Columns were removed from Willow Street Station last week to make way for a new canopy. Photo: instagram.com/metrolosangeles

Upgrade work requiring the closure of Willow Street Station and Wardlow Station will continue this weekend on the Metro Blue Line. Improvements planned for the stations are similar to those just completed at Artesia, including new paint, tile and audio/visual enhancements. All told, two more weekends of closures–scheduled for Feb. 6-8 and 13-15–will be necessary to complete work at Willow Street and Wardlow.

Starting this Friday, Jan. 30 after 9 p.m. until Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m., Willow Street and Wardlow Stations will be closed. Bus shuttles will replace rail service between Del Amo and Pacific Coast Highway Stations, departing at regular Blue Line service levels. This means southbound Blue Line trains will return north to 7th Street/Metro Center at Del Amo, and Downtown Long Beach trains will travel only as far north as PCH.

Sunday, Feb 1 after 2 p.m., Blue Line trains will resume service to Willow Street and Wardlow to facilitate easier traveling to and from Superbowl celebrations. At this time, trains will run approximately every 12 minutes between downtown L.A. and Willow Street, and every 20 minutes between Willow Street and Long Beach. This means that Downtown Long-Beach bound customers who begin their trip north of Willow Street will need to board a cross-platform, southbound train at Willow Street to reach destinations in the Long Beach Loop.

Closure of Willow Street and Wardlow is part of the Blue Line Upgrades project, a $1.2-billion overhaul including station improvements, track replacement/refurbishment, and even, eventually, new rail cars. Some of the upgrades have already been completed at Anaheim Street, PCH, Artesia and in the Long Beach Loop, and will continue to move north along the Blue Line as 2015 unfolds.

As construction can be a dynamic process, please check back here at The Source, or follow us @metrolosangeles or @metrolaalerts for the latest Blue Line service updates. Finally, a big thank you to all affected customers for their patience as we undertake this essential improvement work for better Blue Line service.