May will see openings of KC Streetcar; Phase 2 of LACMTA Expo Line

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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A westbound test train along the second phase of LACMTA’s Expo Line in the Northvale trench between the 10 freeway and overland Ave.
Steve Hymon/LACMTA

In Kansas City, Mo., the KC Streetcar will begin public ridership May 6, 2016. Kansas City Mayor Sly James said the grand opening of the KC Streetcar is more than a celebration of the end of construction and opening of the line.

 

“This is the first step of what I believe will be a truly historic transformation of the entire city,” James said. “Building owners and developers have completed, started or announced more than $1.6 billion in construction in the KC Streetcar district since the route was announced three years ago. I’m confident the entire city will find new momentum as the KC Streetcar energizes the heart of our community.”

The KC Streetcar runs through the heart of downtown, connecting neighborhoods along the route: the River Market; the Central Business District; the Crossroads Arts District and the Union Station and Crown Center area.

“For many Kansas Citians, this day is long in the making,” said Mike Hagedorn, chairman of the KC Streetcar Authority and president & chief executive officer of UMB Bank. “This weekend in May will not only be a time to celebrate the KC Streetcar but to also celebrate the people, businesses and landmarks that make downtown so wonderful.”

Also in the month of May, the 6.6-mile Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Expo Line extension between Culver City and Santa Monica will open May 20.

This is the first rail transit to the far Westside since streetcars halted service in 1953. The Expo Line will be a good alternative to the congested Santa Monica Freeway. The trip between 7th/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles and the Downtown Santa Monica Station is expected to take 46 minutes. The current Expo Line runs for 8.5 miles between 7th/Metro Center in downtown Los Angeles and Culver City. The 6.6-mile extension adds seven stations including Palms, Westwood/Rancho Park, Expo/Sepulveda, Expo/Bundy, 26th/Bergamot, 17th Street/SMC and downtown Santa Monica.

The Expo Line largely follows the old Exposition railroad right-of-way that was used by Pacific Electric streetcars and freight trains. The right-of-way was purchased from Southern Pacific in the early 1990s to preserve the corridor for possible future use as a rail line.

Construction of the Expo Line was done in two phases due to funding availability. The first segment broke ground in 2006 and opened to Culver City in 2012, the same year that heavy construction ramped up for Phase 2.

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