MTA- Metro Expo Line

Clean, cheap and easy. Just what the Metro Line should be. From Culver City to Santa Monica it is an easy 20 minutes. Dropping off right at the 3^rd street promenade with an easy walk to the pier which is visible as soon as you step off, it couldn’t be more convenient. Sure beats driving and parking there!

So with the expansion of the Expo Line to Santa Monica, I began using this instead of the surface buses I would normally take. The time saved is great, love it.
The complaint?
IT’S TOO CROWDED! The train is way too crowded. I think sardines have more wiggle room than passengers on the expo line. It fills up fast and stays filled up throughout. Its hard for people to get off and even harder for people to get on. I’ve seen people have no choice but to not get on because there simply isn’t any room.
I think they need to link one more train hub to accommodate the new surge of people using this line.
Again, I love this line and makes my commute home faster and better but the fear of not being able to hop on the train because its too full really sucks.
Other than that, the train is great. Fast and smooth and much needed for people traveling East to the Westside and vice versa.

It’s a good, fast, convenient and clean line. The only complaint that I have is way few trains not in rush hours. I’m working at USC and sometimes I have to wait around (or more than) silly 20 mins (usually from 11am to 2pm) which is just enough time to drive from my place. Other countries have usually 10 mins intervals even in non– rush hours. Need to put more trains to encourage more riders.

I don’t like the EXPO line for a biased and stupid reason, all my own fault…
…several times I’m at the PICO station near the Staples Center /​Convention Center /​LA Live area, and I want to head to LONG BEACH /​WILLOWBROOK going to the South Bay Beach Cities.
The Metro Expo Line is supposed to be light blue in color coding. It’s not.
This is the WRONG TRAIN for me… and I often just jump on it since it is BLUE (same color as the one I want to go on).
I end up traveling a few stops before I realize I’m going the wrong direction, towards Culver City. I then have to get off, TAP MY CARD, get back to PICO back tracking. Get off, TAP MY CARD, and resume where I started at PICO and wait for the proper train.
All said and done, it adds about 30 mins to my travel time. Again, my fault. In part, I don’t take the MTA all too often, so lack familiarity with the system.
Other than that, it’s a good train I’m sure.
So, the bottom line to my review… ask yourself… «Do you know where you’re going?» and be sure if you do, that you’re on the right train before you board it.

Been using the expo line for years and it’s convenient and pretty safe. Just be careful parking your bike at the station… mine was stolen even though it was a beater.

The positives:
1. An alternative to avoid traffic congestion
2. Relatively inexpensive fare
3. Time saved not driving can be used for doing other things while on the train, such as reading
4. Doing something to reduce carbon footprint and global warming
The negatives:
1. Some of the riders are low class and have appalling behavior.
2. Dirty and lots of graffiti and trash.
3. Lack of police presence to enforce rules
4. Low responsiveness to customer complaints
5. Polite, courteous middle class people will find it intimidating and uncomfortable.
6. «Ghetto» behavior by 10% of riders

Great, comfortable and well run (folks working here are sweethearts) way to get to and from the Coliseum… parking runs out quickly for the games but plenty on side streets.

i love taking the train. it’s fast and convenient. it’s like a rollercoaster ride. it really makes the fact that i don’t have a car right now really awesome. the train takes you everywhere and it makes me feel like i’m going on an adventure. the only downside is it doesn’t take you to immensely rich areas.

Very Nice, took this to the Coliseum and have no complaints. After the game re boarded and made not having to pay 25 bucks for parking. Keep up the good work Metro.

Slow, above ground mostly, stops for traffic and not well policed. Perhaps the least policed system I’ve ever ridden. Lots of rules, however police only show up to insure fares are being collected. Not impressive. Having ridden the Paris metro, London tubes, Chicago and New York subway systems, I believe this system has a long way to go. Some research into other cities transportation systems prior to construction might have helped.

A few things worth noting…
1) Parking is ample early in the morning (before 9AM weekdays)
2) People who get on and off at the Culver City stop are all working professionals… but when you’re coming back directly from downtown, be careful as there are some crazies
3) Don’t get on the crazy car. There is always one car that everyone avoids because there are 1 or 2 people inside who are ranting and cursing loudly
4) There is an MTA official who will randomly check for your TAP card to make sure you didn’t jump the system. It will happen on the train while you’re riding, or when you disembark
5) If you have the ride the train from Culver City later in the day and there’s no parking, go to the second stop at Jefferson/​La Cienega where there is a tall parking structure and always parking even late in day
6) Get off at Jeffersson/​La Cienega and there is a Target RIGHT there
7) $ 1.75 one way and fares must be loaded to a TAP card ($ 1 for the card)
8) Clean train!
9) 25 minutes from Culver City to downtown, and many bus lines go to the Culver City metro station.
10) They are currently constructing this line to go even further east down Exposition Boulevard and to Santa Monica. I hear the estimated completion is 2016.

I take this train very frequently and absolutely love the time it cuts in traffic after a long day. However Culver City Metro needs more parking! Something similar to the Jefferson/​La Brea location would be phenomenal!

