Tag Archives: downtown Los Angeles

Draft alternatives released for Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan

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The Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan team is releasing its draft alternatives today for improving the venerable station as a transit center. Among some of the proposals (shown above) are replacing the parking lots in front of the station with open space, building a new bus terminal to handle most of the considerable bus traffic at the station and possibly replacing the current transit plaza at the rear of the station with other structures and/or green space.

While all the alternatives will work without high-speed rail, they each offer a variety of ways that high-speed rail could access the station, including configurations in which the tracks are above the current platform, below grade at both the east and west of the current Union Station and running through the current city of Los Angeles Piper Tech facility.

All four of the alternatives and much more will be discussed by Metro officials at a community meeting Thursday (May 2) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo at the intersection of Central and 1st streets. The meeting will be live streamed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lausmp and will be recorded for later viewing.

Here’s a Q&A I put together on today’s news that covers the basics.

What do all the alternatives have in common?

That the historic Los Angeles Union Station built in 1939 is preserved and remains at the center of transit operations. The idea is to embellish the station so that it works as the region’s transit hub for many decades to come while better connecting it to the surrounding neighborhoods — i.e. Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, the Civic Center and Boyle Heights.  While the details are not developed yet at this stage, all of the alternatives will create improved pedestrian and bike pathways, including a bike lane through the site.

Union Station is already serving about 10 times the number of people it did after opening in 1939. The expansion of Metro Rail, increased bus service and plans for high-speed rail make it extremely likely that Union Station will only get more crowded if nothing is done.

Do the alternatives propose building designs?

No, that comes later. The alternatives released today are concepts about where to put facilities and future development on the 47 acres of land (and in some cases beyond that) that Metro owns.

Of course, the design of any future buildings, open space and bike and pedestrian connections matter a lot — the devil is always in the details. At this point of the master plan process, however, Metro is first trying to determine where to put everything transit-related. In its current configuration, bus and rail operations at Union Station are widely dispersed. For example, there are five different locations where local and regional buses stop, leading to some confusion among riders and a lot of walking.

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Put this on your calendar: Draft alternatives for Union Station Master Plan to be unveiled at community workshop in downtown L.A. on May 2

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Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

The announcement from the Union Station Master Plan team that went out last week is below — it’s exciting news.

In 2012, Metro hired Gruen Associates in association with Grimshaw Architects of London to develop a master plan for the facility. In March, both a Metro staff report and PowerPoint were released that explained the early findings of the Master Plan process: making Union Station work as a transit hub will be the top priority.

Also, here’s a recent slideshow of photos of Union Station, past and present, that was featured on The Source.

Draft Alternatives to be Unveiled at our Community Workshop on May 2nd!        

The LA Union Station Master Plan team would like to remind you of our next Community Workshop.  We hope that you will join us to view and provide comments on the Draft Alternatives for the Master Plan. The Draft Alternatives will cover site planning, proposed improvements, new projects and potential development sites.

WHAT: LA Union Station Master Plan Community Workshop
WHEN: Thursday, May 2, 2013
5:30-7:30 PM
WHERE: Japanese American National Museum, Aratani Central Hall
100 N. Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thank you for your continued interest in our project. As always you can follow us at:

Facebook
Twitter
Web

LA Union Station Master Plan Team 

This Sunday: Go Metro and Go CicLAvia to the sea!

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The 6th CicLAvia is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday, April 21, so time to oil your bike chains, lace up your walking/running shoes or break out the rollerblades! The route this time around is 15 miles and is strikingly different from earlier CicLAvias — this time it will be possible to travel back and forth between Venice and downtown Los Angeles, largely on Venice Boulevard.

Some highlights:

Longest route ever: Because this is the longest CicLAvia route so far, we encourage participants to approach the event with careful planning. Keep track of the time, noting that streets will begin re-opening to automobile traffic at 3:00 p.m.. You may not want to find yourself too far from where you started when the event ends.

Getting to CicLAvia on Metro: It is also worth noting that the Festival of Books is happening at USC this weekend so if you plan to take the Metro Expo Line, leave yourself plenty of time as trains will likely have large crowds (Expo trains will be operating every six minutes). The Long Beach Grand Prix is also happening this weekend, meaning the Blue Line will likely be even busier than usual.

With CicLAvia running through downtown Los Angeles, the course is accessible from the Metro Red/Purple Lines (Union Station, Civic Center, Pershing Square or 7th/Metro Center stations), the Metro Gold Line (Union Station or Little Tokyo stations), the Blue Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations) or Expo Line (Pico or 7th/Metro Center stations). The Expo Line also has a station along Venice Boulevard in Culver City — as mentioned above, the Expo Line will be very busy this weekend.

