Los Angeles Union Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Los Angeles Union Station
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The main building with tracks in the background, 2008
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| Location | 800 North Alameda Street Los Angeles, California United States |
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| Coordinates | 34°03′19″N 118°14′07″W / 34.05515°N 118.23525°W | |||
| Owned by | Los Angeles Metro | |||
| Platforms |
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| Tracks |
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| Connections | See bus and coach services section | |||
| Construction | ||||
| Parking | 2,189 spaces | |||
| Bicycle facilities | Metro Bike Share station, Metro Bike Hub, racks and lockers | |||
| Other information | ||||
| Status | Staffed station building with waiting room | |||
| Station code | Amtrak: LAX | |||
| History | ||||
| Opened | May 3, 1939 | |||
| Traffic | ||||
| Passengers (FY2019) | 1,413,006 annually (Amtrak) | |||
| Passengers (FY 2025) | 14,544 weekday boardings (Metro) | |||
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Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal
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| Built | 1939 | |||
| Built by | Robert E. McKee Inc. | |||
| Architect | John and Donald Parkinson | |||
| Architectural style | Moderne, Art Deco, Mission/Spanish Revival | |||
| NRHP reference No. | 80000811 | |||
| Significant dates | ||||
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1980 | |||
Los Angeles Union Station is the main train station in Los Angeles, California. It is the largest passenger train hub in the Western United States. The station opened in May 1939. It replaced three older stations: La Grande Station, Central Station, and Salt Lake Station.
People voted in 1926 to build this station. It was built in the 1930s to bring together train services from different companies like Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific. Union Station is famous as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the U.S. Its design mixes Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne styles. It became a protected historic place in 1980.
Today, Union Station is a very important travel center for Southern California. About 110,000 passengers use it every day. It is the busiest train station in the Western U.S. It is also Amtrak's fifth-busiest station and the thirteenth-busiest in North America.
Many long-distance Amtrak trains start or end here. These include the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle to Chicago, and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans. Regional trains like the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner also run often to San Diego, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. Union Station is also the main center for the Metrolink commuter train system. It's a key spot to switch to different Metro Rail light rail and subway lines. The Patsaouras Transit Plaza, on the east side, serves many bus lines from Los Angeles Metro and other local companies.
Contents
History
Building a Central Train Hub
Since the 1910s, leaders in Los Angeles wanted one main train station. This "union station" would replace three smaller ones: La Grande Station, Central Station, and Salt Lake Station. The idea was to make train travel easier for everyone.
The plan faced challenges from the existing train companies. They had their own stations and didn't want to lose control. In 1925, they suggested building elevated tracks instead. This would connect their two remaining stations and remove trains from busy streets.
Public Vote and Location Choice
The city council asked voters to decide in 1926. People had to choose between the city's plan for a union station or the train companies' elevated tracks. There was a big debate. Supporters of elevated tracks talked about safety and less traffic. Those who wanted a union station worried about noise and property values.
The discussion also included where the new station would be built. One idea was near Los Angeles Plaza, which was close to the city's original Chinatown. After the vote, it was decided that Union Station would be built across the street from the Plaza, in the area where Chinatown was located. This area was then prepared for the new station.
Discoveries and Grand Opening
During construction, workers found ancient remains from the Tongva village of Yaanga. This showed that people had lived in this area for a very long time. The new station was a grand project, costing $11 million in 1939. It replaced the older stations, including La Grande Station, which was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
When it opened, Union Station served major train companies like Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Union Pacific. Famous luxury trains, like the Super Chief, carried Hollywood stars. The station was very busy during World War II. However, over time, fewer people traveled by train as cars and airplanes became more popular.
Modernizing Rail Services
In 1972, Union Station became a Los Angeles Historic–Cultural Monument. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This helped protect its unique architecture and history.
New train services began in the 1980s and 1990s. Commuter trains like the short-lived CalTrain and the Amtrak Orange County Commuter started. In 1992, Metrolink commuter rail service began, making Union Station a central hub.
In 1993, Metro's Red Line subway started serving the station. Light rail service arrived in 2003 with Metro's Gold Line (now part of the A Line). These new lines made Union Station even more important for public transport.
Recent Changes and Events
In 2011, Los Angeles Metro bought Union Station for $75 million. Since then, Metro has added more services for passengers. This includes new shops and restaurants.
Amtrak opened a special Metropolitan Lounge in 2013 for certain passengers. It offers a comfortable waiting area with refreshments and Wi-Fi. In 2021, Union Station was a special location for the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony. In 2022, Greyhound moved its main Los Angeles station to the Patsaouras Transit Plaza at Union Station.
