

Map courtesy Metro

Ready to ride from downtown to La Cienega without worrying about traffic?

The long-awaited (and much-delayed) Expo Line that goes from the 7th/Metro Center downtown to La Cienega will open to the public on April 28. Mayor Antonion Villaraigosa made the announcement today to reporters who were on a test ride for the Expo Line, according to Metro's site The Source. By the summer, a new station at Venice and Robertson in Culver City is scheduled to open.

It will be a few years until the second phase of the Expo Line that goes from Culver City to Santa Monica is ready to ride. It is scheduled to open in 2015.

UPDATE: Villaraigosa said that there will be free rides on opening day. Steve Hymon at The Source said that the trip from La Cienega to downtown today took about 26 minutes, although the stops today were probably briefer than they will be once the train is open to the public. Officials say the trip should take less than a half hour and trains will run every 12 minutes.

Related:

Expo Line Update: Metro Expanding Test Train Operations

Construction Officially Begins Today on Phase 2 of Expo Line

Color Me Expo: New Rail Line is Not 'Aqua'