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LAX via Metro Rail

 

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Arriving to

Los Angeles from LAX

via Metro Rail

Departing from

Los Angeles LAX

via Metro Rail

 

 

 

LAX - Los Angeles International Airport

There are three LAX transportation options to get to and from the airport into the city.

CHEAP: all Metro Rail $1.50, $3.00 or $4.50
REASONABLE: FlyAway Bus and Metro Rail $8.50
TRAFFIC JAM-PRONE EXPENSIVE: cab $45 and up.

 

How to Get into Los Angeles using Metro Rail

Getting into town from LAX via Metro Rail is very inexpensive, but it does require a shuttle bus and changing trains. However, once you are connected to the metro rail system, you have easy access to explore the diverse neighborhoods of the Los Angeles Metro area which include, Hollywood, Pasadena, Long Beach, Culver City and Downtown LA. If you need additional information on things to do and exploring Los Angeles by rail, see LA Adventures: Eclectic Day Trips by Metro Rail through Los Angeles and Beyond.

 

Overview:

*Metro Rail does not run 24 hours. The last train that will get you into downtown L.A. leaves Aviation/LAX Station at 12:03am on weekdays. On Friday and Saturday nights, there are late night trains that run till 2:12am. The first train of the day from Aviation/LAX Station is at 3:59am.

* Click here to find out how to get to the airport

 

The Details:

 

Exit your terminal, and cross to the center median. Look above lax signyour head for the blue sign reading "LAX Shuttle Airline Connections". You'll see a listing for "Metro Green Line Aviation Station". The shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 5 AM to Midnight.

 

Green Line ShuttleBoard the free, natural gas-burning LAX Green Line "G" shuttle. Mingle with jet lagged European tourists and airport workers for the 15 minute ride to the Aviation/LAX Metro Rail station.

 

 

At the Aviation/LAX station, buy a $1.75 one way ticket from the self-service ticket machines. Note: you will need to buy a TAP card first. hen ride the escalator up to the above-ground station.Aviation Kiosk Trains from this station are headed toward Redondo Beach or Norwalk. If you are going to Los Angeles you must take the Norwalk train and transfer at Willowbrook. If you're heading to Redondo Beach {not really the beach, just a station with a breezy name} board a Redondo train.

 

As your train pulls out, the first thing you'll notice is that you're in the middle of a freeway. Depending on the time of day, you'll also notice how much FASTER you're moving than the eight lanes of traffic around you.

 

imperial wilmingtonGet off at station and transfer to the Blue Line. Descend the stairs to the lower platform which services the Blue Line. Board a Long Beach train for Long Beach; a Los Angeles train for Hollywood, Koreatown, Downtown LA, Union Station, Pasadena, or East Los Angeles.

 

The Blue Line ends at 7th Street/Metro Center, in downtown Los Angeles. Total travel time from LAX to 7th Street/Metro Center Station via metro rail is about 60 minutes depending on connections.

 

7th Street Metro Center is a major transfer point for the Blue, Red, Purple, and the Expo Lines. If you're heading for the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, Koreatown, Union Station, Pasadena, or East Los Angeles, you will have to transfer to another line. If you're headed toward USC take the Expo Line from 7th Street Metro Center.

 

Transferring at 7th Street/Metro Center

San Fernando Valley: Transfer to North Hollywood Red Line.

Hollywood: Transfer to North Hollywood Red Line.

Koreatown: Transfer to Wilshire/Western Purple Line.

Union Station: Transfer to Union Station Red Line.

USC/Culver City: Transfer to Expo Line.

 

Pasadena/East L.A. bound travelers: Going all Metro from LAX to Pasadena or East L.A. requires taking all four rail lines (Green, Blue, Red and Gold). Frankly, it's easier to take the FlyAway Bus from the airport to Union Station in downtown LA, then transfer to the Gold Line for a 20 minute ride to Pasadena or the 15-20 minute trip to East L.A.

 

How to Get into Los Angeles from LAX using

FlyAway Bus

LAX FlyAway Bus (1-866-435-9529)

 

Exit your terminal and cross to the center median. Look above your head for the sign reading "FlyAway, Buses and Long Distance Vans". Board the blue FlyAway bus bound for Union Station in downtown LA. The one-way fare is $8.00. Children up to 5 ride for free. The bus runs every half hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The trip to Union Station takes 30-50 minutes, depending on traffic. The FlyAway bus also runs from LAX to Hollywood, dropping you off at the intersection of Highland Ave and Hollywood Blvd, where you can transfer to the Metro Rail Red Line. The FlyAway bus to Hollywood runs from 5:15am to 10:15pm.


You will arrive at Bay 9 at the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, just behind Union Station. Walk down the stairs or ramp into the domed atrium. You'll find the Red Line entry on your left. To reach the Gold Line, walk straight into the tunnel until you reach Tracks 1 and 2.

 

Union Station is still one of the premiere train stations in the country, servicing three separate railway systems: Metro Rail, Metrolink, and Amtrak. Union Station

 

From here you can take Metro Rail to neighborhoods all across L.A, from Chinatown to Pasadena, East L.A, Little Tokyo and Hollywood. You can even take a train to Universal Studios. If you need an idea for great train trips using metro rail, see our guide L.A. Adventures.

 

You can also access Metrolink, a regional rail system connecting L.A. to Orange, Riverside, and Ventura Counties.

 

Amtrak is America's only national railroad network. From Union Station you can literally travel through out the United States by train.

 

Union Station is an attraction in itself, a cavernous, ornate Art Deco masterwork that'll make you wish it were the 1940's and you were about to blow town on a sleeper train to Chicago.

 

Welcome to LA. As you check into your hotel, congratulate yourself. You did the environment a favor and you made it from baggage carousel to front desk for less than $10.00. A cab would've cost you about $45 plus tip, enough for an hour-long Thai massage. You did LAX via Metro Rail, now have some fun.

 

Leaving Los Angeles - Getting to LAX via Metro Rail

O.K. you've had your last Musso and Frank martini and you're blissed out after a day at the spa. You bought a copy of LA Adventures, and did several day trips which saved you a bundle on gas and parking. Just when thought your trip couldn't get any better, the Kogi Truck with guest chef George Clooney, working undercover for a new role, pulls up outside your hotel with free Korean tacos for anyone with a Metro pass. A perfect ending, it's time to go home.

 

You don't need us to tell you how to hail a cab, but if you want to take Metro Rail and FlyAway Bus back to the airport, here's how.

 

Fly Away BusIf you are leaving from Hollywood, Koreatown, Downtown L.A., Pasadena, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, or East Los Angeles, Culver City/USC take Metro Rail to Union Station. Then transfer to the FlyAway Bus, which takes you directly to your airport terminal.

 

If you are leaving from Long Beach or the South Bay, the train is the easiest and cheapest way to get to LAX via Metro Rail. The free shuttle to LAX airport leaves from Aviation/LAX Station Green Line.

 

Shuttle SignFrom Long Beach: Take the Blue Line to , transfer to the Redondo Green Line train. Get off at Aviation/LAX Station, take the escalators downstairs and catch the free shuttle to LAX.

 

From the South Bay: Take the Green Line to Aviation/LAX station. Catch the free shuttle to LAX.

 

 

 

Return from LAX via Metro Rail to Home

 

 

 

 

Guidebook to Los Angeles by Rail

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L.A. Adventures:

100 Fun Sights

15 Day Trips

3 Bicycle Tours

0 Gallons of Gas

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