Union Station (Los Angeles)

For other stations with the same name, seeUnion Station (disambiguation).

Los Angeles Union Stationis the maintrain stationinLos Angeles,California, and the largestpassenger railterminal in theWestern United States.It opened in May 1939 as theLos Angeles Union Passenger Terminal,replacingLa Grande StationandCentral Station.

Los Angeles Union Station
The main building with tracks in the background, 2008
General information
Location	800 NorthAlameda Street Los Angeles,California United States
Coordinates	34°03′19″N118°14′07″W
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	6island platforms(Amtrak/Metrolink) 1 island platform (Metro A Line) 1 island platform (Metro B/D lines) 1 island platform (Metro J Line)
Tracks	12 (Amtrak/Metrolink) 2 (Metro A Line) 2 (Metro B/D lines)
Connections	Seebus and coach services section
Construction
Parking	3,000 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Sharestation,Metro Bike Hub,racksandlockers
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Staffed station building with waiting room
Station code	Amtrak:LAX
Website	unionstationla
History
Opened	May 3, 1939(1939-05-03)
Passengers
FY 2023	1,000,243 annually(Amtrak)
FY 2024	12,231 weekday boardings(Metro)
Services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Hollywood Burbank Airport One-way operation Coast Starlight Terminus Glendale towardSan Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner Fullerton towardSan Diego Terminus Southwest Chief Fullerton towardChicago Sunset Limited Pomona towardNew Orleans Texas Eagle Pomona towardChicago Preceding station Metrolink Following station Terminus 91/Perris Valley Line Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs towardPerris–South Orange County Line Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs towardOceanside Commerce (limited service) towardOceanside Riverside Line Montebello/​Commerce towardRiverside–Downtown San Bernardino Line Cal State L.A. towardSan Bernardino–Downtown San Bernardino LineExpress Cal State L.A. towardRedlands–Downtown Glendale towardLancaster Antelope Valley Line Terminus Glendale towardVentura–East Ventura County Line Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Chinatown towardAzusa A Line Little Tokyo/Arts District towardLong Beach Civic Center/​Grand Park towardNorth Hollywood B Line Terminus Civic Center/​Grand Park towardWilshire/Western D Line Preceding station Metro Busway Following station Civic Center/Grand Park (with interim street stops) towardHarbor GatewayorSan Pedro J Line LA General Medical Center towardEl Monte
Future services Preceding station Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit Following station Chinatown towardDodger Stadium LA ART Proposed opening 2028 Terminus Preceding station Brightline Following station Palmdale towardLas Vegas Brightline West High Desert Corridor Terminus Preceding station California High-Speed Rail Following station Burbank Airport towardsMercedorSan Francisco 4th and King Street Phase I (2033) Terminus Preceding station Metrolink Following station Terminus 91/Perris Valley Line Pico Rivera towardPerris–South San Bernardino Line L.A. General Medical Center towardSan Bernardino–Downtown Moorpark One-way operation Ventura County LineExpress Proposed Terminus Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Civic Center/​Grand Park towardNorth Hollywood B Line Arts District/6th Street Terminus Civic Center/​Grand Park towardWilshire/Western D Line Terminus Southeast Gateway Line Phase 2 Little Tokyo/Arts District towardPioneer
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Glendale towardSacramento Spirit of California 1981-1983 Terminus Terminus Desert Wind 1986-1997 Fullerton towardChicago San Diegan 1938-2000 Fullerton towardSan Diego Desert Wind 1979-1986 Pasadena towardChicago Southwest Chief 1984-1994 Southwest Limited 1974-1984 Super Chief 1971–1974 Las Vegas Limited 1976 Pasadena towardLas Vegas Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Terminus Main Line ViaPasadena,Pomona Lincoln Heights towardChicago Main Line ViaFullerton,Riverside Rivera towardChicago Surf Line Fullerton towardSan Diego Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Terminus Sunset Route Alhambra towardNew Orleans Glendale towardOakland Pier San Joaquin Daylight Terminus Glendale towardSacramento Sacramento Daylight Glendale towardSan Francisco Coast Daylight Lark Glendale towardSan Jose Los Angeles–San Jose River towardSan Francisco Coast Line Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Terminus Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad East Los Angeles towardSalt Lake City Preceding station CalTrain Following station Glendale towardsOxnard Los Angeles–Oxnard Terminus Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Little Tokyo/Arts District (at-grade) Plaza towardAtlantic L Line Chinatown towardAPU/Citrus College
Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentNo.101
Built	1939
Built by	Robert E. McKee Inc.
Architect	John and Donald Parkinson
Architectural style	Moderne,Art Deco,Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP referenceNo.	80000811
LAHCMNo.	101
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 13, 1980
Designated LAHCM	August 2, 1972
Location