Architecture
Station Design and Features
John and Donald Parkinson, a father-and-son team, helped design Union Station. They also designed Los Angeles City Hall. The station mixes Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne styles. You can see details like eight-pointed stars in its design.
The waiting room has enclosed garden patios on both sides. The lower walls inside are covered in travertine marble. The upper walls have special tiles to help with sound. The floor in the large rooms is terra cotta with marble designs. The grand waiting room ceiling looks like wood, but it is actually made of steel.
Special Areas and Restaurants
The original ticket lobby has very high ceilings, about 62 feet. It also has a long counter, 110 feet long. This area is not usually open to the public. However, it is sometimes used for filming movies or special events.
The station has public art, including an aquarium. This aquarium features etchings of the Tongva people and early Latino settlers. Inside the grand waiting room, you'll find the Traxx restaurant and bar. It has an Art Deco theme that matches the station's history.
Next to the main building is a restaurant designed by Mary Colter. It was one of the last "Harvey House" restaurants built in a train station. This large dining room has a round central counter and unique floor tiles. The restaurant closed in 1967. After a four-year renovation, it reopened in 2018 as the "Imperial Western Beer Co." with its own brewery. The cocktail lounge also reopened as "The Streamliner."
Public Art
Union Station has many interesting public artworks. These were added when the Metro rail system was developed in the 1990s. You can find murals, granite seating sculptures, electronic art, glass mosaics, and a river-themed sculpture. This sculpture even includes items found during the subway digging.
- L.A.: City of Angels (1993) by Cynthia Carlson
- Traveler (1993) by Terry Schoonhoven
- Union Chairs (1993) by Christopher Sproat
- La Sombra del Arroyo (1995) by East Los Streetscapers
- City of Dreams (1996) by Richard Wyatt Jr.
- River of History (1996) by May Sun
- Riverbench (1996) by May Sun and Paul Diez
- A-Train (1996) by Bill Bell
- Solar Shift: San Bernardino and Santa Monica (2006) by Roy Nicholson
Location
Finding Union Station
Union Station is in the northeast part of Downtown Los Angeles. It is located between Alameda Street, Cesar Chavez Avenue, Vignes Street, and the Hollywood Freeway. Across Alameda Street, you can find Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park.
The historic Terminal Annex building is also nearby. Chinatown and Civic Center are just a short walk away.
Connecting to Other Transport
The Patsaouras Transit Plaza is on the east side of Union Station. It is a busy spot for many bus lines. These include Metro Local, Metro Rapid, and Metro Express lines. You can also find downtown DASH shuttles and buses from other cities.
The FlyAway express bus service to Los Angeles International Airport also stops here. Greyhound buses and University of Southern California campus shuttles use this plaza too. The Transit Plaza is named after Nick Patsaouras, who supported public transportation.
The Gateway Transit Center includes the station and the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. It also has the western end of the El Monte Busway and Metro's main office building. As of October 2019, Amtrak and Metrolink use 12 of Union Station's 14 outdoor tracks. About 94 trains depart on most weekdays.
Services
Amtrak
Amtrak Long-Distance Routes
Union Station is the starting or ending point for four of Amtrak's long-distance trains:
- Coast Starlight, to Seattle (daily, service began 1971)
- Southwest Chief, to Chicago (daily, service began 1939 as Super Chief)
- Sunset Limited, to New Orleans (three times a week, service began 1939)
- Texas Eagle, to Chicago (three times a week, service began 1982): This train combines with the Sunset Limited to San Antonio.
Amtrak California Regional Routes
Amtrak California runs regional train services many times a day:
- Pacific Surfliner, from San Diego to San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles (service began 1939 as San Diegan): There are 13 daily round trips.
- Connections to the San Joaquins (formerly Gold Runner) to Oakland or Sacramento are available through Amtrak Thruway bus services.
Metrolink
The station is the main hub for Metrolink commuter trains. Six of Metrolink's eight lines serve Union Station:
- Antelope Valley Line, to Lancaster (service began 1992)
- Riverside Line, to Riverside (service began 1993)
- Orange County Line, to Oceanside (service began 1990)
- San Bernardino Line, to San Bernardino (service began 1992)
- Ventura County Line, to Ventura (service began 1992)
- 91/Perris Valley Line, to Perris (service began 2002)
Metro Rail
Three Metro Rail lines serve Union Station. About 300 Metro Rail trains depart every weekday. The B and D lines are subway trains and share an underground platform. The A Line uses tracks one and two outside.
Metro Rail B and D Lines
The Metro Rail B and D subway lines end at Union Station. They share two tracks below the station. You can enter the platform from inside Union Station's main area or near the Patsaouras Transit Plaza.
