Metro K Line, connecting Crenshaw to LAX, opens Oct. 7

A metro train, traveling on the new K Line, makes its way along Crenshaw Blvd. in Los Angeles during a test run. Photo credit Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

By KNX News 97.1 FM

LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The Metro K Line, formerly known as the Crenshaw/LAX line, opens to the public on Oct. 7, Metro officials announced Thursday.

The K Line connects the E Line (Expo) at the Expo/Crenshaw Station and will eventually merge with the C Line (Green) at the new Aviation/LAX Station. Officials hailed the line connecting the Crenshaw Corridor, Inglewood, and El Segundo as "a new era of equitable transportation investment," giving residents access to fast, reliable, and low-cost rail transit unseen in Los Angeles since Railway's Yellow Cars shut down in the 1950s.

"The K Line will have a solid presence in the heart of the Crenshaw Corridor and Inglewood; it represents a new gateway to jobs, education and healthcare," Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board First Vice Chair, said in a statement. "The K Line will provide riders with easy access to high density housing, popular restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues ranging from Leimert Park Village to SoFi Stadium."

The K Line will serve the communities of West Adams, Jefferson Park, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Inglewood, Westchester, and more. Seven K Line stations open October 7, 2022. Photo credit Metro

When the K Line opens, Metro riders can access cultural events and venues in the historic Crenshaw Corridor, public parks, and major venues in Inglewood, such as SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum, and the Intuit Dome, the future home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Riders will also have easier access to medical facilities and job and commerce centers throughout Los Angeles.

Metro says many key destinations along the K Line are within walking distance of the stations. The K Line's Expo/Crenshaw, Martin Luther King Jr., Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Fairview Heights, Downtown Inglewood, and Westchester/Veterans stations will open first. The K Line's Aviation/Century station is scheduled to open in late 2023, providing Metro access to LAX. The LAX/Metro Transit Center Station along the new K Line tracks is projected to open in late 2024, giving riders easy transfers between Metro and the LAX Automated People Mover that's currently under construction.

When the K Line opens to the public shortly after noon on Oct. 7, passengers can ride free on the entire Metro bus and rail system, including Metro Bike Share, for its opening weekend.

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