Approved in a controversial ballot measure in 1926 and built in the 1930s, it served to consolidate rail services from theUnion Pacific,Santa Fe,andSouthern PacificRailroads into one terminal station. Conceived on a grand scale, Union Station became known as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the United States. The structure combinesArt Deco,Mission Revival,andStreamline Modernestyle. It was placed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1980.

Today, the station is a major transportation hub forSouthern California,serving almost 110,000 passengers a day.It is by far the busiest train station in the Western United States; it is Amtrak's fifth-busiest station, and is thethirteenth-busiesttrain station in North America.

Four ofAmtrak's long-distance trains originate and terminate here: theCoast Starlightto Seattle, theSouthwest ChiefandTexas Eagleto Chicago, and theSunset Limitedto New Orleans. The state-supported AmtrakPacific Surflinerregional trains run frequently to San Diego and also to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The station is the hub of theMetrolinkcommuter rail system and is a major transfer point for severalMetro Raillight rail and rapid transit lines. ThePatsaouras Transit Plaza,on the east side of the station, serves dozens ofbuslines operated byMetroand several other municipal carriers.

History

Pre-unification passenger railway stations of Los Angeles,c. 1920(clockwise from top left):Pacific Electric Building(Pacific Electric),Central Station(Southern Pacific),Salt Lake Station,(Union Pacific),La Grande Station(Santa Fe)

The city council of Los Angeles had desired since the 1910s to construct aUnion stationto replace the existing three terminal stations in Los Angeles: theSanta Fe'sLa Grande Station,theSouthern Pacific'sCentral Station,and theUnion Pacific'sSalt Lake Station.As the proposed station would be built and owned by the city and open to all prospective railroads, it threatened to break these three railroads' control over rail traffic into and out of the city. Their opposition led to a series of legal cases that were still not resolved by 1925, when the railroads offered a compromise solution. The Union Pacific's Salt Lake Station had burned down in 1924, forcing it to rent space in the Southern Pacific's Central Station. The railroads proposed to make this arrangement permanent, reducing the number of terminals to two, while also constructing a large network ofelevated tracksat their own expense, to be used by them and thePacific Electric.Not only would the new electrified tracks link the two terminals, but they would eliminatestreet runningon some of the busiest streets in Los Angeles.

The railroads' proposal immediately generated public controversy for and against the proposal, and in February 1926 the council agreed to place a non-binding question on the ballot asking voters whether they were in favor of the city council's union station proposal or the railroads' elevated railway plan. Proposition 8 asked "Shall a Union Railway Passenger Terminal for all steam railroads be established in the City of Los Angeles?", while Proposition 9 asked whether the proposed station should be built in Los Angeles Plaza. The issue became extremely heated, with both sides fiercely arguing their point. Elevated railway proponents, such as theLos Angeles Examinerand the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, pointed to the safety benefits of the elimination of grade crossings and the benefits to businesses of reduced traffic congestion, as well as claiming that the proposed union station site would cause heavy road congestion. Union station proponents, such as theLos Angeles Timesand many homeowner associations, claimed that elevated railways harmed property values, made streets dangerously dark, produced unacceptable levels of noise, and were less safe than other forms of railroad. As the Los Angeles Plaza was near Los Angeles'original Chinatown,the debate took on racial connotations as well, with theExaminerclaiming that being near Chinatown would mean that visitors to the city would receive a bad first impression, and theTimescountering by arguing that the construction of the station would allow for urban renewal that would "spell the passing of Chinatown".

