Hello, Expo Line: We Finally Make the Trip to Santa Monica

No, New York Times, it is NOT the "Subway to the Sea." It's not a subway, first off. (The Metro Purple Line, which could be the "Subway to the Sea" one day, is so far only scheduled to reach as far as Westwood. The NYT hasn't issued a correction yet.)



But the Metro Expo Line DOES reach the sea, and that's been one of the big game changers this year when it comes to public transportation in Los Angeles. We recently finally rode the length of the Expo line, from 7th Street downtown, all the way to the ocean.



A few snap observations: As the Metro itself has admitted, the Expo Line needs more train cars, at least on the weekend. Apparently the additional train cars have been ordered... but for now, the trains are crowded. And on the weekend, people are mostly heading to the very end -- meaning the train gets busier and busier up until the end of the line.

Thankfully, having started at the beginning of the line, we had seats.



Next: Keep your fingers crossed you get a newer train car. On the way down, we road in an older train, built in the late 1980s and probably been in use since the Blue Line first opened in 1990. The air conditioning was not existent, making the car hotter and hotter as more people climbed on board. (We had a newer train on the way back, and it was cool riding.)



The ride itself is very pleasant, and offers interesting views of the city -- including Exposition Park and its museums, and a great view of the Hollywood Hills (including the Hollywood sign) during the elevated sections.



Things get pretty crowded at the end of the line, as crowds disembark and wander every which way into Santa Monica. But to be so close to the ocean, it's a dream come true -- our TRAIN to the sea has arrived!



Most importantly, the Expo Line has now CHANGED THE GAME when it comes to the Great Los Angeles Walk! For the first time this year, there will be an easy rail option to get to and from the start and finish lines!

Dare to Dream: Los Angeles' Metro System in 2040?

Chris Nichols over at Los Angeles magazine writes that Metro has posted a map of what our local rail system might look like in just 25 or so years. " love this prediction that 2040 will bring extensions to almost every subway and light rail line, lots of new Rapid buses, a high-speed elevated line to Santa Ana, and a bullet train to San Francisco. In a few weeks the Gold Line to Azusa and the “subway to the sea” Expo Line to Santa Monica will debut," Chris writes.

Per Metro, this map "is an imagined rendering created by Jake Berman of Studio Complutense . But it definitely gets you thinking!

Retro Friday: The Last of Los Angeles' Red Cars

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Los Angeles' Metro Red Line (which first opened in 1993), here's a color film chronicling the end of the run of L.A.'s original transit system -- which was completely scrubbed by 1961.

Expo Line Opens Next Month; But Please, Metro, Change the Name

Big news: Phase one of Metro's Expo line from downtown to Santa Monica (ending, for now, at La Cienega) opens on Saturday, April 28. Reports Metro's The Source blog:

The line will initially open between 7th/Metro Center station in downtown Los Angeles and the La Cienega station. The final station on the first phase of the project, at Venice and Robertson in Culver City, will open this summer.

Meanwhile, construction has begun on the second phase of the Expo Line between Culver City and Santa Monica. That part of the project — funded by the Measure R sales tax increase approved by L.A. County voters in 2008 — is scheduled to open in 2015.

For now, it looks like Metro is committed to calling it the "Expo Line." I honestly thought the agency would have come to its senses by now and gone back to the original plan, calling it the "Aqua Line." Every other line on Metro's system is named after a color -- and this will stick out like a strange anomaly.

In case you forgot, "Expo Line" was the compromise after the 2006 battle over the name. Blame City Councilman Bernard Parks -- here's a snip of what I wrote at the time:

Back in 2000, the guerrilla pop art group Heavy Trash erected several gag signs around town promoting a fake "Metro Aqua Line" from downtown to the ocean.

When the MTA approved its Mid-City/Exposition Light Rail Transit Project, it actually took a cue from the Heavy Trash group and dubbed it the "Aqua line."

Here's where it gets unnecessarily complicated: City Councilman Bernard Parks has decided he doesn't like the "Aqua line" name, the L.A. Times reports today. He also doesn't like the MTA's other suggestion, the Purple Line.

Why? "Those are colors that don't resonate," Parks explained.

Huh?

