Union Station revamp plans require bridge over 101 Freeway

Plans to revamp and revitalize Los Angeles' historical transit center include the building of a large bridge over one of the area's busiest freeways.

Validated by environmental documents launched by LA Metro last week, a 700-foot-long bridge would be constructed over Highway 101 for outgoing and inbound trains into Los Angeles Union Station.

It's part of a higher plan to reimagine and improve Union Station for eventual increased capacity and brand-new service-- a task called Link Union Station.

Now, traveler trains like Amtrak and Metrolink have to get in into Union Station from the north and stop at a "stub-end" platform, basically implying they reach a dead end. Los Angeles Metrolink commuter train's bilevel traveler railcar – – Los Angeles Union Station.

That sometimes forces trains to take out from the end of the platform and resume travel with the train pointed in the opposite direction from the method it arrived-- the front of the train is now the back of the train, and vice versa.

If you've ever ridden the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from anywhere north of Los Angeles to San Diego, for instance, you've likely experienced the almost-vertigo-inducing turnabout.

Plans to upgrade Union Station will extend those platforms from their previous dead ends and link them with the new bridge south of the station, developing 8 new "run-through" tracks. That will make it possible for trains to go into Union Station from either the north or the south, so trains can stop at a platform, allow riders to get on or off, and then continue moving on in the same instructions.

City states the brand-new bridge will improve "operational performance, capacity, flexibility, and connectivity for trains using LAUS, which would offer a wide variety of advantages to the neighborhood and transit users.".

The conversion would not just remove the need for trains to reverse at Union Station, but it will reduce the time a train is fixed there and allow for more trains to travel through.

That's particularly essential for California's transportation future, as Union Station, initially integrated in 1939, is set to become one of the primary transit centers for the California High-Speed Rail when that service ultimately reaches downtown Los Angeles.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is a co-sponsor of the job and is helping to money the improvements.

High-speed trains, in addition to Metrolink and Amtrak, would enter and out of Union Station utilizing the brand-new bridge over the 101 Freeway, known as the US-101 Viaduct.

An illustration of the proposed enhancements at Los Angeles Union Station, consisting of the proposed United States 101 Viaduct. (LA Metro).

The ecological documents released by LA Metro explain the bridge as "roughly 205 feet large, 700 feet long, with a deck elevation that varies between 307 feet and 314 above mean sea level." The height of the bridge would differ in between 25 and 35 feet over the street, depending on the particular area.

" The existing design can accommodate eight tracks at the south end of the Los Angeles Union Station where it links to the bridge structure and assembles into 2 tracks where it arrive on the west bank," a representative for LA Metro informed BNN. "At the point over the US-101, the bridge structure can accommodate six tracks.".

The very first phase of the job, expected to be in service throughout the summer season of 2031, would offer 2 run-through tracks for Metrolink and Amtrak. The 2nd phase would include a "complete build-out" to accommodate California High-Speed Rail with the 8 tracks assembling into two tracks as it crosses the 101 Freeway.

What's the distinction in between California's 2 high-speed rail tasks?

The Link Union Station project has actually been in the works for almost a decade and an ecological review under the California Environmental Quality Act was finished in 2019. Now it's going through review at the federal level, with hopes of protecting some additional funding from Uncle Sam.

In addition to the new run-through tracks and high-speed rail assistance, other improvements under Link US include brand-new tracks to connect to a raised rail backyard, improvements to the concourse, and new interaction, signaling and security systems.

(LA Metro via HDR Inc.)

Renderings of the Link US enhancement task show an updated and modernized Los Angeles Union Station with enhancements for travelers and pedestrians. (LA Metro by means of HDR Inc.)

Renderings of the Link United States improvement task at Los Angeles Union Station consist of the proposed train bridge over United States 101.

" Link Union Station Project is proposed to accommodate the increased regional/intercity rail capacity through 2040, improve transit connection, enable one-seat rides on the regional/intercity rail systems throughout Southern California and accommodate the prepared high-speed rail system at LAUS," the Metro representative included.

As part of the publication of these environmental documents, public comment is now open through Aug. 9. A public hearing and open house relating to the job will happen on July 9 at LA Metro head office.

Extra details about Link United States can be discovered here.

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