When the two propositions were finally put to a vote, both passed; Proposition 8 by a 61.3 to 38.7 percent margin, and Proposition 9 by a much smaller 51.1 to 48.9 percent margin. However, largely due to the efforts of preservationistChristine SterlingandLos Angeles TimespublisherHarry Chandler,Union Station would not replace the Plaza, but be built across the street in Chinatown,which was demolished for the project.During the construction process of Union Station, archaeological remains from theTongvavillage ofYaangawere uncovered.Researcher Joan Brown summarized this in 1992:

Previous archaeological studies conducted at and near Union Station indicate that buried intact prehistoric and historic deposits exist in-situ beneath and in the vicinity of Union Station. The extent of the archaeological deposits is unknown at this time. Union Station was constructed on three to twenty feet of fill dirt placed over the original Los Angeles Chinatown. Chinatown, in turn, had been built over the remains of an Indian village, tentatively identified as the village of Yangna.

The glamorous new $11 million station (in 1939 dollars)took over fromLa Grande Stationwhich had suffered major damage in the1933 Long Beach earthquakeandCentral Station,which had itself replaced theArcade Depotin 1914.

Passenger service was provided by theSanta Fe,Southern Pacific,andUnion Pacific,as well as local lines of thePacific Electric RailwayandLos Angeles Railway(LARy).The famedSuper Chiefluxury train carried Hollywood stars and others toChicagoand thence the East Coast. Union Station saw heavy use duringWorld War II,but later saw declining patronage due to the growing popularity of air travel and automobiles.

In 1948, the Santa Fe'sSuper Chieflost its brakes coming into the station, smashed through a steel bumper and concrete wall, and stopped with one third of the front of the locomotive dangling over Aliso St. No one was killed or injured, but the engineer lost his job.

Santa Fe'scombinedSuper Chief/El Capitanat the station in 1966

The station was designated as a Los Angeles Historic–Cultural Monument No. 101 on August 2, 1972, and placed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1980.

The first commuter rail service to Union Station was the short-livedCalTrainthat began operating on October 18, 1982, between Los Angeles andOxnard.The service faced economic and political problems from the start and was suspended in March 1983. The next attempt at commuter rail came in 1990 with the launch of theAmtrak-operatedOrange County Commuter.The once-daily round-trip served stations between Los Angeles andSan Juan Capistrano.

In December 1989, the Santa Fe Pacific Realty Co purchased Southern Pacific's shareholding in the station, followed in January 1990 by Union Pacific's 22% and Santa Fe's 34%.

Metrolink commuter railservice began on October 26, 1992, with Union Station as the terminus for theSan Bernardino Line,the Santa Clarita Line (later renamed theAntelope Valley Line) and theVentura County Line.In January 1993, Metro'sRed Linesubwaybegan service to the station, followed by Metrolink'sRiverside Linein June. TheOrange County Commutertrain was discontinued on March 28, 1994, and replaced by Metrolink'sOrange County Line.In May 2002, Metrolink added additional service to stations in Orange and Riverside counties with the opening of the 91 Line (now the91/Perris Valley Line.)

Light rail service arrived at Union Station on July 26, 2003, when Metro'sGold Linebegan operating to Pasadena from tracks 1 and 2. The line was expanded south over US 101 in November 2009 with the opening of the Gold Line Eastside Extension.

In February 2011, the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) approved the purchase of Union Station from Prologis andCatellus Development(a descendant of the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads) for $75 million. The deal was closed on April 14, 2011.Since taking over ownership of the station, Metro has focused on increasing services for passengers at the station. One of the most noticeable changes is the addition of several retail and dining businesses to the concourse.

