Expo Line's Culver City station ready to debut

The Expo Line will finally reach into Culver City this week, marking the first time rail service will serve the traffic-choked Westside since the days of the Red Car trolleys.

Transportation officials will open the Culver City station -– near the intersection of Washington and National boulevards -– beginning about noon on Wednesday following a celebration with elected leaders.

Officials opened most of the first phase of the Expo Line in late April, allowing commuters to travel 7.9 miles between downtown Los Angeles and the eastern edge of Culver City in about half an hour.

360-degree virtual tour: Expo Line stations | Expo Line time-lapse video

But they did not open two stations along the line: Culver City and Farmdale, which officials said needed extra work because they were added further along in the project.

The extension to Culver City is about 0.7 miles from the previous stop at La Cienega and Jefferson Boulevards, and the Farmdale stop will also open on Wednesday.

Crews are currently working on the second phase of the line, which will shoot 6.6 miles west into downtown Santa Monica. That is expected to open by 2016 at a cost of $1.5 billion.

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-- Ari Bloomekatz

Photo: A 360-degree view of the Culver City station. Credit: Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times