Green Light for the Green Line

The Green Line trolley, connecting Norwalk and Redondo Beach, is the third leg of a countywide rail system. The line opens Saturday, and is free to the public this weekend.

Commuter runs will begin Monday at a two-week introductory cost of 25 cents. Most of the 20-mile route runs down the middle of the Century Freeway (I-105).

Facts and Figures

* Where it goes: Between Norwalk and Redondo Beach.

* Where it doesn’t go: Stops a few miles short of LAX.

* Overall cost: About $950 million.

* Construction time: 4 1/2 years.

* Trains: Fifteen trains, each accommodating 230 passengers. The new cars look like Blue Line cars, including the blue stripes, allowing them to be used on either line.

* Hours: About 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.

* Frequency: Trains will arrive every 7 1/2 minutes during rush hour, every 12 minutes otherwise.

* Speed: 55 m.p.h.

* Fare: Beginning Sept. 1, the Green Line will cost $1.35 each way. Token users pay 90 cents. Blue Line and MTA bus transfers will be 25 cents.

* Artwork: Each of the stations, designed cooperatively by artists and architects, bears a different theme, from Native American myths to images of children at play.

* Connections: Passengers can transfer to the Long Beach-Los Angeles Metro Blue Line at the Imperial Highway/Wilmington Avenue station. Numerous MTA bus lines offer service to individual stations; call 1-800-COMMUTE for schedules.

* Parking: Twelve stations offer park-and-ride lots.

* Security: Uniformed and plainclothes MTA security officers will patrol parking lots, stations and trains. Sensors between the rails at stations will allow trains to be stopped automatically if something falls onto the tracks.

* Airport shuttle: Operates between the Aviation Station and the airline terminals. Free shuttles will operate seven days a week during Green Line operating hours.

There will be a 90-space park-and-ride lot.

GREEN LINE STATIONS

1. I-605/I-105 Station

* 12359 Hoxie Ave., Norwalk.

* 1,550-space park-and-ride lot.

2. Lakewood Boulevard/I-105

* 12801 Lakewood Blvd., Downey.

* 450-space park-and-ride lot.

3. Long Beach Boulevard/I-105

* 11508 Long Beach Blvd., Lynwood.

* 575-space park-and-ride lot.

4. Imperial Highway/Wilmington Avenue

* 11651 Wilmington Ave., Los Angeles.

* 500-space park-and-ride lot.

* Transfer point to the Long Beach-Los Angeles Blue Line.

5. Avalon Boulevard/I-105

* 11667 S. Avalon Blvd., Los Angeles.

* 165-space park-and-ride lot.

6. Harbor Freeway/I-105

* 11500 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.

* 220-space park-and-ride lot.

7. Vermont Avenue/I-105

* 11603 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

* 275-space park-and-ride lot.

8. Crenshaw Boulevard/I-105

* 11801 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood.

* 521-space park-and-ride lot.

* Serves residents of Gardena and eastern parts of Inglewood and Hawthorne.

9. Hawthorne Boulevard/I-105

* 11132 Hawthorne Blvd., Hawthorne.

* 750-space park-and-ride lot.

10. Aviation Boulevard/I-105

* 11500 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles.

* 525-space park-and-ride lot.

* At Aviation Boulevard and Imperial Highway, the line turns south to Redondo Beach.

11. Mariposa Avenue/Nash Street

* 555 N. Nash St., El Segundo.

* No parking lot.

* Serves El Segundo employment and business area.

12. El Segundo Boulevard/Nash Street

* 2226 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles.

* 90-space park-and-ride lot.

13. Douglas Street/Rosecrans Avenue

* 700 S. Douglas St., El Segundo.

* No parking lot.

14. Marine Avenue/Redondo Beach Avenue

* 2406 Marine Ave., Redondo Beach.

* 340-space park-and-ride lot.

Researched and compiled by CECILIA RASMUSSEN / Los Angeles Times