Amtrak opened a Metropolitan Lounge at Union Station on September 23, 2013.The lounge is open to Amtrak passengers traveling in sleeping car accommodations as well as someAmtrak Guest Rewardsmembers (Select Plus and Select Executive levels only).The lounge features a staffed ticket counter, complimentary refreshments, complimentaryWi-Fi,and a conference room. Passengers using the Metropolitan Lounge receive priority boarding.

Metro plans to installBluetoothbeacons in Union Station to enable sendingtext messagesto travelers'smartphones.

On March 15, 2021, it was announced that the station would serve as a joint venue of the93rd Academy Awardsalong with theDolby Theatredue to theimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema.The ceremony was criticized for limiting access to the station and itsCOVID-19 testingsite due to security measures mandated by the Academy.

On October 19, 2022, Greyhound moved its primary Los Angeles station to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza at Union Station.

Architecture

The waiting room

The restored waiting room ceiling in 2022

The original ticket lobby, with the ticket counter at the right

Union Station was partially designed byJohn and Donald Parkinson,the father-and-son architectural firm who had also designedLos Angeles City Halland other landmark Los Angeles buildings. They were assisted by a group of supporting architects, including Jan van der Linden. The structure combinesArt Deco,Mission Revival,andStreamline Modernestyle, with architectural details such as eight-pointed stars, and even elements ofDutch Colonial Revival architecture(at the suggestion of the Dutch-born Jan von der Linden).

Enclosed garden patios are on either side of the waiting room, and passengers exiting the trains were originally directed through the southern garden. The lower parts of the interior walls are covered intravertinemarble; the upper parts have an early form of acoustical tile. The floor in the large rooms isterra cottawith a central strip of inlaid marble (including travertine, somewhat unusual in floors since it is soft). The ceiling in the grand waiting room has the appearance of wood, but is actually made of steel.

The original ticket lobby has 62-foot (19 m) high ceilings and a 110-foot (34 m) counter. It is closed to the public, but occasionally rented out for film shoots or special events.Public arthas been added to the station including an aquarium with a wall featuring etchings ofTongvaand Latino settlers such asPío Pico.

Inside the grand waiting room is the Traxx restaurant and bar, which is Art Deco-themed, reflecting the history and architectural grandeur of its home. The restaurant opened in the late 1990s, and became a "top draw" at Union Station, according to the Los Angeles Times.Traxx closed between May and September 2019 as ownership of the restaurant changed.

Attached to the main building to the south is the station restaurant designed by the famed Southwestern architectMary Colter.It was the last of the "Harvey House"restaurants to be constructed as a part of a passenger terminal. The vast rectangular dining room has a rounded central counter, streamlined booths and inlaid cement tile floor in the pattern of aNavajo blanket.

Colter also designed a sleek,Streamline Modernecocktail lounge. The restaurant closed in 1967 and for decades remained largely empty, used only for the occasional film shoot or special event.In October 2018, following a four-year renovation process, the dining room re-opened as the "Imperial Western Beer Co.," a restaurant and bar with its own attached brewery, and the cocktail lounge re-opened as "The Streamliner," a smallercraft cocktailbar.

Even with its grand scale, Union Station is still considered small in comparison to otherunion stations.

Public art

Although Union Station contains no distinct sculptures or artworks from its early years, Metro rail development in the 1990s funded the installation of a variety of notablepublic artmurals and sculptural installations for the station's new subterranean lobbies, portals and subway platforms.The following Union Station public artworks include murals, granite seating sculptures, electronic wall-mounted art, glass mosaics, and a river-themed sculptural installation incorporating found objects from the subway excavation and an aquarium of native sea life.

