Gokhan Esirgen
Expo Line today, looking west toward Ballona Creek and Culver City from the La Cienega Station.
Starting last Wednesday at noon, Culver City is now
reachable from Downtown Los Angeles and USC by light-rail transit. Within about
four years, the line will be extended to West Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
History
Pacific Electric Santa Monica Air Line—so named at the dawn
of aviation in the early 20th Century because it followed an
airplane-like straight path between Los Angeles and Santa Monica—made its last
trip on September 30, 1953. It was the last historic electric train operated by
Pacific Electric Railway west of Downtown Los Angeles, and in fact it was only
second last to what is now the Long Beach Blue Line, which was operated till
early 1960s.
The railroad was originally built under the name Los Angeles
and Independence Railroad as a narrow-gauge-track steam railway in late 1875 to
create the town of Santa Monica, which was established earlier in the same
year. It was only the second railroad in Los Angeles—the first one was built to
San Pedro. During its early years, it carried tens of thousands of beachgoers
to Santa Monica and also served as a freight route. It was bought by Southern
Pacific Railroad a few years after it was built and converted to standard-gauge
track. When it was electrified later, it became part of the vast network of
Pacific Electric Railway, back then the largest electric-railway
passenger-transportation system in the world, with over 1,000 miles of track. In
addition to the Pacific Electric Railway, Los Angeles also had the Los Angeles
Railway, which ran many streetcar lines in the central area. The Pacific
Electric Railway system reached its heights through the Second World War but it
was dismantled after the war to give way to automobiles and freeways, as the
public transit became unprofitable with the people enjoying the convenience of
the automobile, new roads, and cheap gasoline.
Technology
Pacific Electric Railway ran various sizes of electric rail
cars, from small trolleys to large interurban trains. They operated on their
private rights-of-way as well as through street medians where necessary. In the
modern day, such rail-transit systems are known as light-rail or light-rail
transit. Light-rail is basically an urban or suburban electric-railway system
in which the trains are fed through overhead power wires and run mostly at
ground level (known as “at-grade”) and on bridges or in tunnels as necessary
(known as “grade separation”). In Los Angeles light-rail lines always have
their private right-of-way, even when they are running at-grade, by use of
fences or curbs. In principle light-rail has the flexibility to run in mixed
traffic sharing lanes with cars, which is known as the streetcar mode. (Such a
streetcar line is being planned in Downtown Los Angeles.) Note that “light” in
light-rail doesn’t refer to the physical weight of the trains. In fact,
light-rail trains are very heavy, a three-car light-rail train weighing about
300,000 pounds or more. Instead, light refers to passenger capacity, which is
about half of a subway (metro).
Light-rail lines usually have at-grade crossings, where tracks
cross the streets directly. Some of these crossings are protected by crossing
gates, which come down when the trains are approaching. At such crossings,
trains have signal preemption and do not slow down. Other crossings are only
protected by signal lights and trains follow the signal lights and stop and
wait if necessary.
The subway or metro, which is also known as rapid transit,
is the other common type of rail transit. Here the name subway is again
misleading, as the trains can run at fenced at-grade sections if a right-of-way
above ground is present or on a bridge if necessary. What really distinguishes
subway from light-rail is passenger capacity. Subways, unlike light-rail, are
almost always fully grade-separated (do not have rail crossings). This allows
longer and more frequent trains to be run and subways can therefore carry twice
the number of passengers or even more. This often requires wider station
platforms and wider pedestrian-access paths to the station. Since subways are
fully grade-separated, they are usually powered by an electrified third rail on
the side of the tracks, as pedestrians cannot access the tracks. This is in
contrast to at-grade light-rail, which is powered by overhead electricity. The
disadvantage of subway is the cost, as underground stations and grade
separation are expensive. Also, the subway stations are more difficult to
access than light-rail stations and light-rail provides a more seamless
integration of the transit and environment.
Expo Line
The name was hotly debated, with the other candidate having
been the Aqua Line. Expo was named after Exposition Boulevard, which runs
parallel to the line in some sections between USC and Santa Monica. Exposition
Boulevard in turn is named after the Exposition Park. After the end of the
service on the Santa Monica Air Line in 1953, Pacific Electric and later
Southern Pacific operated diesel freight trains on the line until mid- to late
1980s. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority bought the
right-of-way in 1990 for future transit use, as public officials and transit
supporters had long eyed the railroad for this purpose. (In fact, the line and
a connecting branch on Sepulveda Boulevard was even considered for a USC–UCLA
line for the 1984 Olympic Games—the proposed “Olympic Line.”) Initial studies
were done in early 2000s and bus rapid transit (BRT) and light-rail transit
(LRT) alternatives were considered. Despite the political pressure to build a
much cheaper bus rapid transit line, a grassroots organization of handful
supporters who called themselves Friends for Expo managed to pressure the
politicians to build the expensive light-rail transit alternative. After long
studies, the line started construction in late 2000s.
