Union Station (Los Angeles)

Los Angeles Union Station
Amtrak Metrolink (California) A Line  B Line  D Line  J Line 
The main building with tracks in the background, 2008
General information
Location800 North Alameda Street
Los Angeles, California
United States
Coordinates34°03′19″N 118°14′07″W / 34.05515°N 118.23525°W / 34.05515; -118.23525
Owned byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms
  • 6 island 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)
ConnectionsSee bus and coach services section
Construction
Parking3,000 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilitiesMetro Bike Share station,[2] Metro Bike Hub, racks and lockers[3]
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusStaffed station building with waiting room
Station codeAmtrak: LAX
Websiteunionstationla.com
History
OpenedMay 3, 1939; 85 years ago (1939-05-03)
Passengers
FY 20231,000,243 annually[4] (Amtrak)
FY 202412,231 weekday boardings[5] (Metro)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Hollywood Burbank Airport
One-way operation
Coast Starlight Terminus
Glendale Pacific Surfliner Fullerton
toward San Diego
Terminus Southwest Chief Fullerton
toward Chicago
Sunset Limited Pomona
Texas Eagle Pomona
toward Chicago
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Terminus 91/Perris Valley Line Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs
Orange County Line Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs
toward Oceanside
Commerce
(limited service)
toward Oceanside
Riverside Line Montebello/​Commerce
San Bernardino Line Cal State L.A.
San Bernardino Line Express Cal State L.A.
Glendale
toward Lancaster
Antelope Valley Line Terminus
Glendale Ventura County Line
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Chinatown
toward Azusa
A Line Little Tokyo/Arts District
toward Long Beach
Civic Center/​Grand Park B Line Terminus
Civic Center/​Grand Park D Line
Preceding station Metro Busway Following station
Civic Center/Grand Park
(with interim street stops)
J Line
LA General Medical Center
toward El Monte
Future services
Preceding station Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit Following station
Chinatown LA ART
Proposed opening 2028
Terminus
Preceding station Brightline Following station
Palmdale
toward Las Vegas
Brightline West Terminus
Preceding station California High-Speed Rail Following station
Burbank Airport Phase I
(2033)
Terminus
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Terminus 91/Perris Valley Line Pico Rivera
San Bernardino Line L.A. General Medical Center
Moorpark
One-way operation
Ventura County Line Express
Proposed
Terminus
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Civic Center/​Grand Park B Line Arts District/6th Street
Terminus
Civic Center/​Grand Park D Line
Terminus Southeast Gateway Line
Phase 2
Little Tokyo/Arts District
toward Pioneer
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Glendale
toward Sacramento
Spirit of California
1981-1983
Terminus
Terminus Desert Wind
1986-1997
Fullerton
toward Chicago
San Diegan
1938-2000
Fullerton
toward San Diego
Desert Wind
1979-1986
Pasadena
toward Chicago
Southwest Chief
1984-1994
Southwest Limited
1974-1984
Super Chief
1971–1974
Las Vegas Limited
1976
Pasadena
toward Las Vegas
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Terminus Main Line Lincoln Heights
toward Chicago
Main Line Rivera
toward Chicago
Surf Line Fullerton
toward San Diego
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
Terminus Sunset Route Alhambra
Glendale San Joaquin Daylight Terminus
Glendale
toward Sacramento
Sacramento Daylight
Glendale Coast Daylight
Lark
Glendale
toward San Jose
Los Angeles – San Jose
River Coast Line
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Terminus Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad East Los Angeles
Preceding station CalTrain Following station
Glendale
towards Oxnard
Los Angeles–Oxnard Terminus
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Little Tokyo/Arts District
(at-grade) Plaza
toward Atlantic
L Line Chinatown
Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal
Built1939
Built byRobert E. McKee Inc.
ArchitectJohn and Donald Parkinson
Architectural styleModerne, Art Deco, Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No.80000811[6]
LAHCM No.101
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 13, 1980
Designated LAHCMAugust 2, 1972
Location
Map

Los Angeles Union Station is the main train station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest passenger rail terminal in the Western United States.[7] It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande Station and Central Station.

Approved in a controversial ballot measure in 1926 and built in the 1930s, it served to consolidate rail services from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific Railroads 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 combines Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne style. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Today, the station is a major transportation hub for Southern California, serving almost 110,000 passengers a day.[8] It is by far the busiest train station in the Western United States; it is Amtrak's fifth-busiest station, and is the thirteenth-busiest train station in North America.

Four of Amtrak's long-distance trains originate and terminate here: the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle to Chicago, and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans. The state-supported Amtrak Pacific Surfliner regional trains run frequently to San Diego and also to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The station is the hub of the Metrolink commuter rail system and is a major transfer point for several Metro Rail light rail and rapid transit lines. The Patsaouras Transit Plaza, on the east side of the station, serves dozens of bus lines operated by Metro and several other municipal carriers.[9]

  1. ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Station Map". Metro Bike Share. January 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Secure Bike Parking on Metro" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "FY2024 Ridership by Station". misken67 via Los Angeles Metro Public Records. August 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference nris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Union Station > History". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "Metro Board approves Union Station Master Plan, allowing near-term projects to go forward | Metro's The Source". Thesource.metro.net. October 23, 2014. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  9. ^ "Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan". Metro. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.