• L.A.: City of Angels(1993) byCynthia Carlson
• Traveler(1993) by Terry Schoonhoven
• Union Chairs(1993) by Christopher Sproat
• La Sombra del Arroyo(1995) byEast Los Streetscapers
• City of Dreams(1996) byRichard Wyatt Jr.
• River of History(1996) byMay Sun
• Riverbench(1996) by May Sun and Paul Diez
• A-Train(1996) byBill Bell
• Solar Shift: San Bernardino and Santa Monica(2006) byRoy Nicholson

Location

Union Station and theMTA Building,with theTwin Towers Correctional Facilityto the left of the latter

An aerial view of LA Union Station area in 2014.

Union Station track map
Upper Level
North Vignes Street Garden Tracks East Cesar E Chavez Avenue Metro Headquarters Building 6A 8A 10A 3 5 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 Patsaouras Transit Plaza 4 6 12 14 Baggage lane El Monte Busway US 101 Link Union Station
Lower Level

Union Station is located in the northeastern corner ofDowntown Los Angeles,on the property bounded byAlameda Street,Cesar Chavez Avenue,Vignes Street, and theHollywood Freeway.It is across Alameda Street from L.A.'s historicOlvera StreetandEl Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park.The historicTerminal Annexbuilding is on the opposite side of the Chavez Avenue underpass.ChinatownandCivic Centerare a short distance away.

ThePatsaouras Transit Plazaon the east side of Union Station hosts several connecting bus lines, including Metro Local, Metro Rapid and Metro Express lines, as well as downtownDASHshuttles, many municipal bus lines,FlyAway expressbus service toLos Angeles International Airport,Greyhoundbuses, andUniversity of Southern Californiacampus shuttles. The Transit Plaza is named afterNick Patsaouras,former RTD board member and advocate for public transportation.

The Gateway Transit Center includes the station itself and the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, both of which were designed byEhrenkrantz & Eckstut,along with the western terminus of the El Monte Busway, as well as Metro's headquarters building.

As of October 2019,Amtrak and Metrolink share 12 of Union Station's 14 outdoor tracks, with 94 trains departing on most weekdays (95 on Wednesday, 96 on Friday).

Services

Metrolink and Amtrak trains at Union Station

Amtrak

Amtrak long-distance routes

Union Station is the western terminus for four of Amtrak'slong-distance trains:

• Coast Starlight,toSeattle(daily, service began 1971)
• Southwest Chief,toChicago(daily, service began 1939 asSuper Chief,renamedSouthwest Limitedin 1974 andSouthwest Chiefin 1984)
• Sunset Limited,toNew Orleans(tri-weekly, service began 1939)
• Texas Eagle,to Chicago (tri-weekly, service began 1982): Runs combined with theSunset Limitedto San Antonio, where the train is split.

Amtrak California regional routes

Amtrak Californiaoperates multiple-times-daily regional rail services to cities across the state:

• Pacific Surfliner,fromSan DiegotoSan Luis Obispovia Los Angeles (service began 1939 asSan Diegan,renamedPacific Surflinerin 2000): 13 daily round trips, most of which originate and terminate here; three run toGoletaand two run to San Luis Obispo.
• Connections to theSan JoaquinstoOaklandorSacramentoare provided through Amtrak Thruway services.(see below)

Metrolink

The station is the hub forMetrolinkand six of Metrolink's eight lines serve the station:

• Antelope Valley Line,toLancaster(service began 1992)
• Riverside Line,toRiverside(service began 1993)
• Orange County Line,toOceanside(service began 1990 as theAmtrakOrange County Commuter)
• San Bernardino Line,toSan Bernardino(service began 1992)
• Ventura County Line,toVentura(service began 1992)
• 91/Perris Valley Line,toPerris(service began 2002)

Metro Rail

ThreeMetro Raillines serve the station with about 300 Metro Rail trains departing every weekday. The B and D lines are heavy rail, and share a platform underground, while the A Line uses tracks one and two outside.

