Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), along with local, state and federal officials and stakeholders, opened the K Line on Oct. 7. The 8.5-mile light-rail line connects Expo/Crenshaw station to Westchester/Veterans and will eventually extend to Los Angeles International Airport and a station at Aviation/Century.
The $2.1 billion K Line, which was previously known as the Crenshaw/LAX Line, represents the single largest transportation investment in South Los Angeles in more than 20 years and returns rail service to Crenshaw Boulevard following a nearly 70-year absence after the Los Angeles Railway Line 5 streetcars ceased operation.
"What was conceived decades ago as only lines on a map and a hopeful dream have today been made a reality thanks to county taxpayers’ investment in Metro," said Glendale City Council Member and L.A. Metro Board Chair and Ara J. Najarian. "We now have a train that Angelenos can take to reach destinations they never could before via Metro Rail. The K Line is the perfect example of how Metro is continuing to transform public transportation for the better in Los Angeles County."
L.A. Metro Board First Vice Chair Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker said the K Line would “bring a new era of equitable transportation investment” with the line anticipated to open new access to opportunity for numerous South L.A. communities, including the Crenshaw Corridor, Hyde Park, Leimert Park, Fairview Heights, Inglewood and Westchester.
"After decades of going without rail transit, I’m proud to lead Metro as it delivers the K Line to Crenshaw, Inglewood, and all the other south Los Angeles communities," said Stephanie Wiggins, CEO of L.A. Metro. "We’re eternally grateful to the area’s residents and businesses for hosting us in the community during a long and technically complex construction period. I know the K Line will be well used and well loved by these communities and the rest of Los Angeles County for decades to come."
