East L.A. to Santa Monica in 1 hour 9 minutes: A look inside Metro’s new Regional Connector

Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins, Metro executives, board members and elected officials take a “sneak peek” ride on Monday on the new Regional Connector set to open June 16. The tour showcased Metro’s three new underground stations — Little Tokyo/Arts District, Historic Broadway and Grand Avenue Arts/Bunker Hill.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

A rail line running through the heart of downtown Los Angeles, better connecting the foothills to the beaches, opens on June 16, Father’s Day weekend.

Known as the Regional Connector, the two-mile line eliminates the need to transfer between the L (Gold), A (Blue) and E (Expo) lines, enabling commuters to ride from Azusa to Long Beach in one hour and 58 minutes or East Los Angeles to Santa Monica in one hour and nine minutes. Officials plan to make rides free for the opening.

Two years behind schedule and $335 million over budget, the four-stop, subterranean light-rail line traverses the historic city core from the already existing 7th/Metro Center station to the newly constructed Little Tokyo/Arts District station.

Read more at LA Times.