Parks proposes that the new extension be called the "Expo Line" -- even though every other line on the MTA's rapid transit system are named after colors (Red, Green, Blue and Gold). His other option? The "Rose Line."

Metro eventually renamed the Wilshire spike of the Red Line (which was its own source of confusion) the "Purple Line." But as for the "Aqua Line," unfortunately, Metro caved, and it's been called the "Expo" line ever since. But the Expo Line is branded with a light blue, "aqua" color -- perhaps with the hope that sanity will prevail and the line will follow the cue of the Metro's color-coded system.

A Little Ditty About L.A. Public Transportation

Boyle Heights-based hardcore band It's Casual has come up with an ode to public transportation in Los Angeles. "The Redline," the first single from the band's upcoming release "The New Los Angeles Part I: Through The Eyes Of A Bus Rider," looks at what it's like to avoid the freeways and take public transportation (and a skateboard) to work. (In real life, It's Casual lead singer Edward Solis doesn't own a car and really does ride public transportation.)

Rick Kosick ("Jackass") shot and directed the video, above. The group's album is released on March 13.

Retro Friday: Los Angeles Automobile Love, Circa 1976

Interesting find from the always fascinating Metro Librarian collection: A 1976 film recounting Los Angeles' transit history and discussing the problems with modern mass transit. (Remember, this is before the return of rail.)

Help Bring the Streetcars Back to Downtown Los Angeles

The dream of bringing streetcars back to Downtown -- and in particular, Broadway -- appears to be moving one step closer to reality. Read all about it at Streetsblog here.

Also, Metro's blog, The Source, has details on Tuesday night's public meeting here.

Also, the official Metro web page about the project is here. Notes the folks at Metro:

The Streetcar will provide an invaluable service weaving together various Downtown districts, helping to revitalize Downtown LA's historic core and connecting people to employment centers, shopping districts, civic resources, cultural institutions, historic landmarks and entertainment venues within the project study area.

The Streetcar project will also play a key role in supporting several local development initiatives such as Bringing Back Broadway, the GoLAstreetcar Initiative, planned street improvement plans and proposed design guidelines, to name a few. The Streetcar, in concert with local afforts, will reignite interest in Downtown's historic significance and help stimulate economic revitalization.

The Billion-Dollar Question That Could Have Been Answered in 1960

In the February issue of Los Angeles magazine, a reader writes that they were browsing through the magazine's complete archive of past covers when a coverline from the October 1960 issue (above) caught their attention.

What was that "billion dollar" decision?

According to LA mag, the story debated whether Southern Californians "want, and need, a rapid transit system."

We all know how that turned out in 1960. It took another 30 years for rapid transit to finally return to Los Angeles. Just imagine if the answer had been different in 1960... perhaps we'd be riding the "Subway to the Sea," not just talking about it.

What Could Have Been: The 1970s-era Los Angeles Monorail That Wasn't

Los Angeles transit history is littered with proposals and projects that never got off the ground.

Of course, we're now all left to wonder whether L.A. would be easier to navigate had a system been put in place nearly 40 years ago. But no matter -- what's done is done, and we still don't have a subway to the sea.

L.A. Times freelancer Steve Harvey put together a list of the more outlandish rapid transit ideas over the years, including the monorail.

More:

In the 1960s and '70s, plans were drawn up for elevated "people-movers" in L.A.'s Civic Center. Drawings showed what looked like "Star Wars" vehicles zipping over traffic on Spring Street.

But the concept was opposed by San Fernando Valley legislators who thought their region was being left out. (Even the Aerial Swallow had included the Valley in its plans.) L.A.'s "people-mover" idea didn't go anywhere.

Check out our 2007 Franklin Avenue post on L.A.'s failed rapid transit plans here. It includes a link to maps of old proposed transit plans -- as well as the link to a 1954 Fortune article touting the future of a monorail in L.A.

Monorails, of course, have been discussed for years as an L.A. rapid transit option -- particularly after Walt Disney constructed a mini version for Disneyland. Ray Bradbury was also a big proponent. The push hasn't died down, as real estate developer and potential City Hall candidate Rick Caruso has discussed the option.

But as the commenters on this Curbed L.A. post note, there's a host of reasons why monorails won't make sense. First off, subways are more safe in the event of an earthquake. The idea of a monorail is romantic, but not practical.