Comments on: A Bitter Ode to Union Station

By: Dan Wentzel

Dan Wentzel — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:08:13 +0000

London, which is also a sprawl, has several "Union Stations", where commuter rails meet the tubes: Paddington, Liverpool Street, King's Cross, Victoria, Charing Cross, etc. I would love to see a second "Union Station" near LAX, where Metrolink (via Harbor Sudivision) can meet light rail (Green, Crenshaw, Sepulveda) and a large bus depot.

By: Spokker

Spokker — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:16:11 +0000

"Classism: Also why we're unlikely to see the LA subway out to the beach any time soon." Uh, no one really opposes the subway anymore. The biggest issue is money, not classism. Beverly Hills wants a station now. When it's finally built I'm going to go steal some TVs using the new station as my "getaway car."

By: James Fujita

James Fujita — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:59:59 +0000

I would love to see Famima!! (that's the American branch of Family Mart in Japan) at Union Station.

I don't know where they would have room to put it, but it seems very appropriate to have a Japanese mini-mart at such a transit-oriented location as Union Station.

I love Union Station and I think I would be very, very cautious about doing anything that would change the nature of the place, but I do agree that it seems like there ought to be room for some retail. Maybe in the less historic parts, like in the back or the East Portal?

By: Jude

Jude — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:10:55 +0000

This blog, definitely part of the greater good. Thank you for the excellent photos and commentary. Really helpful.

Most of what's wrong with LA MTA (such as having to walk through the freeway under-tunnel to get to west-moving buses from LAUS) is simple classism. Money moved west and farther west in LA and that money doesn't want impecunious gang-bangers coming up from MX to LAUS by rail and being able to head west on the bus along Sunset to Brentwood & the Palisades --- at least without being very visible in so doing. Same reason in reverse, it has been rumored in LA that certain stops on bus routes have changed due to which muckety-mucks' female domestics needed a better way to get to and from cleaning rich dudes' mansions.

Classism: Also why we're unlikely to see the LA subway out to the beach any time soon.

Haven't lived in LA for a few years, and not sure what the bus riders union is doing about (or can do about) any of this. But until the greed/fear bases of too many of the MTA decisions can be seen for what they are and transcended, then good energy from decent people simply seeking decent mass transit is squandered in hand wringing.

Certainly the reigning powers know how asinine it is to have to walk through the under-tunnel to catch a west-moving bus from LAUS when Sunset/Chavez runs right to the station. Certainly calling the reigning powers on their hypocrisy might make a difference, if enough people join their voices peacefully but persistently. I have a car, no criminal record and no need to be transported to anybody's mansion, but only a simple desire to use mass transit. I, like you, deserve more than the reigning smiles and lying eyes.

By: cph

cph — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:34:29 +0000

Re: Fred Harvey Restaurant:

Was there an issue with it being a historical site, making it difficult to bring it up to current restaurant safety codes?

By: Dana Gabbard

Dana Gabbard — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:21:44 +0000

There was talk earlier this year of Famima (a mini mart a la 7-11) opening at Union Station. Anyone know if that is still in the offing?

http://www.famima-usa.com/

By: Bruce Shelton

Bruce Shelton — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:34:31 +0000

Enjoyed your post. I'm an Amtrak conductor assigned to Caltrain (the San Francisco-San Jose equivalent of Metrolink). However, I always enjoy my visits as a passenger/visitor to LAUS. I, too, have often wondered why they have not leased out the former Fred Harvey restaurant space. It presently represents merely lost revenue to the station owner (Catellus) and the city of L.A. The station itself is, both architecturally and historically, one of the truly great edifices in Los Angeles...a civic treasure if ever there was one!

By: JWalker64

JWalker64 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:15:03 +0000

The new Union Station El Monte Busway stop will look something like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717393@N05/3526186713/

By: Erik G.

Erik G. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:33:34 +0000

Dana, don't you think they might carve out a portion of the parking garage to link the bus platform to the corridor that runs near the elevator to the East Portal of the Red/Purple Line?

