C Line (Los Angeles Metro)

Map showing C Line route and stations

The entire route of the C Line is grade-separated, with its tracks following the median of the Century Freeway (Interstate 105) or an elevated guideway. The line begins in the west at Redondo Beach station, then heads roughly north through El Segundo. At Aviation/LAX, passengers can transfer to any one of several bus lines from different operators, including LAX Shuttle Route M, which provides free service to Los Angeles International Airport. From here, the C Line heads east in the median of the Century Freeway, with a connection to the Metro J Line bus rapid transit line at the Harbor Freeway Station. It then continues to a major transfer connection at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station (transfer point to the A Line). Finally, the line terminates in Norwalk, just east of the 605 Freeway. A junction at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks allows trains to transfer to A Line tracks for maintenance and other non-revenue operations.

When the C Line began service in 1995, it operated with only one-car trains. As ridership increased, two-car trains were then used. Ridership on the C Line has not been as high as the A Line, although it did have higher ridership than the L Line (then known as the Gold Line) until 2013.[3][4] Although all of the C Line stations in the median of the Century Freeway were built by Caltrans to accommodate three-car trains, the five Metro-built stations west of the freeway only have room for two-car trains.[5]

The line does not serve Downtown Los Angeles. Still, passengers can reach it by connecting with the J Line busway at Harbor Freeway Station, the A Line light rail at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station, or Metro Bus Express route 460 at Norwalk station.

Metro C Line trains run between approximately 3:30 am. and midnight daily, with a scheduled running time of 34 minutes from end to end.[6] Service on Friday and Saturday nights continues until approximately 2:15 am. The C Line runs with one-car trains in the early mornings (3:35 am–5:30 am) and late evenings (9:00 pm–12:55 am).

Trains on the C Line operate every seven to eight minutes during peak hours, Monday through Friday. They operate every 15 minutes during midday and all day on the weekends, with night service running every 20 minutes.[6]

The C Line is the fastest in the Los Angeles Metro Rail network because trains can operate at speeds up to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) for most of their route as trains run in the median of the I-105 freeway, not having at-grade street service like other lines such as the A Line. The line has complete grade separation, relatively long station spacing, and a primarily straight alignment.

The C Line takes 34 minutes[6] to travel 19.5 miles (31.4 km), at an average speed of 34.4 miles per hour (55.4 km/h). This is 31% faster than the Metro L Line, 38% faster than the Metro A Line, and 74% faster than the Metro E Line.

The C Line consists of the following 14 stations (from west to east):

Station	Date Opened	City/Neighborhood	Major connections and notes[7][8]
Redondo Beach	August 12, 1995	Hawthorne and Redondo Beach[lower-alpha 1]	Park and ride: 340 spaces
Douglas		El Segundo	Park and ride: 30 spaces
El Segundo			Park and ride: 93 spaces
Mariposa
Aviation/LAX		Westchester and Del Aire	LAX via LAX Shuttle   via C & K Line Link Park and ride: 435 spaces
Hawthorne/Lennox		Hawthorne	SoFi Stadium via shuttle bus Park and ride: 362 spaces
Crenshaw			Park and ride: 506 spaces
Vermont/Athens		Athens	Park and ride: 155 spaces
Harbor Freeway		South Los Angeles	Park and ride: 253 spaces
Avalon			Park and ride: 160 spaces
Willowbrook/Rosa Parks	July 14, 1990[lower-alpha 2]	Willowbrook	Park and ride: 234 spaces
Long Beach Boulevard	August 12, 1995	Lynwood	Park and ride: 635 spaces
Lakewood Boulevard		Downey	Park and ride: 403 spaces
Norwalk		Norwalk	Park and ride: 1,759 spaces

Graphics depicting the three options for future C and K Line service patterns

Varying service patterns have been proposed for integrating the completed K Line into the rest of the system throughout its planning and construction, all of which have involved sharing trackage and infrastructure facilities with the existing C Line. Although some early proposals would've sent trains through all three directions of the wye that will connect the existing C Line with the new segment, this was rejected by Metro because it would cause too much wear and tear on the track switch mechanisms.[14][15]