Metro Rail A Line
The Metro Rail A Line is a light rail line. It travels through Union Station between Pomona and Long Beach. Trains use Tracks 1 and 2 of Union Station's outdoor tracks. You can reach the platform by stairs and elevator from the main passenger tunnel. The platform has an art installation called Images of Commonality/Nature and Movement.
The A Line now serves these tracks after the L Line closed in June 2023. This change happened for the opening of the Regional Connector.
Metro Busway
Metro J Line
One Metro Busway line stops at the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. The Metro Busway J Line runs between El Monte station, Downtown Los Angeles, Harbor Gateway Transit Center, and some trips go to San Pedro.
Silver Streak
The Silver Streak is a bus rapid transit service. It is run by Foothill Transit. This service travels between Pico station in Downtown Los Angeles and the Montclair Transit Center. It also makes a stop at the Patsaouras Transit Plaza.
Bus and Coach Services
Long-Distance Motorcoach
Amtrak Thruway
Amtrak California operates several bus routes under the Amtrak Thruway name. These buses leave from special bus bays on the north side of the station.
These buses connect to San Joaquins trains. For example, bus route 1 travels to/from the Bakersfield Amtrak Station. Direct train service to Bakersfield is not usually possible. When trains are not running overnight, several bus routes provide service along the Pacific Surfliner route and the San Joaquins route.
- Route 1: Bakersfield – Los Angeles – Santa Ana – San Diego
Flixbus
Flixbus offers intercity bus service to places across the Western United States. Its stop is in a parking lot across the street from the station.
Greyhound
Greyhound Lines runs its main Los Angeles station from the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. This station opened on October 19, 2022.
Metro and Municipal Buses
Bus services using the Patsaouras 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 College Shuttle*
- University of Southern California Shuttles: UPC, HSC, ICS
Bus services using the Union Station Patsaouras Bus Plaza station (in the median of the El Monte Busway):
- Los Angeles Metro Busway: J Line
- Los Angeles Metro Bus: Express 487, Express 489*
- Foothill Transit: Silver Streak, 490*, 493*, 495*, 497*, 498*, 499*, 699*
Bus services using the bus stop on Cesar Chavez Avenue & Vignes Street:
- Los Angeles Metro Bus: 28, 70, 78
- LADOT DASH: Lincoln Heights/Chinatown
Bus services using the bus stop on Alameda Street & Los Angeles Street:
- 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:
- Dodger Stadium Express (home games during baseball season only)
- * Indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.
Future Expansion Plans
Link Union Station Project
Union Station's current track layout limits how many trains can use it. Trains can only enter or exit from the north. This means trains often have to wait outside the station.
To fix this, Metro proposed the Link Union Station (Link US) Project. This project will extend tracks 3–10. These tracks will become "run-through" tracks, meaning trains can pass straight through the station. They will cross over the El Monte Busway and US Route 101/Santa Ana Freeway on an elevated path.
Metro approved the engineering work for this project in 2014. The project's estimated cost is $350 million. Construction began in 2021. The first phase of the project is expected to open in 2028. Once finished, the station will have 40% more track capacity.
California High-Speed Rail
Union Station is planned to be a major hub for the future California High-Speed Rail System. When finished, travelers are expected to reach San Francisco from Union Station in about 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The Link US project includes plans for how high-speed trains will use Union Station. High-speed trains are expected to approach from the north. They will use rebuilt platforms 2 and 3. Then, they will exit to the south onto a new elevated path over the El Monte Busway and Santa Ana Freeway. This path will connect to the existing rail lines along the Los Angeles River.
Only four tracks and two platforms at Union Station will be used for high-speed rail. The other six tracks will be converted for Metrolink and Amtrak lines. Construction on the run-through track is expected to start between 2023-2025. Completion is planned between 2028-2033.
Other Future Projects
Southeast Gateway Line
Metro chose Union Station as the planned northern end for the Southeast Gateway Line in 2022. This new light rail line will serve new platforms at the station. It might open around 2043.
Dodger Stadium Gondola
The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit Project is a proposed aerial gondola. It aims to connect Union Station directly to Dodger Stadium.
Brightline West
The proposed Brightline West high-speed line started construction between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga in late 2023. It is expected to be ready by mid-to-late 2027. This line will connect to Union Station using existing Metrolink services.
Dreamstar Lines
Dreamstar Lines aims to launch an overnight passenger train service from Union Station to San Francisco in 2025.
See also
In Spanish: Union Station (Los Ángeles) para niños
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Metro Rail
- Los Angeles Metro
- Los Angeles Metro Rail rolling stock
Images for kids
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Santa Fe's combined Super Chief/El Capitan at the station in 1966
