Metro has just announced the official opening date of the $2 billion K Line light rail, or the Crenshaw/LAX Line, that has been decades in the making. While you might have thought you’d never see it happen in this lifetime, the date is October 7 at noon.
There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon along with a host of festivities at Leimert Park on the big day. What’s more, you’ll get to test out the new line and ride wherever you like from the moment it opens through Sunday of that weekend. So you can start planning your trip and your eye out for some of the wonderful artwork along the way.
K Line’s 8-mile track begins and ends at the Metro E (Expo) Line and runs to the southern terminus C (Green) Line with a large portion of it running beneath Crenshaw Boulevard. It creates greater connectivity and movement for the communities of Leimart park, Hyde Park, Baldwin Hills, Inglewood, Morningside, the Crenshaw Corridor, Jefferson Park, West Adams and Westchester. Some of which had no connection to the Metro previously.
Eventually, most of them will have direct lines to LAX with the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station which is expected to open in 2023. In addition to this exciting news, Metro also plans to launch a shuttle service between the K Line and SoFi stadium, so NFL fans can say goodbye to parking fees and endless traffic jams on game days.
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The line currently has seven stations: Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood and Westchester/Veterans. Future K Line plans will see more stations added which include a connection to the C Line, D Line and B Line, creating seamless access to Hollywood and West Hollywood.
The K Line’s extensive journey to actualization began in the 1960s thanks to engineering blocks and consensus amongst officials. You can find out more about the line, the new stations and its history here.