The debate over service patterns proved somewhat contentious, as the final pattern must balance the needs of riders, operational needs, and the political constituencies of Metro's board members.[16] In 2018, with the line then scheduled to open within the year, the Metro Board of Directors overrode a recommendation by operations staff that would've had a single line operating between Expo/Crenshaw and Norwalk station. Passengers from the Redondo Beach area would have been served by a shuttle to the LAX area, where they would need to transfer to another train to continue east or north. Instead, board members approved a one-year pilot of a configuration that would combine an Expo-to-Norwalk line with another line that would connect Redondo Beach with Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station, allowing transfers to the A and J Lines.[17][18] The approved plan would incur higher operating expenses, but board members argued it would retain better transfer opportunities for South Bay residents.[19]

Ongoing construction delays led to a reassessment of that plan in 2022. Metro recommended public outreach to reformulate the operating plan before the connection to the C Line opens in 2023.[2]

While most stations on the C Line were built to accommodate three-car trains, the stations built west of the Interstate 105 alignment were only built to accommodate two-car trains. To enable increased capacity of the line, Metro plans to lengthened the platforms at Aviation/Imperial, Mariposa, El Segundo, Douglas, and Redondo Beach. The project would also add traction power substations and replace catenary wire and track ties.[20] In April 2023, the state awarded Metro $95 million for the project, which is expected to cost $141 million. The project is expected to be complete in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.[21]

The future South Bay C Line Extension will extend the Metro C Line from these stub tracks at the southern end of the Redondo Beach station to Torrance.

Metro is currently working on the initial environmental study of a corridor extension of the C Line from its Redondo terminus toward the southeast. The Green Line Extension to Torrance would roughly follow the Harbor Subdivision ROW into the South Bay, to the Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC).[22] Metro and the public are considering two alternatives in the DEIR: an elevated light-rail extension along Hawthorne Boulevard, and an at-grade extension along a BNSF line beside Condon Avenue. The study of the South Bay Extension will lead to the publication of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The study was expected to be completed in 2011. The project was placed on hold in the Spring of 2012 due to uncertain funding. With the passage of Measure M in 2016, $619 million was cited for the Green Line Extension south, and the study resumed. The DEIR was released in January 2023.[23] The study area includes the former Harbor Subdivisions right of way. The extension study includes the Redondo Beach station to the Torrance Transit Center, a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) extension study area.[24]

According to the LA County Expenditure Plan (Measure M), groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for 2026, with an expected opening in 2030–2033. The timeline is expected to be accelerated under the Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.[25]

The C Line's eastern terminus is 2.8 miles (4.5 km) west of the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Metrolink station, which is served by several Metrolink lines and sees heavy use.[26] Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs is also a proposed station on the California High-Speed Rail project.[27] Bus service, primarily via Norwalk Transit line 4, is provided between the Metrolink station and the C Line terminus. Still, schedules are not coordinated with the C Line's arrivals. While plans exist to close the gap,[28] available Measure M funding allows the operation to start in roughly 2052.[29][30][31]

The C Line is operated out of Division 22 (Hawthorne Yard & Shop) and Division 16 (Southwestern Yard). These yards stores the fleet used on the C line. Light maintenance is done on the fleet in Division 22, and heavier maintenance is done in Division 16. Division 22 is located between Redondo Beach and Douglas stations. Trains enter the yard via a junction halfway between the two stations. Norwalk-bound trains (Northbound) may enter, but no exit track exists to continue north. Redondo Beach-bound trains (Southbound) may enter and exit the Yard to continue south. Division 16 is located on the completed section of the K Line near the future site of Aviation/96th Street in Westchester.

At the time the Green Line opened, the line used a fleet of Nippon Sharyo P2020 light rail vehicles, which were very similar to the older Nippon Sharyo P865 vehicles used on the Blue Line. In late 2001, the P2020 fleet was transferred to the Blue Line, and the Green Line received new Siemens P2000 railcars that have been operating on the line ever since. Kinki Sharyo P3010 trains are also used. Trains are limited to two-car sets due to platform length limitations at some stations along the line.[32]