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Union Station past and present, in photographs

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Union Station opened in 1939.
The quick history of Union Station.
A wide view of Union Station and the surrounding area.
And the closer view.
The entrance facing Alameda Street. Photograph courtesy of Metro. ©2013 LACMTA
The iconic main concourse. Photograph courtesy of Metro. ©2013 LACMTA
Interior of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza, built at the rear of the station in the mid-1990s. Photograph courtesy of Metro. ©2013 LACMTA
The mural inside the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. Photograph courtesy of Metro. ©2013 LACMTA
The very cool glass ceiling in the transit plaza. Photograph courtesy of Metro. ©2013 LACMTA
The bar at Traxx.
Here are some historical photos from the station over the years. Photo: Library of Congress.
Amtrak, Metrolink and Metro Rail are the three railroads serving the station these days. Photo: Library of Congress.
Another pic from 1939. Photo: Library of Congress.
The actress Kim Novak at Union Station in 1956. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Undated photo probably from the 1970s, maybe the ’80s. Photo: Library of Congress.
An Amtrak conductor helps passengers at Union Station in 1974. Photo: U.S. EPA.
Passenger trains at Union Station in 1971. Photo: Drew Jacksich/Wikimedia Commons.
Metrolink cab cars at Union Station today.
The station is much busier these days, serving as the hub for Metrolink, Amtrak and Metro Rail.
The Red/Purple Line subway platform under Union Station.
The subway has portals at both ends of Union Station — and they’re both very busy.
The very busy Gold Line platform at Union Station.
All those passengers add up to big crowds in the tunnel that serves the train platforms and connects the transit plaza to the front of the building.
A Metro Rapid bus leaving the transit plaza.
There are actually several bus stops at Union Station. Here’s the one at Cesar Chavez and Vignes.
The bus stop at Cesar Chavez and Vignes has more boardings than the transit plaza.
Bus passengers crossing Cesar Chavez to reach Union Station.
And here’s the Silver Line stop at Alameda and the 10 freeway.
It’s a busy stop used by Metro’s popular Silver Line and Foothill Transit, among others.
Another bus stop on the Alameda Street side of Union Station.
Union Station also has many spaces that areren’t used on a daily basis. This is the old ticket room.
Behind the old ticket counter.
And then there’s the Harvey House as seen from a portal in the kitchen door.
Old cabinets and drawers in the old ticket room.
A booth at the Harvey House as seen through a window.
View from upstairs at the Harvey House.
The classic view of Harvey House.
The counter.
Another view.
The old kitchen at Harvey House.
This sign is stored in the kitchen.
And here’s the old bar at Harvey House.
You have to see it in color to appreciate it.
Another issue: parking. Here’s the original, small garage now used by station employees.
There’s also a four-story underground garage for the public which rarely fills up.
This is the parking lot in front which separates Union Station from Alameda Street.
That puts a lot of pavement between Union Station and park space at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.
There are two nice courtyards. This is the north one that has outdoor seating for Traxx.
The plaza on the south side.
The station also has several exterior halls that are often quiet.
Another view.
The hallway between Union Station and the MWD Plaza.
And the oft-quiet walkway on the far side of the transit plaza.
There has been a nice boost in businesses in the station in recent years.
Ice cream was a tasty addition in 2012.
A currently vacant retail space in the main concourse.
What’s this? Union Terminal in Cincinnati, which opened in 1933 and is now a museum. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
…Whereas Union Station remains one of the nation’s great train stations!

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been both shooting and collecting photos of Los Angeles Union Station, the best of which I’ve put in the above slideshow; click on the first image to begin the slideshow. You can also watch the slideshow on The Source’s Flickr page or as a video on YouTube.

For those interested in the old ticket room and Harvey House, there are a bunch of photos about halfway through the slideshow. After years of looking through Harvey House through the windows, I finally had a chance to go inside. It’s spectacular.

Some quick background: Metro purchased Union Station for roughly $70 million from Catellus in 2011. The purchase gave Metro direct control over Southern California’s largest rail and bus hub, including  development rights on 40 acres of land. Buying Union Station also prevented the facility from being tied up in a real estate trust that would have kept a very public space in private hands well into the future.

In 2012, Metro hired Gruen Associates in association with Grimshaw Architects of London to develop a master plan for the facility. In March, both a Metro staff report and PowerPoint were released that explained the early findings of the Master Plan process: making Union Station work as a transit hub will be the top priority. I tried to take some of the photos to reflect issues raised thus far by the Master Plan team.