Metro Rail B and D lines

The Metro Rail B and D line platform

The Metro RailBandDsubwaylines have their eastern terminus at Union Station and share two tracks below Union Station.There are two entrances to the platform: one is located inside Union Station's main concourse on the west side of the complex, near Alameda Street, and the other is located near the Patsaouras Transit Plaza on the east side of the complex.

Metro Rail A Line

The Metro Rail A Line platform

The Metro RailA Lineis a light rail line that passes through Union Station as it travels betweenAzusaandLong Beach.Trains use Tracks 1 and 2 of Union Station's 14 outdoor tracks. The platform is accessible viastaircaseandelevatorfrom the main passenger tunnel. From the Gold line's opening on July 26, 2003, until the segment to East Los Angeles opened on November 15, 2009, this station was the southern terminus. The platform features an art installation, entitledImages of Commonality/Nature and Movement,created byBeth Thielen.

The platform station was formerly served by theL Line,which permanently closed on June 16, 2023, for the opening of the Regional Connector. The A Line now services the tracks north ofLittle Tokyo/Arts District,including Union Station.

Metro Busway

Metro J Line

El Monte Busway platform

OneMetro Buswaybus rapid transit line makes a stop at thePatsaouras Transit Plaza.The Metro BuswayJ Lineoperates betweenEl Monte Bus Station,Downtown Los Angeles,Harbor Gateway Transit Centerand select trips toSan Pedrousing theEl Monte BuswayandHarbor Transitway.

Bus and coach services

Further information:Patsaouras Transit Plaza

Long-distance motorcoach

Amtrak Thruway

Buses at theAmtrak Thruwayboarding area of Los Angeles Union Station.

Amtrak Californiaoperates several motorcoach routes under theAmtrak Thruwaybrand from Union Station using dedicated bus bays at the north side of the station.

Connections toSan Joaquinstrains are provided through bus route 1 that travel to and from theBakersfield Amtrak Station.Direct rail service to Bakersfield is not possible because passenger trains are not normally allowed on theTehachapi Loopnear Bakersfield. When trains are not running during the overnight hours several bus routes provide service along the Pacific Surfliner route (to Santa Barbara, San Diego and select intermediate stations) and the San Joaquin route (to Fresno and select intermediate stations.):

• Route 1:Bakersfield – Los Angeles – Santa Ana – San Diego

Flixbus

While it does not stop on the Union Station property,Flixbusprovides intercity service to destinations across the Western United States from a parking lot across the street from the station on the northwest corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Vignes Street.

Greyhound

Greyhound Lines operates its main Los Angeles station from the Patsaouras Transit Plaza.The station opened on October 19, 2022, replacing a station located at 7th and Alameda in the Arts District.

Metro and municipal buses

Bus services using thePatsaouras Transit Plaza:

• Los Angeles Metro Bus:30,33,40
• Antelope Valley Transit Authority:785*
• City of Commerce Transit:600
• City of Santa Clarita Transit:794*
• LAX FlyAway
• LADOT Commuter Express:Bunker Hill Shuttle*,431*,438*,448*,534*
• LADOT DASH:D
• Mount St. Mary's CollegeShuttle*
• University of Southern CaliforniaShuttles:UPC,HSC,ICS

Bus services using the Union Station Patsaouras Bus Plaza Station, which is located in the median of theEl Monte Buswaynext to US-101:

• Los Angeles Metro Busway:J Line
• Los Angeles Metro Bus: Express487,Express489*
• Foothill Transit:Silver Streak,490*,493*,495*,497*,498*,499*,699*

Bus services using the bus stop on Cesar Chavez Avenue & Vignes Street (northeast corner of station):

• Los Angeles Metro Bus:28,70,78
• LADOT DASH: Lincoln Heights/Chinatown

Bus services using the bus stop on Alameda Street & Los Angeles Street (outside western entrance):

• Los Angeles Metro Bus:76
• Big Blue Bus:Rapid 10*
• LADOT DASH: B
• Torrance Transit:4X*

Bus service using the bus stop on the west side of Union Station (near the taxi stand and the Mozaic Apartments):

• Dodger Stadium Express(home games during baseball season only)

* Indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

Future expansion

Link Union Station

A Metrolink train at Union Station

With the number of trains using Union Station expanding, thestub-endlayout of trackage is limiting the station's capacity. Trains can only enter or exit from the north side of the station.The configuration forces trains without cab-cars to slowly reverse in or out of the station and trains heading to or from the south to make a near-180 degree turn. Compounding the problem, is that while the station has 14 boarding tracks, multiple trains must squeeze onto just 5 tracks.