By: Sirinya

Sirinya — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:36:33 +0000

The bike racks are a hassle for first-time visitors to find. The signage is abysmal and I had to talk to four people, including security + someone in customer relations (uh, that's a point of information for visitors, right?) before I found someone (a Metro communications person who was not Jody Litvak) to escort me to the bike racks. I hope Metro has a really good reason for not having bike racks in front of the main entrance to their building.

By: Dana Gabbard

Dana Gabbard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:27:03 +0000

I should note the new busway loading platform is in lieu of the long delayed Ramirez Flyover that was supposed to link the busway (both directions) with the Plaza.

By: mark

mark — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:41:01 +0000

You wrote:

"Bus services was weak."

Grammar much? :-)

By: Dana Gabbard

Dana Gabbard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:02:58 +0000

Forgive my poor spelling. Spent two days staffing a booth at alt car expo. Just starting to recover.

By: Dana Gabbard

Dana Gabbard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:27 +0000

Scott Bottles' book Los Angeles and the Automobile has an entire chapter on the battle over the building of Union Station between the city and the railroads. Quite interesting.

I long agitated for a kiosk be placed in the Gateway Plaza with a map showing where the various buses that serve the Union Station aea board. Some are on the busway (at Alameda), some on Cavez at Vignes and others go into the Plaza. Finally a year or so ago they placed it adjacent one of the Plaza elevators. Long overdue.

We are all curious about this new busway loading area adjacent to the Plaza that is supposed to be done as part of the Congestion Pricing project, replqacing the bus stop at Alameda. It will be a center platform with tunnel connecting it to the Plaza. I am not quite sure where the portal for it will be.

By: Adonia

Adonia — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:13:49 +0000

Union Station was my first impression of LA since my family used to take the train up from San Juan Capistrano for Mexican holidays at Olvera Street. Now that I commute from Koreatown to Irvine on the train, I pass through it many times a week. I love it. Despite the lack of helper personnel Dan notes, I've found it pretty easy to use. And I like it when confused co-users of the space ask me about things, especially whether it costs extra to take your bike on Amtrak trains (it doesn't).

By: Spokker

Spokker — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:20:35 +0000

"To reopen those areas to real commerce and interchange would set a grand example for a more civic, more human Los Angeles."

I don't disagree. I was just trying to put myself in the shoes of those responsible for maintaining the joint.

By: cph

cph — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:29:11 +0000

There used to be another restaurant in Union Station back in the 90's....it was a branch of one of the Mexican places on Olvera street. Served greasy food, but was another choice.

Otherwise it's Traxx (too expensive and froo-froo), Union Bagel (better than it once was, but still kind of limited) or catch-as-catch-can with packaged sandwiches and snacks from one of the newsstands.

There's also a lunch truck at the end of the tracks, platform level. It's not there all the time (never seen it during the mid-afternoon or on weekends), but they sell sodas for $1 a can, rather than the $2.50/bottle just about everywhere else in the station. (Vending machines included).

Bathrooms are pretty horrid in the station and the portal. The ones in the station proper seem to be looked after a bit better, but are very crowded.
The ones in the closed-off section (used for private parties, etc.) are
nice and clean, though. (I was there a couple of years back for an Oscar party)

Sometimes they have a person in the "Traveler's Aid" booth near the Alameda street entrance. Mostly during the day and on weekends.

By: Travis

Travis — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:19:54 +0000

There are bicycle racks in the parking garage of the Metro tower, just exit the train tunnel level at the half dome portal (east?) via the doorways to the north.... walk north past the loading area to the left and you will find racks with a rather rag-tag collection of bikes to your right between to concrete walls.... note you can't see this from the north doorway out of the north portal. But there are about 8 racks, so there is always room, just lock extra securely, as there is zero observation of this location.

By: Glen

Glen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:07:02 +0000

After a recent visit the station still looks good and hopefully the old ticket area will reopen for HSR as the current set up will be far too small
for the all the increased business that will fill the station.

By: bzcat

bzcat — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:36:03 +0000

This is great piece for a "newbie" guide to LA Transit if you ever want to expand your website.