Santa Monica Train Expo Line
The first Santa Monica train to pull into the city since 1953 rolled into service in May 2016, connecting Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles.
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.
Regular fare is $1.75 and is good for two hours of unlimited transfers in one direction. Learn more about Metro Fares and Passes.
The westernmost station is at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue - depositing passengers within walking distance of Santa Monica's best attractions: the Santa Monica Pier, the Third Street Promenade, and Santa Monica Place.
Best of all - the train can make the 15-mile trek from downtown to Santa Monica in just 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.
The Santa Monica Train Expo Line Details
The Santa Monica train is a good alternative to the usually congested 10/Santa Monica freeway.
Stations:
- 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.
- 17th Street/Santa Monica College, a street-level station at Colorado and 17th Street. It is .6-mile walk or bike ride (get info on Santa Monica's Breeze Bike Share program here) to Santa Monica College.
- Downtown Santa Monica, a street-level station at Colorado and 4th that is steps away from the Santa Monica Pier, the beach, Santa Monica Place, the Third Street Promenade, Palisades Park, Tongva Park, and the Santa Monica Civic Center.
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).