The Master Plan process is important considering the Metro Rail system will be growing in the next three decades because of funding supplied by the Measure R sales tax approved by L.A. County voters in 2008. The California high-speed rail project is slated to arrive at Union Station when funding for that segment is secured. Bottom line: an already busy facility is going to be a lot busier. Here’s the Master Plan home page on metro.net.

Here’s a good Powerpoint doc on early findings of Union Station Master Plan process

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L.A. Union Station Master Plan

We posted the other day about a new Metro staff report on the Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan process. The thrust of the report: making Union Station work as a transit hub is the first and foremost priority of the master plan.

The above document is a companion to the staff report and contains some interesting maps and stats. Here’s a good one: Did you know that the bus stop at Cesar Chavez and Vignes serves as many riders as the stops on Patsaouras Plaza? Or that there are two bus plazas and four perimeter bus stops serving Union Station — and 60 percent of the boardings are at the perimeter stops?

Scroll through the document — some of the most interesting stuff is toward the middle and back. Happy reading!

Transportation headlines, Tuesday, March 19; art of transit, downtown streetcar seeks federal $s, pols take aim at Vegas bullet train

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

ART OF TRANSIT: Guess where this photo was taken! Answer after the jump. Photo by JACKIE.LCK, via Flickr creative commons.

ART OF TRANSIT: Guess where this photo was taken! Answer after the jump. Photo by JACKIE.LCK, via Flickr creative commons.

Obama seeks to use gas and oil money to develop alternative fuel cars (New York Times) 

President Obama wants to use royalties from oil and gas drilling on offshore oil fields to help fund research into vehicles powered by clean fuels. But political resistance is expected from some House Republicans who have been critical of spending on non-traditional technologies when it comes to vehicles.

Separately, the National Academy of Sciences released a report on Monday saying that an 80 percent decline in greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in the U.S. is possible by 2050 but it’s going to take a lot more than simply upping fuel economy standards, which President Obama already did. Specifically, the Academy recommended more rebates for those who buy clean vehicles and greater gas taxes on those who buy inefficient vehicles.

BART tries letting bikes on board trains during peak hours (KALW radio)

There are still some restrictions in place, but the agency that runs heavy rail trains in the Bay Area wants to try to accomodate some cyclists who either have been wanting to use the train to help with their commute or, in some cases, have been ignoring the ban. As readers here likely know, Metro lifted its peak hour ban on bikes in 2011.

Las Vegas high-speed rail project beset by political mine fields (Las Vegas Sun)

The Victorville-to-Las Vegas bullet train, now called XpressWest, is hoping to get a $5-billion-plus federal loan to fund building the project. Not so fast. Two key Republicans in Congress — Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Jeff Sessions — are now urging U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to reject the loan application, saying the loan is too risky. The XPressWest project needs the federal loan to get more private investors. In related news, Ryan’s proposed federal budget for the 2014 fiscal year would end all spending on high-speed rail projects, which would be very problematic for California’s fledgling project that aims to eventually connect San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Streetcar supporters return from Washington after rallying for funds (blogdowntown)

Los Angeles Councilman and Metro Board Member Jose Huizar traveled to the nation’s capital last week to meet with members of Congress and other federal transportation officials in an effort to secure federal funds to build the downtown Los Angeles streetcar project. The city of L.A. will be applying for a federal Small Starts grant to help pay for half of the $125-million project. This will be an interesting process, as many other cities have asked for similar grants for their own streetcar projects and Metro, of course, is pursuing a federal New Starts grant to help pay for the Regional Connector and Westside Subway Extension, two projects that extend the reach of transit in downtown Los Angeles. The key question is in a time of federal belt tightening — thank you, sequester — how much federal funds can the region expect? For what it’s worth, I hope everything here gets funded. The more layers of transit, the better.

City of L.A. to create transit plans for stations along Expo Line and Crenshaw Line (Curbed L.A.) 

The city of Los Angeles Planning Department continues its early efforts to create new zoning plans for areas around stations, the idea being to create opportunities for transit-oriented development and a better world for pedestrians. Point of emphasis: Metro has no say in the zoning plans — that’s the city’s purview. City website here

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Regional Connector crews uncover streetcar rails on Spring Street

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Photo: Metro.

Photo: Metro.