Ok, I’m a local West-​sider with a car, but I work downtown and decided to give it a shot. At 6:30am I can drive over 15 miles in 25 minutes port to port. When I take the Expo Line, it takes me between 75 – 80 mins for same trip. And it costs $ 3.50 and two bus lines for a round trip.
Gas in my Camry $ 2.50 one way — without traffic.
And there’s the rub — pm traffic.
But when I get to the Culver Station, I still have to drive six miles in traffic.
So, is metro worth it? You do save on wear on your car, but 50+ extra minutes in the am? That’s a lot.
And in pm I still have to fight LA traffic.
IF you have the extra am time MAYBE it’s worth it… but it is not a slam dunk.

I love this train compared to the other lines. It’s clean! Sometimes I just look for things to do that are off of the expo line. A major plus is that it is the most convenient way to get to the Staples Center. I park at the La Cienega lot. There’s always parking available on the ground floor when I go at night.
Can’t wait for this to reach Santa Monica. This will be the most popular train ever.
Also, I’ve missed a train before and within 15 mins, another one would come by.
Fare for one trip is $ 1.75 now. But the plus for the fare increase is that you don’t have to pay for transfers anymore. It makes a big difference when I’m exploring downtown and hopping on the other lines.

I love working public transportation in LA! I can’t wait for this to extend to Santa Monica.
If you live on the westside, this is the way to go if you’re trying to get to Downtown, Hollywood, etc. in the fastest way possible. With traffic, it can easily take you 1.5 hours, but once you’re on the metro, everything is pretty quick to get to.
I like taking the Metro for USC games days. I can drive to the station, park for free, pay $ 1.75 for a ticket and I’m at USC in 20 minutes and don’t have to worry about parking!
The metro recently did raise the price to $ 1.75 but you don’t have to pay for transfers anymore!

I am a big supporter of public transportation in LA, and take it as much as I can to save some gas money. (This includes the bus which most white people have a stigma against in this town). I am also from the East Coast so I know public transit and have seen it in successful executions. LACMTA is an organization I poke fun at alot because they have so many models to base their system off of when it comes to station and operations design, but they just kind of ignore everyone else and wing it.
Anyhoo…
The Expo Line is one of the lines that garnered the most attention because it is going to the sea. It is currently at Culver City and will be extended to Santa Monica in 2015 or so. It also is one of the first lines that connects many destinations (DTLA, USC, Dorsey High, Culver city and soon West LA, and Third Street Promenade and the beach), that Angelenos in power tend to care about so it has garnered alot of attention.
The main flaw with the expo line is that it is at grade with the street and has to cross intersections, especially by the Staples Center, Trade Tech, and on Expo Blvd. That can be fine, I lived in Massachusetts and the Green line does the same thing, but TRAFFIC COORDINATION is awful. Many of the trains have to wait at a light and in addition, many of the operators play it too safe and stop every couple of seconds. Especially by the 10 freeway where the expo line crosses within a few hundred feet a few major roads AND a freeway onramp. There are no crossing barriers as well. Why did they not install those?
In addition, there is a flaw with many of the stations. They built the stations so that one platform is opposite the crossing street of another platform AND the drop off one is across the street. This means that most likely you have to stop at light because no traffic priority or the driver is nervous AND then stop at the station. What were they thinking?
Anyway, Its a great addition to the growing rail system in LA, and much needed, but I just still have to poke fun at Metro and be a gadfly…
Metro: Its so great! You don’t have to sit in traffic on the 10!
Me: But the thing is Metro, you argue that the Expo is traffic free… but yet we have to wait in the same lights as cars and stop frequently!
Metro: But its so great!
It is hard to get people to use their cars less when a train is built to sit in traffic. So Metro, just understand that just building something does not mean an issue is solved. Its about ease of travel, not the fact that it exsits.

I take the Metro for my commute to work. The train is convenient because it heads straight to downtown and has stops at Expo park with the history museum and also Staples Center. Also, some stops have free parking lots. The trains aren’t spotless but definitely better kept than the Red line. From Culver City station to Downtown takes about 30 mins.
For the most part, the trains are on time and reliable. Every once in a while traffic gets bad when you’re nearing downtown and the train stops for a couple minutes.
I would give 4 stars except the fact that my bike was stolen here not too long ago. So if you park your bike here, make sure you have a very sturdy lock. I inquired about renting one of the 8 (ONLY 8!?) bike lockers at Culver City station and they called me back saying there is a 2+ year wait list for the lockers. Ridiculous. They need to make more lockers because even the rep that called me said that bikes get stolen there on the daily. I can’t wait til they open extended rail line to SM so I don’t have to bike to the station anymore and worry about whether or not my bike will be there when I get home from work.

