Remember the Santa Monica Air Line? How about the Los Angeles & Independence?
Probably not.
But the two historic railways will be there—and not just in spirit—when the Expo Light Rail Line begins rolling from Downtown westward in just a few months, with its first terminus at LaCienega Boulevard.
Although the Westside’s first mass rail project in 50 years feels in some ways like the dawn of an era, Los Angeles has been down this road before. In fact, it has been down the same set of train tracks: The Expo Line will run on a historic railroad right-of-way that has carried Southern Californians, off and on, for more than 135 years now, first behind steam engines and then in iconic Red Cars.