Originally, there were more tracks at "the throat", but Metrolink had some removed to allow for faster speeds along the curves in and out of the station to improve efficiency as they enter or exit the station. This choke-point can delay arriving trains as they are forced to wait outside of the station to allow a departing train to exit the station. Departures are usually given priority, to free up platforms and to keep them from experiencing delays along their route.

Therefore, Metro has proposed the Link Union Station (Link US,formerly named Southern California Regional Interconnector) Project, which would extend tracks 3–10 as run-through tracks, which will exit Union Station and cross over theEl Monte BuswayandUS Route 101/Santa Ana Fwyon a long, elevated "S-curve" that will tie into the existing tracks along the Los Angeles River. The plan also includes tracks along the river that would create a "loop" around the station allowing all trains (including those to/from the north or west) to use the run-though tracks.

Metro authorized preliminary engineering for the project in July 2012. A Request For Proposals (RFP) for Link Union Station was being prepared as of June 2013.The $31-million contract for the engineering work on the project was approved on April 24, 2014.The project's estimated value is $350 million.

During construction, several tracks may be taken out of service due to their extension. To make up for the temporary loss of those platforms, track 13 was revitalized for use and tracks 14 & 15 were re-constructed. The project was completed on October 17, 2012.Once the Link US project is finished, the run-through tracks and tracks 13–14 will be in regular use (track 15 will be used for storage), resulting in a 40% increase in track capacity.

On July 27, 2019, the Metro board officially approved and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Link US Union Station run-through tracks project. The FIER has an expanded central concourse hallway to replace the new elevated concourse proposed in the Draft EIR, and also eliminated the loop tracks. These modifications reduced project costs while prioritizing rider convenience while transferring between trains.A funding plan for the project was approved on April 21, 2020, with the project's Phase A completion targeted for 2028.

In 2021, this project began construction, causing partial closure of platforms at this station.As of October 2023,Metro estimates that the first phase of the project will open in 2028.

Former Run-Through Tracks Project

California Department of Transportation(Caltrans) and theFederal Railroad Administrationpreviously drafted a plan to create run-through tracks at Union Station, but the project involved just four tracks and lacked the station "loop" limiting usage of the tracks just to trains heading to or from the south.

The finalenvironmental impact reportfor the "Los Angeles Union Station Run-Through Tracks Project" was published by the FRA in November 2005.

California High-Speed Rail

A slide from a LINK US Project Update on June 29, 2023 depicting the planned track run-thru at LA Union Station.

Union Station is planned to be a major hub for the futureCalifornia High-Speed RailSystem. Upon completion, it is projected that passengers will be able to get from Union Station to theSalesforce Transit Centerin the city of San Francisco in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

As a part of its Master Plan, Metro studied how to best integrate tracks and platforms for high-speed trains arrival into Union Station. Options included an aerial structure above the existing platforms, an underground structure under Alameda Street, an underground structure under Vignes Street and an aerial structure east of Vignes.All plans include a new concourse for high-speed rail passengers and three platforms with six tracks.

