Metro's Expo Line Begins Test Runs

L.A. County Metro towed an empty car at a leisurely 2 mph from 23rd and Flower Street to Exposition Boulevard near USC to take measurements, test for clearance issues and monitor the car. 

Officials taped thick foam pads to the side of the train to make sure it didn't hit anything along the rail.

Those tests were the first of many Metro will perform before the line's official opening, which is slated for Nov. 15, 2011. That first phase will take passengers from downtown Los Angeles to La Cienega Boulevard, just east of Culver City, in half an hour.  The last 0.7 miles should be done in early 2012.

Construction costs, originally set at $640 million, have ballooned to $930.6 million. Officials told the Los Angeles Times  that by 2020, an average of 27,000 will ride the line from downtown to Culver City each week. They estimate that by 2030, 64,000 will take it to Santa Monica.

The project has sparked enthusiasm among commuters since it was proposed more than a decade ago.