Union Station (Los Angeles)

Passengers at the information booth at Union Station.

Amtrak operates four long-distance trains out of Los Angeles:

• Coast Starlight, to Seattle (daily, service began 1971)
• Southwest Chief, to Chicago (daily, service began 1936 as Super Chief, renamed Southwest Limited in 1974 and Southwest Chief in 1984)
• Sunset Limited, to New Orleans (tri-weekly, service began 1894)
• Texas Eagle, to Chicago via San Antonio (tri-weekly, service began 1982) Cars bound for Chicago are part of the Sunset Limited to San Antonio, where the train is split.

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

• Pacific Surfliner, from San Diego to San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles (service began 1939 as San Diegan, renamed Pacific Surfliner in 2000)
• Connections to the San Joaquin train to Oakland or Sacramento are provided through Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach services. (see below)

The station is the hub for Metrolink and six of Metrolink's seven lines serve the station:

• Antelope Valley Line, to Lancaster (opened: October 26, 1992)
• Riverside Line, to Riverside (opened: June 14, 1993)
• Orange County Line, to Oceanside (opened: March 28, 1994)
• San Bernardino Line, to San Bernardino (opened: October 26, 1992)
• Ventura County Line, to Ventura (opened: October 26, 1992)
• 91/Perris Valley Line, to Perris (opened: May 6, 2002)

Three Metro Rail lines (the B (Red), D (Purple), and L (Gold) Lines) serve the stations portal with about 300 Metro Rail trains departing every weekday.

The upper floor view of the B Line and D Line subway station platform portals.

The Metro B and Metro D subway lines have their eastern terminus at Union Station and share two tracks below Union Station.[26][27] There are two entrances: one is located inside Union Station's main concourse on the west side of the complex, near Alameda Street, and the other is located at the Patsaouras Transit Plaza on the downstairs east side of the complex.

The Metro L Line (Gold) is a light rail line that passes through Union Station as it travels between Azusa and East Los Angeles.[28] Trains use Tracks 1 and 2 of Union Station's 14 outdoor tracks. The platform is accessible from the main passenger portal tunnel via staircase and elevator. 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, entitled Images of Commonality/Nature and Movement, created by Beth Thielen.

The platform station will be served by Line A, which will run from Long Beach to Azusa, once the Regional Connector is complete in 2022.

One Metro Busway bus rapid transit line makes a stop outside Union Station. The Metro J Line (Silver) operates between El Monte Bus Station, Downtown Los Angeles, Harbor Gateway Transit Center and select trips to San Pedro using the El Monte Busway and Harbor Transitway. The Metro J Line stops near the southwest corner of the station at the entrance to the El Monte Busway at Alameda Street.

Actress Kim Novak at Union Station (1956)

Buses at the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach boarding area of Los Angeles Union Station.

Amtrak California operates several routes under the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach brand from Union Station using dedicated bus bays at the north side of the station.

Connections to San Joaquin trains are provided through bus routes 1A & 1B that travel to and from the Bakersfield Amtrak Station.[29] Direct rail service to Bakersfield is not possible because passenger trains are not normally allowed on the Tehachapi Loop near Bakersfield.

• Route 1A: Bakersfield – Los Angeles
• Route 1B: Bakersfield – Los Angeles – San Pedro (serving the cruise terminals and Catalina Island ferries in Long Beach and San Pedro)

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 1A: Bakersfield – Los Angeles – San Diego
• Route 1A: Bakersfield – Los Angeles – Santa Ana
• Route 1B: Fresno – Bakersfield – Los Angeles
• Route 4: Santa Barbara – Los Angeles

Amtrak also offers a Thruway Motorcoach route to Las Vegas from Union Station.

While it does not stop on the Union Station property, California Shuttle Bus provides service to San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose from a bus stop across from the Patsaouras Transit Plaza at the corner of Vignes and Ramirez streets.

While it does not stop at the Union Station property, Flixbus provides intercity service from a parking lot at the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Vignes Street.[30]

Megabus operates three long-distance motorcoach routes from Berth 1 at the Patsaouras Transit Plaza:

• M10 to Las Vegas
• M11 to San Francisco via Oakland
• M12 to San Francisco via San Jose

Bus services using the Patsaouras Transit Plaza:

• Metro Local: 33 (late nights only), 40
• Metro Express: 442*
• Metro Rapid: 704, 728, 733, 745
• Antelope Valley Transit Authority: 785*
• City of Commerce Municipal Bus Lines: Citadel Outlets Express
• City of Santa Clarita Transit: 794*
• LAX FlyAway
• Foothill Transit: 699*
• LADOT Commuter Express: Bunker Hill Shuttle*, 431*, 534*
• LADOT DASH: D (weekdays only)
• Mount St. Mary's College Shuttle*
• Orange County Transportation Authority: 701*
• University of Southern California Shuttles: UPC, HSC, ICS

Bus services using the bus stop at the entrance to the El Monte Busway, west of Alameda Street (southwest corner of the Union Station property):

• Metro Busway: Metro J Line
• Metro Express: 487, 489*
• Foothill Transit: Silver Streak, 493*, 497*, 498*, 499*

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

• Metro Local: 68, 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 378*
• Metro Rapid: 770
• LADOT DASH: Lincoln Heights/Chinatown

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

• Big Blue Bus: Rapid 10
• LADOT DASH: B (weekdays only)
• Torrance Transit: 4*

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.

A new transitway station for the Metro J Line and other transit buses operating on the El Monte Busway is planned to the south of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, in the median of the El Monte Busway, funded by tolls collected as a part of the Metro ExpressLanes project.[32] It will allow buses traveling in both directions on the busway to serve Union Station while minimizing dwell time, according to Metro.[33][34]

The station was originally expected to be completed in June 2014, but because all bids came in over budget, they were cancelled and the Metro Board of Directors increased the budget and solicited new bids.[35] As of April 2017 the station is under construction, and is expected to open in the spring of 2018.[36]

A Metrolink train at Union Station

With the number of trains using Union Station expanding, the stub-end layout of trackage is limiting the station's capacity. Trains can only enter or exit from the north side of the station.[37] 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 (formerly titled the Southern California Regional Interconnector Project) which would extend tracks 3–10 as run-through tracks, which will exit Union Station and cross over US Route 101 on 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.[38]

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.[39] The $31-million contract for the engineering work on the project was approved on April 24, 2014.[40] The project's estimated value is $350 million.[40][41] A draft environmental impact report on Link Union Station is expected in 2017[42]

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.[43] Once the SCRIP 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 approved environmental studies for the Link US Union Station run-through tracks project that includes an expanded central concourse hallway and eliminated loop tracks. These modifications reduced project costs while prioritizing rider convenience while transferring between trains. The board action officially certified the Link US Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR),[44] and a funding plan for the project was approved on April 21, 2020, with the project's completion targeted for 2026.[45]

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Federal Railroad Administration previously 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 final environmental impact report for the "Los Angeles Union Station Run-Through Tracks Project" was published by the FRA in November 2005.[46]

Union Station is planned to be a major hub for the future California High-Speed Rail System. Upon completion, it is projected that passengers will be able to get from Union Station to the Transbay Transit Center in the city of San Francisco in 2 hours and 40 minutes.[47]

As a part of its Master Plan, Metro is currently studying how to best integrate tracks and platforms for high-speed trains arrival into Union Station. Options include an aerial structure above the existing platforms, an underground structure under Alameda Street, an underground structure under Vignes and an aerial structure east of Vignes.[48] All plans include a new concourse for high-speed rail passengers and three platforms with six tracks.