Super easy way to get from the westside to downtown and avoid traffic and expensive parking!
I live on the westside, which basically means you are consigned to going places by car. Although I use public transit in other cities, it’s rarely made any sense for me in LA as the limited options are often out of the way and time consuming for what I was looking to do.
Enter the Expo line…
My first experience was for USC’s home opener in September 2012. Instead of battling traffic to the Coliseum and trying to find pricey parking, the university was promoting the (then newly opened) Expo line. My friend and I went to the Culver City station to find a large, well-​lit parking lot with FREE parking. $ 1.50 each way and we were dropped off right off campus in about 20 minutes.
In the last month, I’ve taken the expo line three times!
1) Going to a concert at the Shrine… met a friend in Culver City for dinner, and then we hopped the Expo line and were dropped off about 2 blocks from the Shrine. $ 3 round trip and no need to deal with parking, or competing with traffic for other events downtown including Pink’s concert.
2) LA Rock n Roll Half Marathon… I decided to stay downtown the night before the race, so a friend dropped me off at Culver City so I could skip the pricey downtown over night parking… $ 1.50 each way and no worries on the car. EASY!
3) Today, I had to run to USC to take care of something… instead of dealing with afternoon traffic, and parking on or near campus ($ 10 day pass… some limited meters if you can find one), I took the Expo line and was able to get dropped off right next to campus. Way easier.
If I worked downtown, I would definitely consider this as an option for commuting.
Trains typically run every 12 minutes, more at peak times and once every 20 minutes at off peak times.
Trains are kept clean and I’ve seen folks clearing and cleaning the trains as it hits each end of the route (7^th Street Metro and Culver City).
TAP system is not totally intuitive and the fare structure is not clear other than a standard one-​way (one line) ride. On transit systems in other cities, you can usually transfer lines inside of one trip for free… it seems Metro charges you for each rail line you ride, even if you connect.
Keep your TAP card with you and handy. They have transit enforcers on both trains and at the stations. My friend gave me her spent card and was ticketed after we parted because she couldn’t prove she’d paid her fare (she doesn’t live in LA and thought I could reuse the card… was able to mail it to her so she could appeal). I’ve also seen people stop folks as they get off trains and check their cards with a small handheld device – don’t try and skip the system!

During the summer, I rode this train nearly every day and I learned more than I want to about the LA train system.
First, I am extremely happy the Expo line exists, I think LA needs more public transit and this is definitely a good start by connecting to USC. In 2015 (so they say,) it will hit Santa Monica and I love Santa Monica so I will take the line there. Now if only the metro would build a line along Santa Monica Blvd but that’s another conversation for another day (or maybe another 20 years.)
I have taken the Expo line probably 30 times but I have never taken it past Expo/​Vermont station so the review is for everything east of that.
First off, the train runs on time, every 12 minutes but it takes so much time to get to DTLA, mainly because the MTA in my opinion either ran out of money or never heard of a thing called a «railroad crossing» because the Expo line stops at every stoplight past the Jefferson/​USC station. These aren’t busy roads either, putting up crossings will not be a problem.
My other quibble with the Expo line is that they do not run any trains past about 12am on weeknights. I understand few people are out past 12am on weeknights but it makes sense to run at 1 or 2 late night owl trains at like 2−3am just for some late stragglers? The buses are still running at that time, the trains should be running too.
Now for the positives: the Expo line helps beat the traffic when the road is backed up and it helps people who do not have cars (and the vast majority of USC students do not have them, I would say only 25% do, maybe less.) It also helps take cars off the road (I know even a few USC students who have cars who use the metro.) Also, I prefer the Expo line to the bus because the buses stop at every little stop and the Expo line has assigned stops (and once it heads underground, it goes a bit faster.) The train also is actually pretty clean.
The train is well used too, when I went to a USC football game, I expected only a few people to ride the metro. Instead, I saw a long line of people leaving the train. I am glad to see people are taking it, either because they’re coming from the Valley, Pasadena, DTLA or agree with me that $ 25 for parking at USC is ridiculous and that the $ 1.50 metro fare is much nicer.
Despite conventional wisdom saying the Metro is dangerous, I have never been mugged on the Metro, even while taking it late at night, I still am cautious and always sit around as many people as possible during the late hours. There are a few characters on the train but no one threatening, just people who would fit well in a reality show.
Overall, the train line itself gets four stars for the slowness past Jefferson, the no night owl service but it also is more convenient than driving, it helps save money for parking and it helps bring public transit to a city that desperately needs it.

Having never been on the mass transit lines in LA, I wanted to try them out and this holiday weekend allowed for the perfect opportunity.
We got our BBQ supplies and headed over to the Culver City stop. I was initially impressed with the parking lot; it’s big and nicely paved. We found parking right in front and headed up to get our passes. Since I was a newbie, I had to purchase a pass ($ 1) and then it was $ 5 to ride all day. From Culver City to Burbank, it’s about 45 minutes to an hour with one stop to switch to the underground line which is kinda fun because it’s like a network.
The metro runs until 2am which was perfect because we knew we’d be drinking a lot and neither of us wanted to be the DD and have to avoid the check points for DUIs so this worked out nicely.
The metro can be quite the experience though and I don’t suggest riding alone. I saw a drug deal go down, an arrest, and various other questionable activities but luckily it’s all heavily monitored via camera on the rails and police are quick to respond so that can be entertaining. Overall, I highly suggest this as a way to travel around LA if you hate traffic like I do.