Metro will open its new Union Station Patsaouras Bus Plaza with the start of service this Sunday, November 1. The new platform will be used by bus lines that run on the El Monte Busway and will offer an easier, quicker and safer connection to Union Station.
The platform will serve Metro’s J Line (Silver Line) that offers express service between El Monte Station, downtown L.A. and San Pedro. Other Metro bus lines that will use the new platform are the 487 and the 489. The new platform will also be used by Foothill Transit’s Silver Streak and Foothill’s 493, 495, 497, 498, 499 and 699 routes. Here is the Foothill Transit service map.
A Facebook Live event was held Friday morning featuring Metro Board Members Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker and John Fasana, and Metro Chief of Staff Nadine Lee. Watch here.
Here’s what riders need to know:
•The new platform replaces the existing El Monte bus stop at Union Station at the intersection of Alameda Street and the El Monte Busway. That bus stop will be abandoned and be used as a bus layover location by Metro and Foothill Transit. For riders headed to the Federal Building, a new stop will be added at Los Angeles Street.
•The new platform features full Metro station amenities, including a shade canopy, ticket vending machines, seating, lighting, closed-circuit TV surveillance, electronic message signs, ADA-compliant elevators, stairs and a pedestrian bridge.
•The new platform is about 300 feet closer to the L Line (Gold) platform at Union Station than the existing bus stop on Alameda. The platform is about 600 feet closer to the B (Red) and D (Purple) Line subway entrance in Union Station.
•A notable project improvement is the new pedestrian bridge that directly connects the busway station to Patsaouras Plaza. California artist Ned Kahn created the design for the 750-foot-long bridge, dressing it up with aluminum panels that move with the wind and reveal patterns of light and shade. The bridge is lit at night to reveal patterns as silhouettes against illuminated surfaces inside the bridge. More about the artwork here.
•The $51-million project began construction in early 2017. Station work was halted temporarily in 2018 to mitigate archaeological and Native American artifacts discovered at the site.
•This joins another key bus improvement at Union Station. A new bus pavilion at the corner of Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Vignes Street opened earlier this month. That serves riders on Metro lines 68, 70, 71, 78, 79, 378 and 770.
•This project aligns with Metro’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan that seeks to deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of Metro system — and speed up trips.
Categories: Projects
The Passenger Information Screens ought to be able to list the Bus Bay at which the bus will be stopping. And can the Foothill Transit “Silver Streak”‘s internal route number (707) be better publicized to avoid confusion?
Sorry to be negative – this new station is an improvement. I’m happy to see it completed, and will use it to get to the SGV. But: “ADA-compliant elevators” “lighting” “pedestrian bridge” and even “shade” and “seating” – why are these termed “amenities”? (Stuff that’s nice to have – in contrast to necessities). Pretty much no one terms car facilities (parking, bridges, ramps) “amenities.” But somehow when necessities serve transit riders/pedestrians/wheelchair users/cyclists – they often are inappropriately termed “amenities.” Better to call them features or facilities.
Bus bays 10-15? Does this mean there will be bays for different routes? How would one know where to stand?
Love improvements. Only thing is I refuse to acknowledge the new name changes. Ill keep using the Silver, Blue, Green, Expo, etc. lines names.
Why are they still using those silly bollards on the station platforms. Looks aestically weird and off putting
Just guessing but maybe it’s protection for patrons in case a bus goes errr, a little off-course?
Probably for safety. It is right next to a freeway on and off ramp after all.
This is due to an incident that occurred on February 22nd, 2012 on the Harbor (Interstate 110) Transitway
http://media.metro.net/board/Items/2012/03_march/20120322RBMItem4Handout.pdf
This dinosaur project took years to complete. Finally its done. I still do not understand why Metro puts the silver line stop in the SAME bay as lines 487 and 489. Why not assign a different bus bay? Also can we get a updated station signage for the silver lines stations on the harbor freeway?
Thank goodness this improvement is finally finished. For disabled people the old bus stop involved a walk that was too far from the Union Station and too inconvenient.