Check it out: While doing utility relocation work for the Regional Connector on Thursday in downtown L.A., crews found some old (presumably) streetcar rails between 1st and 2nd streets. There are still a lot of railroad tracks embedded in streets on the eastern and more industrial side of downtown, but I can’t recall seeing rails in downtown proper.

Transportation headlines, Wednesday, Feb. 27

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Here is a look at some of the transportation headlines gathered by us and the Metro Library. The full list of headlines is posted on the Library’s Headlines blog, which you can also access via email subscription or RSS feed.

ART OF TRANSIT: A full moon hovers over the Gold Line's Lake Avenue Station in the middle of the 210 freeway in Pasadena. No, I didn't add the moon in Photoshop -- it was there and it was orange-ish. Click above to see larger. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

ART OF TRANSIT: A full moon hovers over the Gold Line’s Lake Avenue Station in the middle of the 210 freeway in Pasadena. No, I didn’t add the moon in Photoshop — it was there and it was orange-ish. I’ll try to get a shot next month of the moon closer to the horizon; my timing was off last night. Click above to see larger. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Check out the progress on the 405 project at Wilshire (LA Observed) 

Nice gallery of photos of work on the Wilshire flyover ramps that should make it easier and safer to exit and enter the 405 at Wilshire. The ramps will also hopefully ease some of the congestion at the Wilshire underpass of the 405. Carmageddon I and II — the freeway closures to demolish the Mulholland Bridge — got a lot of the media attention, but I suspect that the Wilshire ramps will be the improvement that most Westside motorists appreciate about the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project.

ExpressLanes in Southern California promise relief and opportunities for commuters and businesses (Welcome to the Fast Lane)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s blog has an entry on the opening of the ExpressLanes on the 10 freeway over this past weekend. Excerpt:

The Obama Administration believes that the key is to give people choices–better transit options, more buses and bus stops, incentives for carpooling and van pooling.

In this case, the HOT lanes that FHWA supported offer a choice of free or tolled lanes to motorists. As more drivers choose the option of avoiding congestion by choosing a tolled lane, it actually reduces congestion on the free lanes at the same time.

We think it’s a very interesting solution, and across the country state departments of transportation seem to agree as the move to add HOT lanes continues.

Cars and robust cities are fundamentally incompatible (The Atlantic Cities)

Good post from earlier this month on studies that show as the number of people who drive to a downtown area increases, the number of people actually working in downtown decreases. The problem: too many parking lots taking up space that could otherwise be used for offices and buildings that contribute to the critical mass that downtown areas thrive upon. This article, me thinks, applies directly to downtown Los Angeles — which has far more parking than is actually needed.

 

Construction notice: upcoming utility relocation work for Regional Connector on 2nd, Hill, Broadway, Spring and Main

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Good to see more work underway. The Connector will tie together the Gold, Blue and Expo lines in downtown Los Angeles in order to speed up trips through downtown and reduce transfers. More about the project here.

Go Metro to the Chinese New Year Festival and the Firecracker 10k

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My free gift from last year's Chinese New Year Festival. Wonder what I'll get this year!

My free gift from last year’s Chinese New Year Festival. Wonder what I’ll get this year!

For firecrackers, great food and fun cultural performances, head over to Chinatown this Lunar New Year.

The Chinese New Year Festival will take place from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16 and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Central Plaza. In honor of the Year of the Snake, festival goers will have the chance to participate in a record-breaking attempt to fold 800,000 pieces of paper to make a giant snake structure, which will be submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records for evaluation. There also will be plenty of food, drinks and live entertainment.

Go Metro to receive a free gift while supplies last. To claim a gift, simply present a valid TAP card or L.A. County employee ID at the Chinatown BID info booth located in Central Plaza.

The Golden Dragon Parade will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. The parade will feature floats, marching bands, various dignitaries and more. Both events are free to attend.

The following weekend, Feb. 23 and 24, is the L.A. Chinatown Firecracker 5k/10k Run, Walk, Kiddie Run and Bike Ride. The bike ride will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday while the runners will take to the streets starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday. Metro riders can get $3 off the race registration fee when they sign up online using the promotional code GOMETRO13. Registered participants who show their valid TAP card or L.A. County employee ID at the run will receive free bag check-in service.

The free Nite n’ Day Festival will take place the same weekend. It will feature music, food and cultural entertainment from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 and 8:15 a.m. to noon Sunday, Feb. 24.

All of these events are easily reached from the Metro Gold Line Chinatown Station. It’s the best option when it comes to avoiding traffic from street closures and dealing with limited parking spaces. For more route options, use Trip Planner.