Phase 1 of Metro’s Exposition Corridor light rail (currently under construction—expected completion in 2012) will extend from 7th Street and Metro Center to a station at Venice and Robertson. From Venice and Robertson, Phase 2 is planned to continue through west Los Angeles and Santa Monica, ultimately reaching its terminus at Colorado and 4th Street in downtown Santa Monica. The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Phase 2 was certified in February of this year, giving Metro the green light to commence design and engineering for the preferred alternative. Design and engineering for Phase 2 is expected to begin by the end of this year, with revenue service beginning in 2014-2015.
This latter phase is aligned primarily along the right-of-way for the defunct Pacific Electric Red Line; however, this right-of-way passes through the affluent neighborhood of Cheviot Hills. The neighborhood association and some residents in Cheviot Hills oppose the Expo line along the PE right-of-way, and front lawns in the neighborhood are peppered with signs advertising reasons why the Expo is a bad idea. (Ironically, the Pacific Electric trains that once ran along the right-of-way are part of what made Cheviot Hills and the surrounding communities attractive in the first place.)
