Santa Monica Train Expo Line
From downtown Los angeles to the beach

Metro Rail in Santa Monica.Metro Rail in Santa Monica

Metro Expo Line:  The first Santa Monica train to pull into the city since 1953 rolled into service in 2016, connecting Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles. It is known as the Metro Expo light rail.

Riders can now take advantage of daily service between Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica in only 46 minutes, even during rush hour.

It's a testament to Los Angeles' notorious traffic that this is a feat completed at a maximum route speed of 55 mph, although it generally runs much slower.

Travel from downtown LA to Santa Monica on the Santa Monica train E Line (Expo) serves popular destinations such as: USC, Exposition Park (including the California Science Center and Natural History Museum), Crenshaw District, Culver City, Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade.

Learn more about Metro Fares and Passes.

The western-most station is at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue - depositing passengers within walking distance Santa Monica Pier, the Third Street Promenade, and Santa Monica Place.

The Santa Monica Train Expo Line Details

The Santa Monica train is a good alternative to congested 10/Santa Monica freeway. Stations include:

  • Expo/Sepulveda, an aerial station on Sepulveda Boulevard, just south of Pico Boulevard. Offices, retailers, and neighborhoods are nearby, including Sawtelle Japantown.
  •  Expo/Bundy, an aerial station on Bundy, just south of Olympic Boulevard. A variety of offices and retailers are nearby. The station is also about 1.5 miles from the Santa Monica Airport and neighboring business parks along Ocean Park Boulevard.
  • 26th/Bergamot, a street-level station adjacent to the Bergamot Station arts complex in Santa Monica and across Olympic Boulevard from the Water Garden office complex.

Trains run every 12 minutes at most times of the day with service beginning around 4 a.m. weekdays and ending around midnight. Friday and Saturday nights, the Expo Line will run until 2 a.m.

Parking is available at three stations: Expo/Sepulveda (260 spaces), Expo/Bundy (250 spaces), and 17th Street/Santa Monica College (70 spaces). The fee is expected to be $2 a day for drivers using the Metro Rail.

There is a paved bike path along much of the train line between Culver City and Palms, and between Overland Avenue and Colorado/17th Street station in Santa Monica. 

For more information and rail schedules, visit the Metro E Line (Expo).