when there is generally heavy traffic." more ›