Since that time, theLink US projecthas resulted in changes to how High-Speed Rail (HSR) will be brought into Union Station. That project's Final Environmental Report (FEIR) released in June 2019 indicates that HSR will approach the station from the north, on tracks 3 thru 6, use rebuilt station platforms 2 and 3, then exit to the south onto a new viaduct over the El Monte Busway and Santa Ana Freeway, which curves east (over a rebuilt and relocated Commercial Street) to return to the existing rail corridor along the west bank of theLos Angeles River.Thus, only four tracks and two platforms at Union Station will be used for HSR, with the remaining six tracks being converted to thru status and using the new viaduct to be shared by Metrolink and Amtrak lines. Tracks 13 thru 15 will remain stubs, ending at the south side of the station.

Construction on the run-thru track is expected to start between 2023-2025 with a planned completion between 2028-2033.

Southeast Gateway Line

Main article:Southeast Gateway Line

Metro selected Union Station as the eventual northern terminus of the plannedSoutheast Gateway Linein 2022.The new light rail line will serve new platforms either at the Forecourt or behind the Metropolitan Water District Building and may open as early as 2043.

Dodger Stadium gondola

Main article:Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit

The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit Project is a proposedaerial gondolaconnecting the station toDodger Stadium.

Brightline West

Main article:Brightline West

The proposed Brightline West high speed line is scheduled to begin construction betweenLas VegasandRancho Cucamongain late 2023 and is expected to be operational in mid-late 2027.It is planned to connect to Los Angeles Union Station via existing Metrolink services, though Metrolink schedules will line up with Brightline schedules to allow for transfers.

Dreamstar Lines

Dreamstar Linesintends to launch an overnight passenger train service from Union Station toSan Francisco4th and King Street stationin 2025.

In popular culture

ActressKim Novakat Union Station (1956)

The facility served as a backdrop for the 1950 filmUnion Station,which starredWilliam HoldenandNancy Olson.It has since been used in numerous films as afilming location,typically as a stand in for other fictional locations,including:

• Blade Runner(as a police station)
• Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
• Drag Me to Hell
• Gable and Lombard
• Bugsy
• Nick of Time
• Pearl Harbor
• Chandler
• In the Mood
• Private Eye(1987TV moviestarringJosh Brolin)
• Silver Streak
• The Way We Were
• Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth
• Under the Rainbow
• To Live and Die in L.A.
• Muppets Most Wanted
• The Island
• The Italian Job
• Cry Danger
• Union Station
• Garfield: The Movie
• The Dark Knight Rises(as Gotham City kangaroo court)

Union Station has been featured in numerous television shows, such asAdam-12,24,Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,andEuphoria.

It has also been featured in video games; Union Station, as it was in the late 1940s, appears inL.A. Noire,while a smaller fictionalized version of the station appears inGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasas Unity Station.

Union Station was featured inVisiting... withHuell HowserEpisode 222.

The music videos ofBackstreet Boys' "Chances",Fiona Apple's "Paper Bag,""Drops of Jupiter"by American bandTrain,directed byNigel Dick;and "Last Train Home"byJohn Mayer,directed byCameron Duddy;were filmed in Union Station.A significant portion of the music video for "Vermilion"by the bandSlipknotwas filmed within Union Station.

See also

• List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
• Los Angeles Metro Rail
• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
• Los Angeles Metro Rail rolling stock
• Martin F. Betkouski,City Council member accused of profiting from land transactions in the area before Union Station was built

Further reading

• Musicant, Marlyn, ed., with Deverell, William and Roth, Matthew W.Los Angeles Union Station(Los Angeles): Getty, 2014. xvi, pp. 109; heavily illustrated.

Waiting area

External links

• Official website

• Los Angeles, CA – Amtrak
• Los Angeles, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• L.A. Union Station – Metrolink
• Union Station overview (LA Metro)
• Map of connections in the Union Station area (LA Metro)
• Map of bus services from Union Station (LA Metro)
• Los Angeles station information (Amtrak Texas Eagle)ArchivedMarch 2, 2017, at theWayback Machine
• Public Art Works at the Union Station and in El PuebloArchivedAugust 9, 2020, at theWayback Machine
• "Union Station"Visiting... with Huell Howser(Episode 222 – September 26, 1994)