Expo Park/USC station

Expo Park/USC station is an at-grade light rail station on the E Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located in the center median of Exposition Boulevard near entrances to Exposition Park (Expo Park) and the University of Southern California (USC), after which the station is named.[1] The 37th Street/USC station for the J Line of the Los Angeles Metro Busway system is located a few blocks east of the station.

Expo Park/USC
E Line 
Expo Park/USC station platform in 2022
General information
Location661 West Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates 34.0182°N 118.2866°W / 34.0182; -118.2866
Owned byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsSee Connections section
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Bicycle facilitiesRacks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedOctober 17, 1875 (1875-10-17)
RebuiltApril 28, 2012 (2012-04-28)
Previous namesUniversity
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Expo/Vermont
toward Santa Monica
 E Line Jefferson/USC
toward Atlantic
Former services
Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station
11th Avenue
towards Rustic Canyon
 Air Line Grand
towards Pacific Electric Building
Location

The station is located close to several major museums and sporting venues including BMO Stadium, the California Science Center and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to and from venues inside Expo Park including opening/closing ceremonies along with track and field events at the Coliseum and football (soccer) matches at BMO Stadium.[2]

History

Pacific Electric stop

Originally a stop on the Los Angeles and Independence and Pacific Electric railroads, it closed on September 30, 1953, with closure of the Santa Monica Air Line and remained out of service until re-opening on Saturday, April 28, 2012. It was completely rebuilt for the opening of the Expo Line from little more than a station stop marker. Regular scheduled service resumed Monday, April 30, 2012.

It is the last former station stop of the Santa Monica Air Line to be re-opened. The E line travels north on a new right-of-way along Flower street from this stop. The original Air line right-of-way remains owned by Metro and continues east to the A line tracks, however no plans are in place for its use.

Modern light rail station

Expo Park/USC Station (originally proposed as "USC/Exposition Park") was proposed by Metro staff, with input from the public, during the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process. Many stakeholders cited the importance of the station, citing the convenient access it would provide the USC students/employees and Exposition Park guests. Moreover, the station would be crucial for a temporary professional football venue at the current Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the soccer-specific Banc of California Stadium that replaced the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena,[3] as well as for the 2028 Summer Olympics.[4]

The administration of USC opposed at-grade light-rail along Exposition Boulevard, claiming that light-rail would separate the campus from Exposition Park. USC President Steven Sample, in particular, was opposed to the project. Sample said he feared the line would create physical and psychological barriers between USC, Exposition Park, and the local community, and would be dangerous for pedestrians.[5]

However, the general sentiment of students and neighbors was in support of the line. The Coliseum Commission took a strong position in support of this station, and the USC Student Senate passed a resolution in support of the station.[6] In the end, Metro staff included the possibility of building the Expo Park/USC station by including it as a design option in the Final EIR, that would only be built if funds for the station (estimated at $5 million) could be found and if local support were present. The report also recommended a short tunnel segment under the impacted intersections of Exposition/Figueroa and Exposition/Flower.

Once the FEIR had been approved, the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority worked to secure the funds for this station and to negotiate its design. One other issue remaining to be resolved was USC's request for special architecture for the three stations serving the campus.

Ultimately, USC did not contribute toward the cost of the station. The Authority also abandoned any considerations for special architecture requested by USC. On September 19, 2007, the Metro board approved funding for the cost of the station, which had increased to $7 million.[7] This allowed the station to be built along with the rest of Phase 1.

The station opened with the rest of Phase 1 of the Expo Line on April 28, 2012,[8] and became part of the E Line when the Regional Connector tunnel opened on June 16, 2023.[9]

Service

Station layout
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Westbound ← E Line E Line toward Santa Monica (Expo/Vermont)
Eastbound → E Line E Line toward Atlantic (Jefferson/USC) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right

The station has two side platforms in the median of Exposition Blvd that exit to a crosswalk connecting to Expo Park on its south side and USC on its north. The station's platforms slope down slightly toward the east, in order to accommodate the line's descent into a tunnel which passes under Figueroa Street.

Hours and frequency

E Line trains run every day between approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Trains operate every 10 minutes during peak hours Monday through Friday, and every twelve minutes during the daytime on weekdays and all day on the weekends. Evening service (after 7 p.m.) is every 20 minutes.[10]

Connections

As of June 16, 2023, the following connections are available:[11]

Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

Notable places nearby

The station is within walking distance of the following notable places:

Station artwork

The station's art was created by artist Robbert Flick. The installation, entitled "On Saturdays", includes sequences of photographs taken on the boulevards near the station, creating a document of the local people and places as they were when the station was built.[12]

References
  1. "Exposition Park & USC Area Connections" (PDF). Metro. June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  2. "Games Plan". 2028 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  3. "Banc of California Stadium | LAFC - Los Angeles Football Club". Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  4. "LA 2024 - Los Angeles 2024 Olympic Bid". la24.org. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  5. "USC President Steven B. Sample to step down in August". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  6. "USC Undergraduate Student Government - USG". Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  7. http://metro.net/board/Agendas/2007/09_september/20070919AP&P.pdf Archived May 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Hymon, Steve (March 23, 2012). "Expo Line to open to the public on Saturday, April 28". The Source. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. "Metro Regional Connector opens in Los Angeles, bringing more direct access to downtown". KTLA. June 16, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. "Metro E Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  11. "E Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 16, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  12. "On Saturdays". Metro Art. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2021.

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