The first phase of the line is 8.7 miles long and runs from
7th St / Metro Center Station located at 7th and Flower
Streets in Downtown Los Angeles to Venice and Robertson Boulevards in Culver
City. The second phase will extend the line to 4th Street and
Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica.
The Expo Line runs by Staples Center, USC / Exposition Park,
and through West Adams before it currently terminates at what has historically
known as the Culver Junction (where the Air Line and Venice Short Line crossed
each other at Venice and Robertson Boulevards in addition to another line at
Culver Boulevard intersecting the Venice Short Line). The Culver City Station
is one of the three elevated stations in Phase 1. 7th/Metro is an
underground station and the rest are at-grade. There are twelve stations in
Phase 1, and there will be seven additional stations in Phase 2.
The current running time from Culver City to 7th/Metro
is 29 minutes. Once Phase 2 is completed, the running time from Santa Monica to
7ty/Metro is expected to be about 45 minutes or less.
Metro provides free station parking at Culver City, La
Cienega, and Crenshaw Stations. (Crenshaw Station parking provided at the West
Los Angeles Church is not available in the weekends.) Passengers can also
transfer using the Blue Bus or Metro Bus.
The fare is $1.50 each way. A $5.00 day Metro day pass,
which is good on virtually all Metro bus and rail lines can also be bought.
Seven-day or monthly passes are also available. Tickets can be bought at any
Expo Line Station ticket-vending machine or other locations. While paper
tickets are currently being slowly phased out, the most practical way to pay
for the fare is to buy a Metro tap card, which has a one-time cost of $2.00.
Money or passes then can be added on the tap card. Passengers then need to
remember to tap the card at the “tap” locations at station entrances. (For
example, even if a passenger buys a day pass on the tap card, tapping the card
at each station entry is required.)
Speed and time
As mentioned, the current running time between Culver City
and 7th/Metro is 29 minutes, including the stops at the twelve
stations on the line. While this is not faster than an automobile on open
roads, it’s more or less typical of an urban train, which needs to stop at many
stations. The most time consuming part of public transit is not really the time
spent on the train but the time spent going to, coming from, and waiting for
the train, which all add up. (Three-car Expo trains currently run every twelve
minutes each way during the day.) Nevertheless, many people, especially those
travelling during rush hour, will find the Expo Line comparably fast or faster
than traveling by car. Many others might find it slower, depending on how they
access the train.
Cost
If you’re driving, you will say $$$$ in a year in gas money
as well as eliminating parking fees. If you live on a tight budget or simply
like to save money, you can’t go wrong with the Expo Line, with a monthly pass
costing only around $75 or less (plus $9 for Blue Bus or Culver City Bus if you
need it).
Convenience
Driving your car has its own convenience but many can also
find taking public transit more convenient. Feel free to read a book or do some
work-related reading. You can also simply enjoy the view or even nap. No food
or drink is allowed. You can also take your bike on the train.
Future
The first phase of the Expo Line is only part of LA’s
growing light-rail and subway network. Another light-rail line following
Crenshaw Boulevard and then a BNSF freight-railroad right-of-way is also in
works, which will connect the Expo Line Crenshaw Station to LAX and Metro Green
Line, which goes to the South Bay and Norwalk. The Purple Line subway is being
extended to Wilshire and La Cienega and eventually to the UCLA area. Gold Line,
Expo Line, and Blue Line light-rail lines will be directly connected through an
underground “Downtown Connector” with several new subway stations in Downtown
Los Angeles. Pasadena Gold Line is being extended to Azusa. There are also more
lines in the plans.
Will it benefit LA or me?
LA and many US cities are built on the automobile culture.
LA is infamously known as the city where (almost) everyone drives (which is, of
course, not quite right). This is in sharp contrast to some cities, with more
examples in Europe, where (almost) no one drives. For example, I was in
Stockholm a week ago, and truly impressed how well the subway and bus system
was, how well the bike system was planned, and how pedestrian-friendly the
environment was. There were only a few cars on the streets and most people
walked, took the train or bus, or rode a bike. People were noticeably thin in
comparison to Americans, probably because of everyday walking or riding a bike
in addition to eating habits.
LA was the city of transit when it was originally founded.
In fact Pacific Electric Railway contributed a lot to the urban sprawl in
Southern California. The system was not modernized but dismantled and replaced
with the freeway system after the Second World War.
Certainly, times are changing again. We will undoubtedly
have more and more rail lines built and more people taking public transit. It
will help ease congestion somewhat or at least provide an alternative to those
who want to avoid congestion. It will present an alternative way to travel for
many and change the character of the city for the better in the long run.
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