This fall Culver City will truly become a 21st century city, with the introduction of a 19th century technology: the train. Downtown Los Angeles, a world away in many ways – particularly by automobile – will connect with Culver City via light rail.
During the last decade, downtown Los Angeles has experienced a renaissance in much the same way that Culver City has during that same span of time, but on a grander scale. And there are more projects in the works, such as the $3 billion Grand Avenue Project. Furthermore, discussions are under way to build a state-of-the-art stadium to house a National Football League franchise.
There are no convenient methods of traveling to downtown L.A. for those of us without private helicopters. The Expo Line will change that. Downtown’s great restaurants, bars, concert halls, art museums, architecture and festivals will suddenly become much more accessible.
The train downtown is only the half of it, however. Design and construction is about to begin in the other direction, as well. From Culver City, the tracks lead to downtown Santa Monica. The estimated travel time from Fourth Street in Santa Monica to downtown L.A. is less than an hour.
But it doesn’t end there, for the train runs in both directions. Others will venture into Culver City to experience a place that outside of these borders may be a mysterious and amorphous shape on a map.
The interaction of residents in different communities is part of the pleasure of living in a metropolis. Los Angeles, however, contains many isolated neighborhoods that effectively function as islands. Trains are metaphorical bridges in this analogy. Factor in the myriad environmental benefits that this pinnacle of public transportation will create, and this project, funded largely by the will of the taxpayers is a shining example of how a modern city should operate.