Downtown Santa Monica station

For the B Line station, see Vermont/Santa Monica station.

Downtown Santa Monica station is an at-grade light rail station in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located near the intersection of 4th Street and Colorado Avenue in downtown Santa Monica, California. It is the E Line's western terminus.^[4]

Downtown Santa Monica
Downtown Santa Monica station in 2017
General information
Location	401 Colorado Avenue Santa Monica, California
Coordinates	34.0138°N 118.4921°W / 34.0138; -118.4921
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	3
Connections	Amtrak Thruway Big Blue Bus Los Angeles Metro Bus
Construction
Parking	Paid parking nearby, kiss and ride facility
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Share station,[1] and racks
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	October 17, 1875 (1875-10-17)
Rebuilt	May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20)[2]
Previous names	Tool House; Santa Monica
Passengers
FY 2024	4,613 (avg. wkdy boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Terminus E Line 17th Street/SMC toward East Los Angeles
Location

Overview

Santa Monica station and a train, 1894

The station is located in Downtown Santa Monica, off-street in the block bounded by 4th and 5th Streets, Colorado Avenue, and the 10 Freeway.^[5] The site is located in the midst of Santa Monica's Civic Center, within a short walk of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica Pier, the Third Street Promenade, the Civic Auditorium, and Santa Monica High School. The block was formerly the location of a Sears auto center, which was demolished in 2010 to make way for the station.^[6]

A trip from downtown Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles takes 47 minutes.^[7]

During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to and from venues located in Santa Monica and Venice.^[8]

Originally opened in 1875 for the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad with subsequent stops along the coast, the station eventually served Pacific Electric passenger and freight service into the 1980's and was completely rebuilt when converted to light rail service.

Service

Hours and frequency

E Line service hours are from approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m daily. Trains operate every 8 minutes during peak hours, Monday to Friday. Trains run every 10 minutes, during midday on weekdays and weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.^[9]

Connections

As of December 15, 2024^[update], the following connections are available:^[10][11]

• Amtrak Thruway: (at Colorado and 2nd St) 1C to Van Nuys,  Hollywood Burbank Airport, Santa Clarita, and Bakersfield^[12]
• Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica): 1, 2, 3, Rapid 3, 5, 7, Express 7, Rapid 7, 8, 9, Rapid 10, 18
• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 4, 20 (early AM/late night only),^[13] 33, 134, Rapid 720