The first phase of the long-awaited Expo Line opened to the public Saturday morning and started shuttling riders between downtown Los Angeles and the eastern edge of Culver City just before 5 a.m.



Passengers boarded in increasing numbers after the sun rose and took pictures of the route on digital cameras and iPads. There was music, food and other vendors at special celebrations for the new light-rail line at many of the stops along the route including 7th Street/Metro Center and Expo/Crenshaw.



“One, two, three, go Expo!” cheered County Supervisor and Metro Board member Mark Ridley-Thomas at a ribbon-cutting ceremony later Saturday morning.



The line runs 7.9 miles from downtown to a station at La Cienega and Jefferson boulevards. Officials said it will open to Culver City, and complete the first phase, sometime this summer.



Rides on Expo are free this weekend and Ridley-Thomas warned that come the work week, “you’re on your own, the fares kick in.”

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