Expo/Crenshaw station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | April 28, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
Area served | Los Angeles Metro Rail network |
Expo/Crenshaw station is a light rail stop within the Los Angeles Metro Rail network, situated in the Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles, at the crossroads of Crenshaw and Exposition Boulevards. Originally referred to as Crenshaw station during its construction phase, it functions as the interchange between the E Line, which operates on two street-level platforms along Exposition Boulevard, and the K Line, which concludes at an underground island platform located beneath Crenshaw Boulevard.
E Line
This site was once a minor stop on both the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad and the Pacific Electric interurban system until passenger operations ended on September 30, 1953, following the shutdown of the Santa Monica Air Line. The original station was subsequently removed and remained out of service until its reconstruction.
The present-day station was inaugurated on April 28, 2012, completely rebuilt for the Expo Line (now known as the E Line) as part of Phase I, linking 7th Street/Metro Center to Culver City. Regular service commenced on April 30, 2012. The design includes near-side platforms positioned at street level.
K Line
With the introduction of the K Line in late 2022, Expo/Crenshaw transitioned into a transfer station. Metro decided against constructing an at-grade junction between the K and E Lines due to operational limitations; such a configuration would overwhelm the shared tracks along Flower Street heading into 7th Street/Metro Center station, resulting in delays. Consequently, a subterranean light rail station for the K Line was established beneath Crenshaw Boulevard, between Exposition Boulevard and Obama Boulevard. This enables a northern extension through a D Line station towards the B Line's Hollywood/Highland station, which will serve as its terminus on a future alignment.
A ribbon-cutting event took place on July 8, 2022, with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in attendance. The station officially opened to passengers on October 7, 2022.
Station layout
The E Line platforms are positioned adjacent to Exposition Boulevard at its junction with Crenshaw Boulevard, a key arterial road in Los Angeles. Access to the underground K Line platform is located at the southeast corner of this intersection. The E Line employs "near-side" platforms situated on opposite sides of the intersection, where trains halt prior to crossing. Because there are no direct underpasses or overpasses connecting these platforms, travelers transferring between the E and K Lines must cross either streets or tracks depending on their direction of travel.
Connections
As of , passengers can connect to the following services:[1][2]
- LADOT DASH: Midtown
- Los Angeles Metro Bus: , ,
Parking
The station holds a lease for 225 parking spaces within a 500-space garage owned by the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, designated for park-and-ride purposes. However, this facility is unavailable to Metro riders on Sundays while church services are in session.
Station artwork
Multiple artists have contributed to the station’s artistic elements.
On the E Line platforms, artist Willie Middlebrook produced untitled panels featuring altered photographic images that portray a variety of communities engaging with their surroundings. The chosen color scheme draws inspiration from the stained glass windows of the nearby West Angeles Church.
At the K Line entrance, Inside Out – Outside In – Inside Out by Erwin Redl consists of glazed glass panels adorned with colored squares that cast vibrant hues during daylight hours and glow at night, also influenced by the stained glass of West Angeles Cathedral.
Within the mezzanine area, two mosaic murals titled At the Same Time by Rebeca Méndez depict a 24-hour temporal sequence alongside an elevated bird wing motif symbolizing both avian migration and spiritual connections to West Angeles Cathedral.
On the K Line platform, Jaime Scholnick’s collages called Layered Histories incorporate 11,800 photographs from the surrounding neighborhood to form abstracted street scenes that reflect the essence of the local community.