SANTA MONICA—Metro announced the completion of the new Regional Connector train line this week, which is set to bring riders from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles starting Friday, June 16.
According to Metro, the new route will provide riders with a “seamless journey” through three new underground stations: Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, Historic Broadway Station, and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill Station. The construction process also included 1.9 miles of new track, merging the L Line (Gold) with the A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines at 7th Street/Metro Center Station. This will create two continuous train lines, eliminating the need to transfer when traveling North to Suth or East to West.
The total travel time from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles will take one hour and nine minutes. The Regional connector will also take passengers from Azusa to Long Beach in 58 minutes.
Construction of the Regional Connector first commenced in 2014, but funding hiccups and the COVID-19 pandemic caused major delays. Metro’s original target date for completion of the Regional Connector was December 2020, making opening day two and a half years late. On the Regional Connector’s opening weekend, Metro is offering free rides to passengers on any route in the Metro transit system.
Metro plans to continue expanding Los Angeles’ railway system in preparation for the large amount of foot traffic generated by the 2028 Olympics.
